The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse. The staff at the practice should be free to come to work without being subjected to violence, abuse or threats. The practice has the right to remove violent patients or patients that threaten violence 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 facts of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.
Abusive patients will normally be give a warning letter that will be logged on the medical records and any repeat incidents of violence or abuse within a 12 month period will also result in immediate removal.