Dartmouth Medical Practice staff subjected to "verbal and written abuse"

Dartmouth Medical Practice has taken to social media to reiterate their "zero tolerance" to abuse of their staff after a "rise in cases". 

A spokesperson for the practice said they posted the message on their Facebook page "with great regret" but that they had "once again seen a rise in cases of staff members being subjected to "verbal and written abuse". 

The spokesperson continued: "Our staff are working under extreme pressures and are not immune to the abuse they face on a daily basis.

"We appreciate that patients can sometimes find the local healthcare systems, pathways and options confusing, sometimes frustrating, especially at a time when it appears many systems are changing. Our team will always work with you, the patient, to help direct you to the most appropriate place for your needs.

"We aim to work in a tolerant, amicable manner and will always ensure we support each individual patient as best as we can with the options available to us locally.

"Our surgery operates within the Zero Tolerance guidelines of NHS England, so we politely ask that you refrain from directing any abuse at our staff."

The 2021 NHS Staff survey, of which there were nearly 600,000 responses from 220 NHS trusts, found that: 14.3% of NHS staff have experienced at least one incident of physical violence from patients, service users, relatives or other members of the public in the last 12 months.