Practice Policies

Thankfully, such incidents are very rare. However, for clarity, we ask all patients to read and understand our Zero Tolerance Policy outlined below.

We fully support the Governments’ Zero Tolerance Campaign for NHS staff, which states that GPs and their teams have the right to provide care without fear of abuse or violence. Mutual respect between patients and staff is essential to delivering safe and effective healthcare.

Our team strives to be polite, helpful, and understanding, recognising that patients may be unwell, stressed, or distressed. Individual circumstances will always be considered when addressing concerns, misunderstandings, or complaints.

Unacceptable Behaviour

Aggressive, intimidating, abusive, or violent behaviour will not be tolerated at our practice and if an incident occurs, you will receive a Zero tolerance letter outlining the incident and in some cases this may result in complete removal from the practice list and, in severe cases, involvement of the Police.

Unacceptable behaviour includes, but is not limited to:

• Use of offensive language or swearing towards staff
• Any form of physical violence, including pushing or shoving
• Verbal abuse, insults, or shouting at staff
• Threatening or intimidating behaviour
• Racial abuse or sexual harassment
• Persistent, unreasonable, or unrealistic demands that cause distress to staff
• Damage to or theft from the practice, staff, or other patients
• Attempting to obtain drugs or medical services fraudulently

We ask all patients to treat our team courteously and respectfully at all times. In return, we will do everything reasonably possible to support and help you. Requests will be met wherever possible, and clear explanations will be provided when they cannot be.

A positive patient‑doctor relationship based on trust and mutual respect is central to our high‑quality patient care. Removal from the practice list is an exceptional and last‑resort action, used only when this relationship has broken down irretrievably.

In cases involving violence or serious threats, immediate removal from the practice list may occur, particularly where Police involvement is required.