The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and 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. 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.

The Surgery has a mutual respect policy which extends the scope of this policy on violence and aggression as follows:

‘We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. The NHS and this practice operate a Zero Tolerance of any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any partner, member of staff or any person on the practice premises. If a patient is violent or abusive, they will be warned to stop their behaviour. In the event of further difficulty, we will exercise our right to take action to have them removed, immediately if necessary, from our list of patients.

Any transgression of this policy must be reported to the Practice Manager who will write to the patient with a warning letter which will expire after 12 months. 

If a patient repeats a transgression within the 12-month period the partners shall decide on the future registration status of the patient.