Zero Tolerance Policy

The clinician–patient relationship is the cornerstone of safe, effective clinical care. For VitaBella Clinic to work in partnership with you,
we believe it is essential that this relationship is based on mutual respect, openness, good communication and honesty.

All members of our team have the right to carry out their duties without fear of abuse, harassment, intimidation or violent acts.
We therefore operate a Zero Tolerance Policy towards abusive, aggressive, threatening, discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour.

We expect

• Courtesy and respect towards our clinicians, staff and other patients
• Communication that is calm, appropriate and non-threatening
• Co-operation with reasonable clinic requests and safety procedures
• Respect for patient confidentiality and clinic privacy

Zero tolerance behaviour includes (but is not limited to)

This policy applies to behaviour in person, over the telephone, and in written communication (including email and social media).
Behaviour we consider unacceptable includes:

• Verbal abuse, shouting, swearing, insults or personal remarks directed at staff or other patients
• Aggression, intimidation, harassment, bullying, or persistent unreasonable demands
• Threats of violence, threats to damage property, or any threatening physical actions
• Discriminatory language or behaviour (including racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or other discriminatory conduct)
• Spitting or any behaviour that puts staff or patients at risk
• Any mention or display of an object that could be used as a weapon
• Recording staff or other patients without permission

What will happen if this policy is breached

Any form of physical or verbal abuse, or threatening behaviour, will be taken seriously and may result in immediate action.
Depending on the severity of the incident, we may:

• End the phone call or stop responding to abusive messages
• Ask you to stop the behaviour and communicate respectfully
• Ask you to leave the clinic premises immediately
• Cancel or discontinue treatment where it is not appropriate or safe to proceed
• Refuse to book future appointments
• Document the incident for clinic safety and governance purposes

Where appropriate, incidents may be reported to An Garda Síochána.

Clinic premises

This policy applies throughout the clinic premises, including entrances and any surrounding grounds.

Contact

If you have questions about this policy, please contact us:

Email: info@vitabellaclinic.ie
Phone: 01 912 5620

Last updated: 09/03/2026.