Zero Tolerance Procedure

Abusive or violent behaviour towards members of staff or the clinical team will not be tolerated at the London Smile Clinic.

Mutual respect between all staff and patients must be in place. All our staff aim to be polite, helpful and sensitive to all patients’ needs and circumstances.

We respectfully remind patients that staff are often confronted with varied and sometimes difficult situations. Staff understand that when patients are in pain or distress, their parents and carers are not always able to act reasonably – this is, of course, taken into consideration when dealing with misunderstandings or complaints.

Aggressive behaviour, however, be it violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the practice list. In order for the practice to maintain excellent relationships with its patients, the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of behaviour that will be found unacceptable:

• Verbal abuse includes shouting, using bad language or swearing both in-person or over the phone.
• Physical violence.
• Racial abuse or sexual harassment.
• Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff (requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot).
• Causing damage/stealing from the practice’s premises, staff or patients.
• Obtaining medical services fraudulently.

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care.

Removing patients from our list is a rare event that acts as a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship.

When trust has irreparably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, as well as that of the practice, that they should find a new practice.