Policy Lead: Angela Auluck, Dev Patel
Last Updated: 05/02/2026
Review Date: Annually
Our Practice operates a Zero Tolerance approach to violence, aggression, abuse, bullying, harassment or discrimination towards any member of staff.
We are committed to providing a safe, respectful and professional environment for:
Incidents involving violent, threatening, abusive or discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the Practice list and/or police involvement.
The Practice recognises its statutory duty of care under health and safety legislation to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees at work. This includes protection from bullying, harassment and violence.
We also act in accordance with:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related violence as:
“Any incident in which an employee is verbally abused, threatened, or physically assaulted in circumstances related to their work.”
This includes (but is not limited to):
Further HSE guidance can be accessed here:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg69.pdf
This policy applies to:
It covers behaviour occurring:
The Practice has zero tolerance for behaviour related to:
Any discriminatory or hate-related abuse will result in immediate formal review and may result in removal from the Practice list and/or police involvement.
The Practice will:
Guidance on violence risk management:
Where CCTV is in operation, footage may be used as evidence and shared with police where appropriate.
All incidents must be reported immediately to the Practice Principal or Practice Manager.
Records should include:
Staff are encouraged to report all incidents, even those perceived as minor, to ensure accurate risk assessment.
Informal Action
Where appropriate, the individual will be informed that their behaviour is unacceptable and referred to this policy.
Staff may request managerial support immediately if they do not feel comfortable addressing behaviour themselves.
Formal Action
If unacceptable behaviour persists or is serious in nature, action may include:
Immediate Removal
Immediate removal from the Practice list may occur in cases involving:
Decisions will be documented and aligned with national guidance where applicable.
Zero tolerance applies equally between colleagues.
Any bullying, harassment or aggressive conduct between staff members will be addressed under the Practice’s:
Abusive or threatening behaviour via:
Will be treated as seriously as in-person incidents.
The Practice reserves the right to seek legal advice where necessary.
If a violent or abusive incident occurs, the Practice will respond promptly to support affected staff. Support may include:
Victim support services are available:
England and Wales
Victim Support National Office
Cranmer House
39 Brixton Road
London SW9 6DZ
Tel: 0808 168 9111
https://www.victimsupport.org.uk
Scotland
Victim Support Scotland
15/23 Hardwell Close
Edinburgh EH8 9RX
Tel: 0800 160 1985
Email: info@victimsupportsco.org.uk
https://www.victimsupportsco.org.uk
Staff may also seek guidance from:
HSE Infoline
Tel: 0300 790 6787
Website: https://www.hse.gov.uk
HSE Publications and Resources:
https://books.hse.gov.uk
