As National Health Service waiting times continue to grow, medical staff in the UK are increasingly confronted by angry patients \u2014 and their families \u2014 affected by delays in accessing treatment.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWith all the stresses and struggles and strain on the NHS waiting times, patients are, understandably, quite frustrated. We are well aware of the heightened levels of confrontation that clinical staff have been dealing with post-COVID,\u201d said Javidul Islam, associate physician at the Page Hall Medical Centre in Sheffield, England.<\/p>\n
Such situations can be intimidating \u2014 scary even, especially for new staff. \u201cWhen I did an A&E [Accident and Emergency] placement, some of the patients were very aggressive to staff and tried to attack them,\u201d said Islam. \u201cSo that can be quite a sobering experience. You can definitely feel vulnerable. You are acutely aware of making sure you don\u2019t say the wrong thing to aggravate a situation.\u201d<\/p>\n