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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
‘If I die, it's your fault': Life as a GP receptionist in Britain's broken health system
I could see the white foam at the edge of his mouth. As he ranted, his face was red and his teeth were clenched and he was moving closer to the partition. Genuinely, he looked like a cartoon character, like when they get consumed with rage. As a GP's receptionist, I'm not easily intimidated, but he terrified me. I hit the panic button under the desk. This was a guy who'd phoned the surgery that morning to ask for his fit note to be extended. I didn't have an appointment to give him that day. When I'd said it would need to be tomorrow, the abuse had started. 'You have no right to tell me I'm not getting my note,' he said, calling me horrible, horrible names down the line. Then he said: 'Just you wait, I'm going to come down and see you shortly,' and hung up the phone. I didn't really think anything of it because you get those threats sometimes – I'd say five or six times every single day, I'm called a name or sworn at. F---ing b---- is a favourite, or the C-word. But something in his voice made me and my colleague lock the door to our office, just in case. Then the gentleman appeared at the desk. I think if that door hadn't been locked it could have been a very different scenario. Thankfully the police came quickly, but I was shaking for the rest of the day. 'I've had to develop a thick skin' I work in a relatively small practice in the north of the UK with little over 5,000 patients. Since the pandemic, the demand for appointments has probably doubled, I'd say, and with it the abuse we get on the front desk. I've had to hit the panic button only twice before, but I've had to develop a pretty thick skin to the daily verbal abuse. On reception we are the front line. I don't like the C-word but I was more sensitive when I started. Now, the regular name-calling, it just bounces off. What I don't like are the threats. My colleague got told recently when she couldn't give an appointment: 'F--- off, I might be dead next week and it'll be your fault.' I've had that a few times. I had it on a Friday afternoon when a patient wanted to see the doctor to arrange medication, but it wasn't urgent. They said: 'Well, if I die, it's your fault.' And I thought, why say that to somebody? I've got to go home at the end of the day, I'm a person as well. I wouldn't dream of saying that to anybody. Your stomach kind of does somersaults and it stays with you. It stayed with me all that weekend when I was trying to spend time with the kids. Your tolerance builds up but some days, it can cut deep, and I think to myself, 'I'm only trying to help you.' My husband knows nine times out of 10 just by looking at me when I come in whether it's got to me. He'll say to the kids, 'Just give Mum half an hour to de-stress.' I'll go to the bedroom and shower, put my comfies on, usually it'll take just 40 minutes and I'm all right after that, but I have also sat down with him and cried. I'd say a lot of the increased demand we face is driven by the need for fit notes now, and a lot of the abuse, too. Generally people want them for mental health, or for a bad back, a bad hip, either because they can't work, or need to claim benefits. The number of fit notes our doctors do on a weekly basis is ridiculous. On a Monday, we'll get 25 or 30 calls for them to be reviewed, then it's 20 or 25 every day for the rest of the week, and we're a relatively small surgery. 'Monday morning is like going into battle' The other thing that often angers people is when I ask what their problem is. I don't need all the details, I'm only asking to check whether it's an emergency, or if they need to see the nurse, or the physiotherapist, rather than the doctor. It goes 50-50 – patients tell you far too much, or they really don't like it, and those people can become abusive. The other day, I was told I was a 'f---ing nosy b----'. I didn't argue. It can be well worthwhile asking. I had someone the other week demanding an emergency GP appointment and they had a verruca. They were signposted to the pharmacy but weren't happy. A Monday morning does feel like going into battle, needing to get your armour on. I usually get in for 6.40am to get on top of emails and prepare. Receptionists have a lot of admin too; I'll have 100 doctor letters to read on a Monday alone, usually 400 in a week. There'll be three of us across three phones and I'll say to the others just before 8am, 'I don't want to press the button.' It's like, what are we going to get today? Then it's constant for an hour across the three phones, and on one for the rest of the day. I have every sympathy when people are struggling to make appointments, I really do. I want to give them; I want to treat people like I would my own grandfather. When I phone my own surgery, I face the same issues. We genuinely need more GPs – actually, we need a new building; it doesn't have space for more. On a Monday morning, appointments will be gone in 30 minutes, and waits for routine issues can be two weeks. I know it's normal for people to get particularly agitated when they're in pain or anxious, too. If I have somebody on the phone who is obviously unwell, they will get dealt with that day. I know that if it's someone who doesn't come to us very often and they obviously felt they were ill enough to phone, they need to see a doctor. We do get the frequent fliers, though. The people who phone us every second day, where it's almost like a hobby. And they always seem to get through first, I don't know how they do it. But I get too that people are suffering more health anxiety. That seems to have been worse since Covid. I honestly love my job, which I realise sounds surprising. I've been doing it for the best part of a decade and have a great relationship with so many of our regular patients. I'll go above and beyond for them. I've delivered prescriptions to people who can't get out. You get emotionally attached; I've been to patients' funerals before. Sometimes, when I can see that the carer of an ill patient needs to talk, I'll bring them into the office and allow them to let out how they're feeling so they can go back with their game face on. Reading a doctor's letter and realising a patient has cancer is very, very hard. All the same, I can't produce appointments from nowhere. I get people's frustrations, I do, but my colleagues and I do genuinely want to help. And we're only the people on the front desk. As told to Emily Retter
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Best orgasm of your life': NSW doctor massaged patient, ‘tweaked' nipples, made sexual comments
A NSW doctor inappropriately massaged a patient, groped her breasts and 'tweaked' her nipples, and made sexualised comments including that he could give her 'the best orgasm of your life' before buying her an Aldi bag of groceries to say sorry, a tribunal has found. Dr Sharwan Narayan, 45, was prosecuted by the Health Care Complaints Commission before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), which this month found him guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct. The alleged incidents occurred between February and April 2020 while Dr Narayan was working at Moruya Medical Centre on the NSW south coast. The tribunal upheld complaints that on various occasions, Dr Narayan inappropriately touched the woman, identified as 'Patient A', inappropriately hugged her and made inappropriate sexualised comments. Patient A, now 31, first came under the care of Dr Narayan in January 2020 after seriously injuring her knee from falling on gravel. She was referred to the clinic by Moruya District Hospital. When she returned to the medical centre the following month to have her dressing changed, Dr Narayan suggested massage for her knee and told her he 'used to be a masseuse in Fiji and said he would book her in so he could massage it for therapy to make sure she did not get a deep vein thrombosis (DVT)', according to the tribunal's published decision. At her next appointment on February 11, Dr Narayan removed the dressing and massaged her knee for 10 to 15 minutes. At one appointment, Patient A, who disclosed that she was a sexual assault survivor, said Dr Narayan asked her to hug him. 'She thought it was a bit strange and she was a bit shocked,' the tribunal said. 'He did this for a few minutes.' The following week, she was lying down on the treatment table when Dr Narayan removed the dressing on her knee and started massaging her leg. She told the tribunal he 'pushed her dress up and massaged further up her leg so that his hands were quite close to her pubic area'. 'Patient A said she didn't say anything, she shut down. She had learned to disassociate during trauma she had suffered as a child. The massage lasted about 10 minutes.' He then told her he would perform a skin check, asking her to pull her dress down to her waist. 'Patient A said Dr Narayan started cupping her breasts,' the tribunal said. 'He tweaked or played with her nipples even though she had not said anything about having any issue with her nipples and considered that there was no need for him to examine them without wearing gloves. He said, 'Oh they're not hard', referring to her nipples. Patient A understood him to mean that she was not aroused. She froze and made a noncommittal response or noise, just waiting for it to be over which was in less than five minutes.' At her next appointment on March 13, Dr Narayan massaged her knee again. 'As he began moving up her leg towards her inner thigh, Dr Narayan started asking her about her sex life with her partner and whether her partner was able to give her orgasms,' the tribunal said. 'She said something like, 'No of course not.' Dr Narayan then touched the outside of her vagina. When Dr Narayan finished, he kept talking about 'sexual stuff'. He said it was a shame her partner was unable to give her an orgasm. He said he'd had a discussion with a lesbian couple and had taught them how to give each other the best orgasms.' Patient A told the tribunal she was thinking, 'What the hell is going on?', and realised Dr Narayan was acting inappropriately. 'Then he said, 'I can give you the best orgasm of your life,'' she said. 'I was like, 'OK.' He again asked me for a hug and I just stood there. I then left.' When she did not show up for a pre-booked appointment for a follow-up on a scan, she received a phone call from Dr Narayan, who asked why she hadn't come in for the appointment and apologised if he had made her uncomfortable at the last appointment. Dr Narayan asked Patient A to come to Batemans Bay Hospital that evening where he was working for a free DVT scan. 'Patient A said she felt more comfortable going to the hospital than the Centre possibly because there were more people there and security guards,' the tribunal said. 'At the hospital Dr Narayan gave her big blue Aldi shopping bag and said, 'This is for you. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or I thought I may have made you feel uncomfortable so this is for you.' In the bag was a big tub of ice cream, kombucha, Dove moisturiser and chocolates. She estimated the contents would have cost more than $50. She thanked him.' Patient A did not return to the Centre until after Dr Narayan had left the practice. Counsel for Dr Narayan argued that Patient A's evidence was 'inexact, unclear, vague, lacking in detail and internally inconsistent', and highlighted a number of conflicting statements about the timeline of the alleged events. 'We do not consider that any of these matters impact adversely on the reliability of the evidence of Patient A,' the tribunal found. 'We add that we found Patient A an impressive witness who readily conceded when she was not able to remember something. We found Patient A to be candid and truthful when describing what she said Dr Narayan had done or said to her … we prefer the evidence of Patient A to the evidence of Dr Narayan where they conflict unless there is reliable contemporaneous evidence to the contrary.' The tribunal found that Dr Narayan's conduct was 'of a very serious nature and demonstrates a significant departure from accepted standards'. 'It is sufficiently serious to justify suspension or cancellation of his registration,' NCAT said. 'In arriving at this finding we take into account the following matters as indicators of the serious nature of that conduct. The Sexual Boundaries Code's definition of breaches of sexual boundaries includes the conduct of Dr Narayan — he conducted physical examinations which were not clinically indicated, he made sexual remarks, he touched Patient A in a sexual way and he used words and acted in a way that might reasonably be interpreted as being designed or intended to arouse or gratify sexual desire.' NCAT will determine protective orders following a further stage two hearing. Dr Narayan previously worked in medical imaging for 18 years before obtaining a Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Notre Dame in 2015. He was first registered to practice as a general practitioner in 2016 and was employed as a GP registrar at the Moruya Medical Centre from February 2019 to August 2020. The Medical Council of NSW suspended his registration in September 2020 based on a separate complaint. Three other complaints brought to NCAT by the HCCC in 2023 resulted in his registration being suspended for three months. He is currently working as a general practitioner on Norfolk Island, with conditions attached to his registration.
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
St Andrew's Healthcare rated as 'requires improvement'
A mental health service has been rated as "requires improvement" following an unannounced Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out the inspection of St Andrew's Hospital, in Northampton between November and December last visit was prompted by concerns over patient safety and staffing levels. St Andrew's Healthcare said it was on "a journey of continuous improvement" and was "committed to delivering the standard of care which our patients deserve". The hospital provides care for patients with complex mental health needs, some of whom have repeat histories of the report published last week, and seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, inspectors found that patients and staff "did not always feel safe on the wards".Concerns were also raised about blanket restrictions on access to food and drink, maintenance issues such as a lack of hot water, and serious allegations of allegations of abuse by staff had been made by patients in the six months prior to the visit. Inspectors were told that not all staff had taken action to protect patients. The report added that some patients had told inspectors they had been "subject to verbal and physical aggression". 'Continuous improvement' The report also noted the service had a high level of vacancies and a high use of non-permanent hospital will now require an action plan. A St Andrew's Healthcare spokesperson said: "We are pleased the CQC recognised our teams are 'good' in the responsive and well-led categories."We are on a journey of continuous improvement and are committed to delivering the standard of care which our patients deserve. "As a charity which looks after people with complex mental health conditions, our purpose remains to inspire hope among all those who we look after." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
After $1bn settlement, doctor's sexual assault victims question Columbia University's inaction
It was a shocking scandal involving the betrayal of one of the most sacred bonds in medicine, as one of New York's top doctors abused hundreds of women under his care. Now, after a fresh settlement agreement last week from Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian hospital, the compensation for the crimes of Robert Hadden has approached almost a billion dollars and raised further questions as to how he was able to carry out his crimes for so long. The latest $750m deal covered two decades of sexual assaults by the gynecologist for more than two decades at New York hospitals. His victims had already received more than $200m from his former employers, who were accused of knowing about his behavior and allowing him to continue practicing medicine. Related: Sean 'Diddy' Combs's sex-trafficking trial begins with jury selection in New York 'It's a clear message that we're going to hold institutions accountable,' Laurie Maldonado, who spent about 10 years as one of Hadden's patients and was sexually assaulted by him, said of the settlement. 'Don't protect a serial predator; protect your patients.' In 2023, Hadden was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for luring patients to travel across state lines so that he could sexually abuse them. From 1987 until 2012, Hadden sexually assaulted and abused female patients during appointments and deliveries at Columbia University Irving medical center and NewYork-Presbyterian hospital, according to federal prosecutors. His victims even included some of New York City's most prominent women, including Evelyn Yang, wife of former presidential candidate and New York mayoral hopeful Andrew Yang. Hadden conducted an emergency delivery for Eva Santos Veloz in 2008 and checked her without gloves, using significant force and almost his entire fist, she said. 'It was a really traumatic experience,' said Santos Veloz, who was then 18 years old and scared to disclose the sexual assault because of her immigration status. Maldonado, who teaches and studies single-parent families and policy, said she saw Hadden from 2003 until 2012, during which time he engaged in grooming behavior by finding ways to get her to undress and asking inappropriate questions about her sex life. 'He really used his knowledge to make it seem like he was the only doctor for you,' said Maldonado, who had a miscarriage. In 2011, two days before she gave birth to her son, Hadden did a dilation check during which he examined her cervix with enough force to make her cry out in pain. 'It's supposed to be the happiest, joyful time of being a mother, and you feel like that moment was taken away from you,' Maldonado said. 'I feel like the harm and the trauma is still in my body.' In 2012, New York police arrested Hadden after receiving a call from a patient who said he licked her during an exam. Despite that allegation, a Columbia administrator allowed him to continue practicing medicine as long as he had a chaperone with him while examining patients and complied with university and hospital policies, ProPublica reported. He continued to sexually assault patients for five weeks before Columbia suspended him, and he later retired. In 2013, the university informed Hadden's patients that he had closed his practice but did not provide a reason, according to a letter in the ProPublica report. In 2016, prosecutors agreed to a deal in which Hadden would plead guilty to a felony and misdemeanor, register as a sex offender and surrender his medical license but not serve time in prison. After more women abused by Hadden came forward in 2020, federal prosecutors filed new charges, which resulted in the conviction and 20-year-prison sentence. Columbia University did not apologize until ProPublica published its report in 2023, according to the news organization. Before the settlement this week, the hospitals agreed to pay $71m to 79 patients in 2021 and $165m to 147 patients in 2022. The new deal provides $750m to 576 patients. 'This has been 13 years in the making, and I'm grateful for all my clients who have come forward to hold not just Hadden accountable, but more importantly, his enablers at Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian hospital,' said Anthony T DiPietro, an attorney for the plaintiffs. A Columbia spokesperson responded to an interview request with a statement that the university was 'implementing a multi-pronged plan, including an external investigation, a survivors' settlement fund' and new 'patient safety policies and programs to address the abuses of Robert Hadden'. 'We deeply regret the pain that his patients suffered, and this settlement is another step forward in our ongoing work and commitment to repair harm and support survivors. We commend the survivors for their bravery in coming forward,' the statement continued. A NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson responded to the request by stating that Columbia would be 'issuing all statements on this issue'. Santos Veloz, who now has three children, called the most recent huge settlement 'a big win'. 'No matter how much they wanted to cover it up, we were able to work together to hold [Columbia] accountable in some way,' said Santos Veloz, who hopes to become an immigration attorney. Still, Santos Veloz said she is waiting to see if Columbia follows through with its plan to better protect patients. 'We could get all the money in the world, but if this continues to happen, it means nothing,' she said. Meanwhile, DiPietro, the plaintiffs' attorney, now representing hundreds of women in lawsuits against Dr Barry Brock, a gynecologist at Cedars-Sinai medical center in Los Angeles, who allegedly sexually abused patients, and against NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell medical center and Northwell Health, which employed Darius Paduch, a urologist sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing patients, including minors. 'The Haddens of the world are not the problem; they are just a symptom,' DiPietro. 'The problem is the toxic culture at these medical institutions that lie, cover up and expose more patients to known serial sexual predators.' • Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- The Guardian
After $1bn settlement, doctor's sexual assault victims question Columbia University's inaction
It was a shocking scandal involving the betrayal of one of the most sacred bonds in medicine, as one of New York's top doctors abused hundreds of women under his care. Now, after a fresh settlement agreement last week from Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian hospital, the compensation for the crimes of Robert Hadden has approached almost a billion dollars and raised further questions as to how he was able to carry out his crimes for so long. The latest $750m deal covered two decades of sexual assaults by the gynecologist for more than two decades at New York hospitals. His victims had already received more than $200m from his former employers, who were accused of knowing about his behavior and allowing him to continue practicing medicine. 'It's a clear message that we're going to hold institutions accountable,' Laurie Maldonado, who spent about 10 years as one of Hadden's patients and was sexually assaulted by him, said of the settlement. 'Don't protect a serial predator; protect your patients.' In 2023, Hadden was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for luring patients to travel across state lines so that he could sexually abuse them. From 1987 until 2012, Hadden sexually assaulted and abused female patients during appointments and deliveries at Columbia University Irving medical center and NewYork-Presbyterian hospital, according to federal prosecutors. His victims even included some of New York City's most prominent women, including Evelyn Yang, wife of former presidential candidate and New York mayoral hopeful Andrew Yang. Hadden conducted an emergency delivery for Eva Santos Veloz in 2008 and checked her without gloves, using significant force and almost his entire fist, she said. 'It was a really traumatic experience,' said Santos Veloz, who was then 18 years old and scared to disclose the sexual assault because of her immigration status. Maldonado, who teaches and studies single-parent families and policy, said she saw Hadden from 2003 until 2012, during which time he engaged in grooming behavior by finding ways to get her to undress and asking inappropriate questions about her sex life. 'He really used his knowledge to make it seem like he was the only doctor for you,' said Maldonado, who had a miscarriage. In 2011, two days before she gave birth to her son, Hadden did a dilation check during which he examined her cervix with enough force to make her cry out in pain. 'It's supposed to be the happiest, joyful time of being a mother, and you feel like that moment was taken away from you,' Maldonado said. 'I feel like the harm and the trauma is still in my body.' In 2012, New York police arrested Hadden after receiving a call from a patient who said he licked her during an exam. Despite that allegation, a Columbia administrator allowed him to continue practicing medicine as long as he had a chaperone with him while examining patients and complied with university and hospital policies, ProPublica reported. He continued to sexually assault patients for five weeks before Columbia suspended him, and he later retired. In 2013, the university informed Hadden's patients that he had closed his practice but did not provide a reason, according to a letter in the ProPublica report. In 2016, prosecutors agreed to a deal in which Hadden would plead guilty to a felony and misdemeanor, register as a sex offender and surrender his medical license but not serve time in prison. After more women abused by Hadden came forward in 2020, federal prosecutors filed new charges, which resulted in the conviction and 20-year-prison sentence. Columbia University did not apologize until ProPublica published its report in 2023, according to the news organization. Before the settlement this week, the hospitals agreed to pay $71m to 79 patients in 2021 and $165m to 147 patients in 2022. The new deal provides $750m to 576 patients. Sign up to First Thing Our US morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'This has been 13 years in the making, and I'm grateful for all my clients who have come forward to hold not just Hadden accountable, but more importantly, his enablers at Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian hospital,' said Anthony T DiPietro, an attorney for the plaintiffs. A Columbia spokesperson responded to an interview request with a statement that the university was 'implementing a multi-pronged plan, including an external investigation, a survivors' settlement fund' and new 'patient safety policies and programs to address the abuses of Robert Hadden'. 'We deeply regret the pain that his patients suffered, and this settlement is another step forward in our ongoing work and commitment to repair harm and support survivors. We commend the survivors for their bravery in coming forward,' the statement continued. A NewYork-Presbyterian spokesperson responded to the request by stating that Columbia would be 'issuing all statements on this issue'. Santos Veloz, who now has three children, called the most recent huge settlement 'a big win'. 'No matter how much they wanted to cover it up, we were able to work together to hold [Columbia] accountable in some way,' said Santos Veloz, who hopes to become an immigration attorney. Still, Santos Veloz said she is waiting to see if Columbia follows through with its plan to better protect patients. 'We could get all the money in the world, but if this continues to happen, it means nothing,' she said. Meanwhile, DiPietro, the plaintiffs' attorney, now representing hundreds of women in lawsuits against Dr Barry Brock, a gynecologist at Cedars-Sinai medical center in Los Angeles, who allegedly sexually abused patients, and against NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell medical center and Northwell Health, which employed Darius Paduch, a urologist sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing patients, including minors. 'The Haddens of the world are not the problem; they are just a symptom,' DiPietro. 'The problem is the toxic culture at these medical institutions that lie, cover up and expose more patients to known serial sexual predators.' Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at
