Despite the NHS being a free service, patients often feel remarkably entitled when it comes to accessing resources - complaints about patient behaviour are sadly all too common from NHS GPs or staff. Whilst NHS off-listing is theoretically possible, in practice, it is often more hassle than it is worth.
Within the private sector, in theory a clinician retains complete control over who they choose to see (or not see). However, practices also have to contend with the extended expectations of patients, who having paid for their appointments, often feel an enhanced sense of entitlement.
Recently our clinical team overheard a patient verbally abusing our staff at the front-desk. The patient was frustrated (irate?!) that they were being charged for an appointment that they no-showed for.
The angst started out at a reasonably proportionate level, but grew to the point of disrupting ongoing consultations. The patient was important for the practice, however the staff abuse was not acceptable.
If the lead clinician decided to take action against the patient, they risked losing the patient and their entire family from the practice. On the other hand, if no action was taken, then the practice would be seen to be tolerating abuse of their staff - which clearly isn't palatable.
How would you deal with such a situation?
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