We operate a zero tolerance policy with regards to abusive or inappropriate behaviour towards our staff, visitors, or other patients.
For your information, the practice defines abusive or inappropriate behaviour as follows:
- Aggressive, violent, threatening, discriminatory, or abusive language in any interactions with staff or patients: this includes shouting, swearing, and cursing, and any language which threatens or intimidates staff, as well as any inappropriate language or derogatory remarks regarding a staff member’s appearance, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion, or other beliefs.
- Aggressive or threatening physical actions made towards staff or patients (attempted or actual), including damaging property walking into clinical rooms without the clinician’s permission and bypassing our reception desk*
*In these situations we may contact the police, which may lead to immediate removal from the practice list.
- Persistent or repeated actions that are inconsiderate or unreasonable and which cause significant disruption to our services. Examples of this include: incessantly calling or attending the practice with persistent or unrealistic demands, refusing to leave the practice or end the call unless these demands are met, refusing appointments with an appropriate clinician for the presenting care need when your preferred clinician is unavailable, and refusing to access our service in an appropriate manner, such as demanding a same-day appointment for a routine clinical need, or contacting individuals directly instead of through the appropriate practice contact channels.
If you are found to be in breach of the above policy, you may be issued with a Warning Notice letter in writing which will stay on your record for 12 months. If the behaviour is repeated, or in extreme cases, immediately, we may contact the police and / or seek to remove you, and if applicable, your household, from our patient list.
To avoid such situations please be considerate to staff and fellow patients, and please refer to the Patient Charter by clicking here.
Thank you in advance for respecting our colleagues and the NHS.