A PATIENT who broke one doctor’s ribs and injured another with his walking stick in their surgery has been jailed.

For 20 to 25 minutes, Alan Hood, 63, created such a disturbance at Strensall Medical Practice that staff had to usher other patients out of its reception area, said Rob Galley, prosecuting.

The second doctor told York Crown Court it was the “most unpleasant and frightening” incident he had witnessed in 20 years of being a GP.

York Crown Court heard it was the latest in a series of incidents of bad behaviour by Hood towards medical professionals that has led to him being asked to leave other practices in the area.

Hood’s barrister Eddison Flint, said he believed he was being “persecuted” by the NHS.

Jailing Hood for seven months, Judge Simon Hickey said: “Doctors and medical staff must be protected.

“People cannot and will not behave in this way to GPs.

“I accept there are psychiatric problems in your background,” he told Hood. “You could have stopped after one attack, but you didn’t. You attacked another doctor by hitting him on the arm and kicking him.”

He made a restraining order, barring Hood from the surgery and from contacting the two doctors and a member of their staff indefinitely.

Hood, of Adlington Close, Strensall, pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting emergency workers.

Mr Galley said Hood was at the surgery to collect some medicine.

When he was given a generic medicine instead of a branded medicine he was so aggressive one of the dispensing staff was petrified.

The first doctor tried to explain that he had been given the medication that had been prescribed.

Hood insulted him and hit him in the arm, giving him a bruise, and tried to hit him a second time without succeeding.

The second doctor, hearing the commotion, went into reception.

Hood hit the second doctor on the arm with his stick, bruising him and then kicked him and winded him.

They managed to get Hood into the surgery car park and he drove off. Police arrested him shortly afterwards.

In a personal statement, the second doctor said his broken ribs caused him considerable pain.

He remained working, but had to be helped by other doctors because he couldn’t carry out certain kinds of patient examination.

It had also limited his activities outside work, particularly the exercise he used to do to stay healthy.

Mr Flint said Hood apologised “unreservedly” for his behaviour.

“He undoubtedly has got issues with the NHS, long standing issues,” he said. He had been diagnosed as having either a delusional disorder or paranoid schizophrenia.