14 November 2023 , 13:01
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A GP surgery was thrown into chaos when a patient allegedly held a knife to a receptionist's throat in a horrifying standoff after he received a warning letter for his behaviour.
Police rushed to Barlaston Health Centre in Stoke-on-Trent shortly after the practice opened its doors on Monday. Dr Hendley, senior partner at the centre, said the man reportedly followed a worker into the locked reception room, brandished a knife and held it to a receptionist's neck.
Dr Hendley, 38, commended her brave colleagues and said they stepped in to calm the situation down. The man, who didn't have an appointment, eventually sat down in the waiting area with other patients being moved. Three police cars arrived at the scene and officers escorted the man out around 10am, about an hour and 10 minutes after the knife incident. Dr Hendley confirmed the receptionist was unharmed but "very shaken".
Police at the scene at Barlaston Health Centre (No credit)Dr Hendley claimed that a man had been warned previously for being rude to the receptionists. "A patient had been upset a couple of weeks ago and got angry at reception. We sent him a warning letter, this is on the back of a number of incidents," she explained. The man reportedly returned to the surgery and waited for the receptionist he'd argued with before and followed another secretary into the staff area, reports StokeonTrentLive.
Dr Hendley added: "Patients have less tolerance at the moment. The problem is that we have long waiting lists at the hospitals, so patients are coming back to the surgery."
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A member of the reception staff was threatened with a knife (No credit)"The hospitals are very busy with a backlog from covid, we have patients attending more while waiting for their hospital appointment, making us busier. Patients are getting more frustrated. We've taken on extra staff. The NHS wants to see other types of clinicians at practices to try and ease the burden on GPs, so they can see who they really need to. Our receptionists are trained on how to navigate patients to the right clinician. We are an outstanding practice, we got rated outstanding in all areas by CQC which is very rare. We work hard to maintain that level of service we provide to all of our patients."
The knife incident came as Barlaston Health Centre's sister site, Brinsley Avenue Medical Practice, in Trentham, issued a warning to patients over their aggressive behaviour. A text message to patients stated: "We are here to help you. Our staff have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Any incident in which an employee is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances related to their work is unacceptable and not tolerated. This includes the serious and persistent use of verbal abuse, an aggressive tone, or language. These behaviours may result in offenders being asked to leave and could be removed from our patient list."
Staffordshire Police confirmed they arrested a man, aged 58, on suspicion of threatening a person with an offensive weapon. He has since been released on bail. A spokesperson for the force told The Mirror: "We arrested a man after a woman was threatened with a knife in Barlaston. Just before 10am yesterday (Monday 13 November) we received a report of a man with a knife inside an address on Old Road, Barlaston. He surrendered it when officers turned up at the scene. The victim, a woman in her 50s, was uninjured. Officers are in the area this morning to offer reassurance and to speak to witnesses. A 58-year-old man, from Stoke-on-Trent, was arrested on suspicion of threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place. He has since been released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue."
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