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.

TANGMERE MEDICAL CENTRE 

PATIENT CODE OF CONDUCT 

It is the aim of the NHS West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group and Tangmere Medical Centre to provide a safe and pleasant environment in which patients and visitors may receive healthcare and staff may carry out their work. To assist in providing this, everyone accessing the services of the practice is expected to observe the Practice Code of Conduct. 

The Code of Conduct states: 

Persons attending the practice, whether in person or by telephone, should behave in a manner that respects the rights of others and the practice environment. 

The following behaviour falls outside of the Code of Conduct and is therefore considered to be unacceptable. 

• Excessive noise obtrusive to others (staff, other patients and visitors) 

• Use of threatening / abusive / obscene language or any form of shouting 
• Offensive remarks of a racial, sexual or personally derogatory nature  
• Demands for appointments or services despite being advised they are full 
• Damage to property 
• Theft 

• Threatening / aggressive gestures and / or actions 
• Inappropriate behaviour involving alcohol / substance misuse 

Any person acting in an unacceptable manner will be asked by a member of staff to stop behaving in such a way and to observe the practice code of conduct. If a person repeatedly fails to observe the Code of Conduct, the patient will be removed from the practice list. 

Violent behaviour (verbal or physical) is never tolerated and will result in police prosecution of the aggressor and the direct and immediate removal of patient concerned from the practice list.