London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 10, 2026

NHS staff called 'murderers' describe 'mentally exhausting' online abuse

NHS staff called 'murderers' describe 'mentally exhausting' online abuse

Doctors said they have been called ‘devil’, ‘Satan’, ‘a shill of the Government’ and a ‘prostitute for Big Pharma’.

Medical professionals revealed the online attacks they have suffered through while working on the frontlines of a pandemic that had 31,670 coronavirus patients in hospital as of February 2.

Doctors told Channel 4 News that people had called them names including a ‘devil’, ‘Satan’, ‘a shill of the Government’ and a ‘prostitute for Big Pharma’.

Intensive care consultant Dr Matt Morgan, who has been called a ‘piece of sh*t’, said his colleagues ‘across intensive care in South Wales, have been sent death threats of physical violence.’

Dr Ami Jones, also an intensive care consultant, said her nurses have been ‘absolutely devastated’ by the online abuse.

She told the presenter that nurses tell her: ‘“People think we’re lying. People think I’m coming to work and lying about what I do”.

‘They couldn’t believe that they’re breaking their back and, you know, killing themselves to try and keep these patients going and that people are turning around and saying that we’re lying and none of that’s happening and that Covid doesn’t exist.’


Dr Clare Davies said NHS staff ‘don’t want to be called “heroes” they just do not want to be called “murderers or prostitutes”.’

She said: ‘Instead now of being heroes and being clapped we are now being told that we are killers, we are liars, we are frauds.

‘We just want to be treated with civility and treated as people that are doing our job, daily, under pressure.’

Emergency medicine consultant, Dr Farbod Babolhaveji, said that although medical staff could just stay away from social media he thinks they have a ‘responsibility as health care workers’ to inform the public.

‘We don’t get paid for doing this. It’s not part of our job. We haven’t had training in doing it. We do it because we think it’s important. We do it because we think it will help patients and families,’ said Dr Matt Morgan.

Dr Farbod Babolhaveji said the abuse is ‘exhausting’

Dr Matt Morgan said himself and colleagues receive death threats

Dr Ami Jones said her nurses hate that people think they are lying


The coronavirus death toll for health care workers has surpassed 600, according to a recent report by the workers’ safety organisation Peoplesafe.

Peoplesafe thinks the ‘higher risk of infection’ that healthcare workers take takes a mental health toll including ‘stress, anxiety, PTSD, depression and insomnia’.

Whilst the service says that ‘abuse is nothing new for NHS staff, the coronavirus pandemic has led to a rise in violence towards healthcare staff’.

Many anti-lockdown protesters and coronavirus skeptics have demonstrated outside hospitals over the last few months.

Deomstrators refused to wear masks and shouted ‘Covid is a hoax’ as stressed medical staff begin and finish their shifts.

One doctor posted about finishing an A&E shift at London’s St Thomas’ Hospital and coming out to one such protest.

Anti-vaccine protestors often demonstrate outside hospitals calling coronavirus a ‘hoax’



Dr Matthew Lee tweeted: ‘Worked the late A&E shift on New Year’s Eve and came out to this.

‘Hundreds of maskless, drunk people in huge groups shouting “Covid is a hoax”, literally outside the building where hundreds are sick and dying.

‘Why do people still not realise the seriousness of this pandemic?’

According to the latest Government figures, 242.8 people per 100,000 have tested positive in the seven-day period ending on January 30.

In the week ending on January 22, 9,052 people died with coronavirus mentioned on their death certificates.

The UK’s total death toll, since the pandemic started, recently surpassed 100,000 as it is now 112, 660 if one measures it by the virus mentioned on a death certificate and 110,250 if one measures it by a death within 28 days of a positive test.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Alleged Cartel Boss Daniel Kinahan Extradited From Dubai to Face Criminal Charges
AI Chatbots Challenge Traditional News Consumption and Raise Job Concerns
Andy Burnham Government Promises Crackdown on Exploitative Business Practices
UK University Funding Model Faces Growing Pressure From Unsustainable Student Debt
Government Urged to Subsidise Energy Bills for Vulnerable UK Households
UK Military Spending Plans Threaten to Deepen Infrastructure Funding Gap
Israeli Government Rejects US Peace Framework for Gaza
New Labour Government Signals Closer Economic and Strategic Ties With European Union
Amber Heat-Health Alerts Issued Across England as Temperatures Threaten 36 Degrees
UK Economy Expected to Grow Despite Energy and Supply Chain Shock From Iran Conflict
Foreign Social Media Accounts Drove Disinformation During Belfast and Southampton Riots
Record Number of Migrants Cross English Channel in Single Vessel as Smugglers Deploy Mega-Dinghies
Russia’s A7 Builds a State-Linked Payments Network Beyond Western Sanctions
Reports of Mark Zuckerberg-Linked Superyacht Declining Rescue Assistance Draw Maritime Scrutiny
Preserving Three Banksy Artworks in London Has Cost Taxpayers Nearly £150,000
Four Ugandan Athletes Disappear From Delegation After UK Sporting Events
French Authorities Report Channel Interventions as Cross-Border Migration Dispute Continues
Home Office Admits Error in Settled Status Case Involving Long-Term Italian Resident
Unite Calls for Independent Review of UK Budget Watchdog's Fiscal Forecasting Rules
Thinktank Calls for £175 Annual Energy Bill Cut for Low-Income Households
Foreign-Linked Social Media Accounts Amplified Recent Unrest in Belfast and Southampton, Analysis Finds
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Orders Westminster to Drop Proposed Soho and West End Hospitality Ban
Royal Navy Deployments to Monitor Russian Activity in UK Waters Rise 25 Percent
UK Economy Expected to Grow 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter Despite Geopolitical Pressures
Andy Burnham Launches Cost-of-Living Measures Targeting Subscription Traps and Misleading Discounts
Hyper-Realistic Reborn Dolls Draw Collectors Seeking Comfort and Craft
Gen Z Cuts Back on Dating as a Night Out Nears $200
Patients Turn to Artificial Intelligence for Therapy as Psychiatrists Warn of Privacy and Clinical Risks
Couples Embrace ‘Sleep Divorce’ to Protect Rest and Reduce Tension
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million and Change Facebook and Instagram Safeguards for Children
Up to only 10 Months in Prison for Swedish Officer’s Murderer Sparks Anger
Success: Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Meta Raises AI Spending Target to as Much as $145bn Despite Pressure Over Returns
Danube Drought Exposes Nazi Wrecks and Pushes Central Europe’s Power System to the Brink
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
UK Household Credit Stress Rises as Credit Card Lending Growth Hits 12.5%
London Stock Exchange Revises AIM Rules to Make Growth Capital More Accessible
NHS England to Expand Mental Health Services With 155 New and Upgraded Facilities
UK Overhauls £90 Billion Public Procurement System to Reward Domestic Jobs and Apprenticeships
Andy Burnham Holds Strong Approval as Labour Maintains Narrow Lead Over Reform UK, Opinium Finds
×