A GP surgery was locked down after a man allegedly poured liquid on the floor and threatened to ignite it.
It is claimed the man was desperate for a face-to-face appointment with a doctor at the Thistle Practice in Airdrie. It has led GP leaders to warn of a “new normal” of escalating daily threats and intimidation in Scottish surgeries.
It comes as medics warn the country could soon face security teams and locked surgery doors for appointments. And they say things will worsen this winter as the cost-of-living squeeze combines with increasing waiting times for hospital and GP treatment.
The alleged incident in Airdrie happened in a packed reception area. One source said: “Apparently there was a call in the morning from a guy who was desperate for an appointment.
“He was told a GP would call him later and determine if he should get one. A short while later a man came into the reception with a petrol can and started splashing it around. He put it on the floor at reception then retreated out of the doors and down the front stairs. The staff were in a state of terror and were scared people would be hurt.”
The source added: “There have been several incidents where staff have been abused. There are serious fears that someone could be badly hurt.”
Dr John Ip, a GP in Paisley and director of the Glasgow Local Medical Committee, said: “Threats and abuse of staff are becoming a new normal for surgeries now. The receptionists get the worst of it. We expect it every day and we have staff whose main hope for the day is to get through it without being verbally abused or threatened.
“The problem is aggravated by the cost-of-living crisis and the fact we are at the cusp of a very difficult winter to come. The next three months are going to be incredibly difficult.”
Andrew Buist, chair of the BMA’s Scottish GP Committee, added: “I’m worried that the NHS will not survive the crisis that the UK finds itself in right now. We are losing people from our workforce week by week, which makes the situation worse for those who remain.”
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “There are simply not enough staff to deal with the scale of the challenge the NHS faces.”
A 34-year-old man appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court last Tuesday in connection with an alleged breach of the peace and assault and robbery. He made no plea and was released on bail.
