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Patients who have been placed on the Special Allocation Scheme are those who have been identified by their GP practice as being violent; this includes showing actual or threatened physical or verbal abuse towards a member of staff or other patients. The Special Allocation Scheme takes on patients from Manchester, Stockport and Tameside.
The purpose of the scheme is to:
Patients who have shown violent or aggressive behaviour towards a member of staff at their registered GP practice are subject to immediate removal from the practice list. It is important that GP practices provide a safe environment for all patients as violent or aggressive behaviour compromises the delivery and quality of healthcare services.
To access the service, patients should contact 0161 337 2257, which will be answered by a care co-ordinator. A number of questions will be asked to establish the reason for the call. Patients may be transferred to speak to a clinician or they will receive a call back to discuss their request, arrange a prescription or face-to-face consultation. The clinician will ask the patient to provide consent to access their medical records prior to any advice or treatment being given.
Patients who require an appointment will be seen at a clinical location, which will be confirmed at the time of booking. Please note, this location will not be open unless an appointment has been arranged. Staff working at the premises will be unable to assist should patients attend outside of their pre-arranged appointment.
The clinical team will undertake an annual health check and risk assessment following 12 months of a patient being placed on the scheme. In some cases, this may happen earlier if the clinician decides that it is an appropriate time to do so. The risk assessment will look at whether the clinician feels it is appropriate for a patient to return to mainstream primary care with a GP of their choice. The clinician will take into consideration previous interactions with the service and whether there have been any further incidents concerning violence or aggression towards staff involved in their healthcare since their inclusion on the scheme.
It may be necessary to arrange security to support the clinician during the patient’s appointment. If this is the case, security will be on hand to assist the clinician should an issue arise. The security team are subject to strict confidentiality procedures and will be available to protect both the patient and clinician during a consultation.
Details of how patients can appeal their allocation on the scheme are available within the letter received from NHS England. Members of staff involved with the Special Allocation Scheme are unable to discuss any aspect of the appeals process.
