Three in five doctors surveyed experienced abuse at work 

Some 26% said the rise in abuse made them reconsider their healthcare career. Picture: Anthony Devlin/PA

A doctor was held at gunpoint by a patient seeking drugs, while another medic had a chair thrown at them, a survey on abuse within healthcare settings reveals.

The survey by the Medical Protection Society of hospital doctors and GPs found three in five (60%) had experienced or witnessed verbal or physical abuse from patients or their relatives during the last 12 months.