Bullying, Harassment, Intimidation, and Violence Policy
Please remember that our Bottom Line Upfront is that we will not deal with anyone, in any way, who shouts at us! We will advise you at the time that we cannot deal with you if you are shouting – and we may begin the process of removal from our patient list – Link to the Removal Policy
Zero Tolerance means Zero Tolerance
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. To successfully provide these services a mutual respect between all the staff and patients has to be in place.
We all have bad days, and when we feel ill we may feel ‘down’ and a little more irritable than normal. All our staff are here to help you. Our staff are following procedures that help the practice to function efficiently. Our staff have the right to work in a safe and secure environment and we, as employers, have the legal responsibility to provide that safe and secure environment.
All our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. You are respectfully reminded that it is very often the case whereby staff are simultaneously confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations. The staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.
Zero tolerance works both ways; and our staff are not immune to the policy. We will always investigate cases where our staff have been found to have contravened our policy and will not hesitate to discipline or suspend, pending investigation, anyone who falls below our exacting standards. If you would like to complain about a member of staff please use the Complaints Form.
The practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Please note:
- Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.
- Intimidation in this context includes shouting or talking in an aggressive or passive-aggressive raised voice; or making inappropriate comments.
- Harassment in this context includes persistent and repeated telephone calls, or face-to-face confrontations, when the definitive answer has already been given and the person with whom you are talking is unable, or does not have the authority, to satisfy the demands of your request.
Our staff are trained to treat patients with respect and dignity. Clinical Administrators are trained to recognise difficult situations and how to try and help or signpost the patient in order to meet their requirements. They are not, however, trained to deal with active aggression and so you must raise your concerns with the Practice Manager whenever you have not been satisfied with the initial response from either the Clinician or the Clinical Administrator.
The Practice takes it very seriously if a member of staff or one of the doctors or nursing team is treated in an abusive or violent way. Aggressive behaviour, be it violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.
In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the occasional types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable:
- Using bad language or swearing at practice staff
- Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, such as pushing or shoving
- Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting the staff
- Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice
- Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted. Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot
- Causing damage/stealing from the Practice’s premises, staff or patients
- Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently
We ask you to treat your GPs and their staff courteously at all times.
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.
