THE management of a medical practice serving Holsworthy has issued a plea to patients to not take out their frustrations on their team.

Ruby Country Medical Practice says that while it understands that patients can be frustrated at times, it has experienced an increase in what it describes as rude, aggressive and abusive behaviour from patients towards members of its team, both in person and on the telephone.

A spokesperson for the practice said: “Our staff are here to help you and work extremely hard every day to support our patients and community. Unfortunately, we have recently experienced an increase in rude, aggressive, and abusive behaviour towards members of our team, both on the telephone and in person.

“We understand that patients can feel frustrated at times, particularly when services are busy, but we ask that all staff are treated with courtesy, patience, and respect.

“Ruby Country Medical Group operates a Zero Tolerance Policy towards abuse, aggression, threatening behaviour, or harassment directed at staff. Patients who behave in this way may receive a formal warning and, in serious or repeated cases, may be at risk of removal from the practice list.”

Having recently introduced the ‘EMMA’ AI-powered phone management system to try and reduce the amount of time patients are waiting on the telephone, it has also reminded people calling them to use it appropriately and provide clear information.

They added: “Whilst we absolutely welcome constructive feedback, we do take a dim view of personal attacks and negative commentary directed at our staff on social media platforms.

“It would be very nice for the hard work, dedication, and care shown by our teams every day to sometimes be recognised rather than staff feeling constantly criticised or abused.

“The vast majority of our patients are kind, respectful, and supportive, and for that we are extremely grateful.”