5,000 attacks on health service staff in North

THUGS preying on NHS staff in the North carried out more than 5,000 attacks last year, it emerged yesterday.

And with the beatings and abuse suffered by GPs on the rise, staff have been urged to reveal the full extent of violence they are exposed to.

The British Medical Association is to survey all doctors as part of a new strategy to ensure those who terrorise staff end up in jail.