Zero Tolerance Policy

When contacting the surgery, we ask that our patients behave appropriately and respect our colleagues and other patients..

We understand that when patients are unwell they need to be dealt with as quickly as possible, and we have processes in place to make sure patients are seen by the right clinician, at the right time.

Our colleagues are here to help, and it is unacceptable to abuse them in any way.  The Zero Tolerance Policy is in place to protect our colleagues and our patients from inappropriate behavior and gives the Practice the right to remove patients who behave in an unacceptable manner.

Inappropriate behavior can cause undue stress for our colleagues, and other patients.  This is not tolerated by the Practice.

Examples of inappropriate behavior include:

  • Foul and Abusive Language
  • Aggressive Behavior
  • Shouting
  • Inappropriate Comments
  • Confrontational Behaviour

Patients are advised to speak to a member of the management team if they are unhappy with their experience at the Practice.

Overview of the Zero Tolerance Policy

Colleagues and/or patients report incidents to the management team and a decision is made to decide if the patient(s) involved should be sent a warning letter or be removed from the practice.

If a warning letter is sent to the patient(s) about the incident, the patient(s) involved are entitled to write a response detailing their version of events regarding the incident.

In the event of a serious incident, a patient may be removed immediately from the practice.

If you are removed from the practice, you should register at another practice as soon as possible to prevent any gaps in your care.