Physical or verbal abuse
Physical or verbal aggression, behaviour or language that causes staff or other service users to feel afraid, threatened or abused.
GUSRC staff have the right to choose to end an abusive or aggressive telephone call. Similarly, if written or emailed correspondence is considered aggressive, abusive or offensive, the client will be informed that any further correspondence of that nature will not be dealt with.
If physical violence is used or threatened, the police will be called.
Unreasonable demands
This category includes: unreasonable persistence after the client has been told that GUSRC cannot help with the enquiry, continually contacting GUSRC about the same issue, or bombarding GUSRC with many different issues, imposing unreasonable timescales for dealing with a problem, and demanding services that GUSRC does not provide.
Where it is felt that the behaviour of a service user under either of the above categories is adversely affecting the work of GUSRC and the service to other people, a decision may be made to restrict contact with that person.
For example, we may ask that the service user contacts GUSRC only in writing, or only on certain days at a set time. We may exclude the person from contact with GUSRC staff and sabbatical officers for a period of time.
Wherever possible, the service user will be given the opportunity to modify their behaviour before this decision is made.
If the service user feels that they have been unfairly dealt with under the Unacceptable Behaviour Policy, they may appeal in writing to the GUSRC President.