Dr Peter Moore: When swearing can be more than just swearing

But should anyone in public office use the F word? She knew she was on camera and miked up. She clearly feels frustrated believing that her work is not appreciated but is this really the way to handle the problem? No one would be impressed by a headteacher swearing and blaming their staff.

Some years ago I oversaw the training scheme for GPs in Torbay. They were all qualified doctors. If one of the future GPs had suddenly gone off on a similar rant I would, of course, have discussed the problem with their practice but it might have also rung alarm bells about the doctor. General Practice can be highly stressful. Is this a sign that the doctor is not coping? Perhaps they might need some careers guidance. General practice is not right for every doctor. It does not mean that they are a failure but moving to another branch of medicine now might prevent later burnout.

I am afraid that hard conscientious work is not always appreciated whatever the job. Others do not always pull their weight but if you are the boss it is your role to deal with the problem behind closed doors.

I confess that I have once sworn at the patient, but this was deliberate and not out of anger. I was at the police station when a prisoner was on the floor, lashing out at anyone who came near. He hated the police and assumed everyone was a police officer. I needed to check that he did not have a serious underlying condition. I tried politely saying “I’m a doctor, independent from the police. Do you mind if I check you over?” In the chaos of the moment he was not listening. In the end I decided that the only way to get through to him was to use the same language that he used.

“I’m an F***ing doctor, trying to save your F**ing life. Lie still and I’ll check you over”. It was a risk but one I had to take. The situation changed immediately.

“Oh, sorry Doc”, he said. He was then fully cooperative with me if not the police.

There are times when swearing helps. There is some research that suggests that swearing affects pain. People were asked to put their hand into very hot water. When it became unbearable they pulled it out. Initially they shouted benign common words. When asked again but this time swearing they could keep the hand in far longer. Swearing may increase the endorphins, the natural “morphine” in the brain.

This only works for people who do not normally swear. It will not work for anyone who swears all the time which might include the Education Secretary.

Some people do not even realise they are swearing. I was behind the scenes in the police station when I heard a prisoner being booked in. The officer explained to the custody sergeant “he was using foul and abusing language”. He immediately shouted, “No I F***ing wasn’t”.

It may come as a shock but I have even heard bad language at Plainmoor. There was one game a few years ago when the club decided to stamp it out and announced before the match that they would not tolerate swearing. The Pop side were hilarious. There were a series of shouts such as “I say referee. Do you think that is fair old chap?”

The Education Secretary’s language was unprofessional and inappropriate but rather than simply criticising should we follow Holly Willoughby’s example and ask, “Are you OK?” It may be an outburst from someone who is not coping with a stressful job.