Thug's £1,800 court bill for shoving nurse against a wall during routine Northampton GP appointment

A Northampton man has been fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £800 compensation for shoving a GP nurse against a wall.

Magistrates heard how Ionut-Bogdan Anghel, aged 41, suddenly became aggressive while having a routine injection — not a Covid vaccination — at a surgery in East Hunsbury in June this year.

He grabbed the nurse's wrist and sent her crashing into a wall.

Anghel, of Wootton Hall Park, denied assaulting an emergency worker but was convicted at Northampton Magistrates Court earlier this month.

The case comes just as senior doctors are warning that practice staff and GPs face an escalating wave of abuse from patients that has followed weeks of public pressure over face-to-face appointments.

Practice managers, receptionists and doctors have spoken of daily confrontations with patients over issues including appointments, vaccinations and blood tests.

Dr Joanne Watt, GP Chair, Northamptonshire CCG said: “Abuse of any kind has no place in the NHS.

"We understand the patients who are abusive or aggressive to health and care staff may be frustrated and worried and it may not be intentionally directed at our staff.

"But it is still extremely upsetting and demoralising for them.

"I would urge patients to remember that they are speaking to a person with emotions and feelings when they talk to frontline workers. Please be kind and respectful, they are doing their best to help you."

Dr Watt revealed that receptionists are a particular target for regular abuse.

She added: “Demand for GPs has significantly increased over recent months and we are working with our practices to meet the care needs of our population.

"We have increased the number and range of staff working within General Practice and more than 17,000 appointments every day are being offered across Northamptonshire — which is approximately 2,000-a-day more than before Covid.

"This includes almost 60 percent of these appointments taking place face to face, and remote options including telephone, video and online appointments are available too, where clinically appropriate and convenient for patients.

"We know there will be times when we can't always meet the demand of our population.

"So we are asking people to work with us to make best use of the limited time and staff we have.“