GP practices in the Manchester area have been advised to send staff home in taxis after work, as the local LMC fears staff could be targeted during racist riots.
The Association of Greater Manchester LMCs has written to practices advising GPs to ‘organise taxis home’ for staff if they are notified of riots in their area, as they should ‘avoid walking home or waiting at bus stops’.
They also reminded practices to remove any patient from their list who does express intolerance against practice staff on racist grounds.
It comes after the RCGP said that GPs and their staff, ‘especially those from ethnic minorities’, have been ‘targeted with abuse and violence’, advising GP teams to ‘remain vigilant’ when travelling to and from work.
Following online misinformation about last week’s Southport attack where three young girls were murdered, racists have rioted across the country.
The message from Greater Manchester LMCs said: ‘Many colleagues may have seen or heard of the horrifying actions which have taken place in various towns and cities over the weekend.
‘These malicious and deliberate acts are wholeheartedly condemned by the LMCs. We are committed to taking the most appropriate and serious measures if such actions are apparent.’
The letter advised GPs to:
- Avoid walking home or waiting at bus stops – practices should consider organising taxis home if no personal transport or cannot get a lift;
- Work from home or stay late if notified of local disturbance, until it is safe to travel. Travel in pairs if necessary;
- Allow staff mobile phones to be left on to allow family and friends to stay in touch if local riots are reported;
- Nominate a member of staff to log into local groups on social media to track any local disturbances.
Practices should also ‘stop taking calls’ if local riots are confirmed in their area, and all call handlers should start ringing patients alerting them not to travel to the surgery.
The ICB should be notified if practices need to ‘suspend contract services to secure premises, staff and patients’.
If there is an ‘immediate threat’ to safety, the police should be called ‘without delay’, the LMC said.
It added that if practices are notified of local disturbance, all external doors should be locked and patients should be advised to stay in the practice until it is safe to leave.
‘Practices are also reminded that patients can be removed from the practice list where there has been a crime against the practice or breakdown in the doctor-patient relationship,’ the message said.
‘An expression of intolerance against a member of practice staff based upon their ethnicity, race, religion, sex or gender is evidence of such. Accepting abuse is not part of your job and is never acceptable.’
GP surgeries in North East London will close early today as they fear for staff and patients’ safety after learning of planned racist rioting in the area.
And in other parts of the country, local GP leaders are working with their ICB to develop action plans and ‘escalation measures’ for practices that experience unrest and rioting in their area.
A version of this story was first published on our sister title Pulse.
