TY - JOUR T1 - Safety of Doctors at Work: Lessons Learnt from Personal Experience JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 439 LP - 439 DO - 10.3399/bjgp08X302817 VL - 58 IS - 551 AU - Johannah Langmead Y1 - 2008/06/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/58/551/439.abstract N2 - A recent survey by the BMA1 found that only 48% of doctors who had experienced violence in the workplace had taken action. The government has recently proposed to spend £97 million to try and tackle violence against NHS staff.2 I hope that my experience will encourage healthcare professionals to take simple, cheap measures to improve their personal safety.On 19 March 2007 I was working as an F2 at a GP practice in Northumberland. One minute I was signing prescription repeats and the next I was cowering on the floor, blood streaming down my face unable to comprehend what had just happened.A man ran in to the surgery and entered my room. He sat down momentarily; enough time for me to sense that something was very wrong. He punched me across the … ER -