Bridge Medical Centre
Patient Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct for Engagement with Primary Medical Services
At Bridge Medical Centre, we are committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for both patients and staff. To uphold these standards, we require all individuals accessing our services to adhere to the following Code of Conduct:
1. Respect and Dignity: All patients are expected to treat the GPs, staff, and other patients with respect. This includes refraining from rude, disrespectful, or bullying behaviour towards staff members. In return, patients can expect the same level of respect and dignity from our staff.
2. Prohibited Behaviour: The following actions are considered unacceptable and breach our Code of Conduct:
– Excessive noise that is disruptive to others.
– Use of threatening, intimidating, abusive, or obscene language.
– Offensive remarks, including those of a racial, sexual, or derogatory nature.
– Physical or verbal aggression, including hostile or antagonistic comments.
– Damage to property, theft, or any dishonest behaviour.
– Spitting or engaging in threatening gestures/actions.
– Inappropriate behaviour involving alcohol or substance misuse.
– Frequently calling the service and using the emergency phone line for non-urgent medical problems.
– Utilising services in a manner that is excessively frequent or unjust, resulting in inequitable access for other patients.
– Not adhering to the advice given by the clinician.
– Submitting an unreasonable number of complaints, which leads to operational disruption.
– Engaging in prolonged, protracted conversations over the phone, monopolising administrators and clinician’s time.
– Unfair and unreasonable comments posted about the surgery or staff members in public forums.
3. Engagement with Staff and Services: Patients are expected to engage cooperatively with practice staff to schedule or cancel appointments, request medical advice, and manage their healthcare, including medication monitoring. Should engagement become unreasonable or excessive, staff reserve the right to terminate the interaction.
4. Consultation Conduct: Patients are required to engage in consultations (both face-to-face and telephone) in a focused and respectful manner. Consultations are generally scheduled for 10 minutes unless extended by the clinician. If a patient’s behaviour during a consultation is deemed unreasonable, the clinician may terminate the interaction
5. Complaints Procedure: If you have any complaints regarding your care at Bridge Medical Centre, please address them to the Practice Manager, who will handle them in accordance with the NHS England Complaints Procedure.
6. Consequences of Breaching the Code of Conduct: Failure to comply with this Code of Conduct may result in a warning or removal from our patient list. Severe breaches, particularly those involving violence or requiring police intervention, will lead to immediate removal from the patient list.
By adhering to this Code of Conduct, patients help us maintain a safe and respectful environment for everyone. We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to these standards.
Please be aware that Bridge Medical Centre has video surveillance on the premises and all calls are recorded for compliance and quality improvement purposes.