Violence Policy

Violence Policy - Kensington Medical Centre Belfast


At Kensington Medical Centre Belfast, we are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and secure environment for all our patients, staff, and visitors. The National Health Service (NHS) operates a zero-tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse. This policy is in place to safeguard everyone within our practice premises.
 
What Constitutes Violence or Abusive Behaviour? Violence, in the context of this policy, includes any actual or threatened physical violence. It also encompasses verbal abuse that leads to fear for a person's safety.
We aim to treat all our patients courteously and, in return, we expect our patients to treat our staff and other patients with similar respect.
 
Consequences of Violent or Abusive Behaviour We take any threatening, abusive, or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients very seriously. If such behaviour occurs, it will lead to automatic removal from the practice list. Furthermore, the incident may be reported to the Police.
 
When a patient is removed from our list due to violence or abuse, we will:
• Notify the patient in writing of their removal.
• Record the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it in the patient’s medical records.
 
Our Practice's Right to Remove Patients (GMS Contract) Kensington Medical Centre Belfast reserves the right to remove a patient from its list in accordance with the GMS contract. This action is taken when there are reasonable grounds that do not relate to a person's age, appearance, disability, medical condition, gender or gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or social class.
 
The process generally involves:
• Giving written notice to the Board (the relevant health authority) of the practice's intention to remove the patient.
• Giving written notice to the patient, explaining the specific reasons for removal.
• Where appropriate, the practice will have previously warned the patient of the risk of being removed and explained the reasons for this, typically within a 12-month period before the request for removal.
• In circumstances where a warning is not appropriate (e.g., change of address, concern for safety of staff or others, or if it's not reasonable or practical), the warning may be omitted.
• The practice maintains a written record of any warnings given, or the reason why no warning was given.
• A written record of the removal, including the reason and circumstances, is also kept and can be made available to the Board upon request.
 
Social Media Defamation Policy While we welcome comments and suggestions from our patients, which can be submitted via our website or in writing to the Practice Manager, we have a specific policy regarding social media.
 
If you have a comment or complaint about the surgery, we strongly encourage you to report this through the correct channels rather than via social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Reddit. The practice is committed to investigating all complaints and responding to patients in a timely manner.
 
The partners at Kensington Medical Centre Belfast will not hesitate to remove a patient from the surgery list if they are found to have made libellous statements or defamatory comments about the surgery or any member of the surgery staff.
 
The legal definition of defamation is: "any intentionally false communication, either written or spoken, that harms a person’s reputation; decreases the respect, regard, or confidence in which a person is held; or induces disparaging, hostile or disagreeable opinions or feelings against a person."
 
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and respectful environment for everyone at Kensington Medical Centre Belfast.

 

Page last reviewed: 27 July 2025
Page created: 19 November 2020