Zero Tolerance Policy

Thank you to the vast majority of our patients who treat our GPs and staff with courtesy and respect. Unfortunately there are a small number of individuals who seem to believe they can behave as they wish without consequence and this is not acceptable.

The Practice supports the government's 'Zero Tolerance' campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. Successful provision of services depends on a mutual respect between staff and patients. We expect our staff to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. They are trained to understand that they may be dealing with patients who are unwell, under stress or both and will try to take this into consideration when dealing with a misunderstanding or complaint.

Patients have a right to voice their concerns when they are unhappy with any aspect of the service provided by the Practice but with that right comes the responsibility to raise those concerns in a reasonable manner. Any patient who is aggressive, violent or abusive is at risk of being removed from the Practice list and, if warranted, the police will be called for support.

Please find below examples of the type of behaviours that will not be tolerated (this list is not exhaustive):

• Using bad language or swearing at practice staff
• Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, this includes pushing or throwing things
• Verbal abuse of staff including projecting insults
• Racial abuse and sexual harassment
• Pressurising staff with persistent or unrealistic demands is unacceptable. Requests will not be unreasonably declined and explanations provided
• Causing damage to, or stealing from the Practice's premises, staff or patients
• Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently

Please treat our GPs and staff as you would wish to be treated.

Removal From the Practice List

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship. When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of the practice, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the Police are involved.

Removing Other Members of the Household

In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household. The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family. This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.