The British Medical Association has written to Health Secretary Sajid Javid urging him to step in and tackle the wave of growing abuse against GPs.

Saying that the government must also publicly support the profession by condemning ‘the onslaught of abuse and media scapegoating of GPs and their staff’, the BMA is calling for a change in legislation to increase the maximum sentence for assault against emergency workers from 12 months’ to two years’ imprisonment.

The letter from BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul comes after four members of staff were injured in an attack at a surgery in Manchester and amid sustained anti-GP campaigns in sections of the media. He highlights a recent BMA survey in which half of the GPs who responded said they had personally experienced verbal abuse in the most recent month, with two-thirds saying they had witnessed abuse directed at staff.

As well as the increased sentence for assault of emergency workers, the BMA wants to see verbal abuse against emergency workers carrying a heavier punishment, even when the threat of physical violence is not present.

Nagpaul writes: “This is wholly unacceptable, particularly given the tireless work of general practice staff who have served the nation assiduously and loyally over the past 18 months of the pandemic. GPs and their teams led the Covid vaccination programme - the most successful in the history of the NHS - which has delivered 90 million vaccines, saving tens of thousands of lives. General practice is also managing large numbers of vaccination queries and issues relating to the backlog in secondary care which further adds to pressure on day-to-day access.”