We take seriously any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients.
If a patient is violent or abusive, they will be warned to stop this behaviour. If they persist, we may exercise our right to take action to have them removed, immediately if necessary, from our list of patients.
Zero tolerance policy
Aspatria Medical Group operates a permanent zero tolerance policy towards violent, abusive and unacceptable behaviour. This is in line with the NHS permanent zero tolerance policy towards violent and abusive behaviour (this also includes harassment, alarming, distressing, threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour as well as violent behaviour) by an individual. This policy applies to all Health Care Services including all areas of General Practice and Primary Care.
Such behaviour includes, but is not restricted to;
- Violence or threat of violence
- Harassment
- Threatening or perceived threatening behaviour
- Abusive or insulting behaviour, including racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory remarks
- Unreasonably demanding or unreasonable complainant behaviour
- Anti-social and nuisance behaviour
- Slanderous or threatening behaviour on social media
Anyone who is party to any of the above behaviour towards any member of the Practice, can expect sanctions to be applied. This can include warning letters, behaviour contracts, and exclusion from the premises and removal from the Practices medical 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.
