GP secretaries increasingly being subjected to abuse from frustrated patients

A Wexford GP described the HSE’s system for counting patients waiting as 'a partial record of the excess capacity in the hospital system'. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Frustrated patients are verbally abusing secretaries in GP practices at levels never seen before as delays in being seen or getting follow-on tests continue to worsen.

The Irish Medical Organisation’s annual general meeting heard GPs say the challenges have increased since the pandemic with higher numbers of sick people needing help.

Dr Ruksan Goonewardena, who works at a rural practice in Co Cavan, said patients are having to wait to see GPs, wait for tests and wait for hospital care.

“There is increased demand on our secretaries,” he said.

Before the pandemic, he only “very rarely” had to call a patient to say “listen, that was not acceptable the way you spoke to our secretary”.

However, he said in the last six months this has become common at their practice and others.

He said, in their experience, the amount of abuse is increasing.

“It is insane how the demand has become relentless, our practice is overburdened, all the GPs feel this way,” he said, calling for change.

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Speaking from the floor, Donegal GP Dr Denis McCauley warned of longer waits for patients on low incomes.

He warned of crossing the “medical Rubicon” where private and medical card patients will have different levels of access.

There are not enough GPs to meet the rising demand, he said, adding: “The less well-off will have to wait, the people who can pay will source a GP privately.

“This will be a terrible indictment of the service,” he said.

The AGM also discussed the crisis facing patients waiting on chairs and trolleys in hospitals after being admitted.

Wexford General Hospital emergency medicine consultant Dr Mick Molloy was critical of how the shockingly high numbers of people waiting has become accepted.

He described the HSE’s system for counting those waiting as “a partial record of the excess capacity in the hospital system”.

Dr Molloy pointed to the practice of placing patients who are waiting for a bed into areas set aside for day procedures. He said they are not counted.

“If you get placed into the surgical day ward, you don’t get counted in those figures, you get placed into any of those areas you don’t get counted in those areas,” he said.

“In my little hospital, that can be 50 or 60 people. In some of the larger hospitals that can be 100 or more,” he added.

He compared it to expecting hotel guests to wait in the lobby overnight until a room is cleaned.

A doctor speaking from the floor said access is becoming a competition between emergency patients and people in need of elective care.

At the same event, Irish Cancer Society director of advocacy and external affairs Rachel Morrogh shared images of patients sitting on the floor in corridors while waiting for dedicated cancer care.

She listed recent changes but queried whether the right changes were made for patients.