You Can Pick Your Patients!
In the NHS you can’t imagine a scenario where you decline to treat a patient. You can’t. It just wouldn’t happen. You’re therefore conditioned to treat patients as some kind of higher power, Queen-like, untouchable, you believe you must serve them and relent to their demands.
Except, guess what, you don’t have to. You can now pick your patients!
The PITA patient.
The pain in the arse patient. You all know them. The high maintenance ones. They might be rude, they might be aggressive, they may be condescending - they might simply just be very unkind. They could be a narcissist who thinks the world revolves around them, or unreasonably demanding because they’re ‘THE PATIENT’ after all. Whatever it is, when you’re in the NHS you don’t’ have much choice but to hold your tongue, take a deep breath and do your best.
Not Anymore!
Your instincts are pretty good. You’re bound to know pretty much from the get-go if you’ve got a PITA on your hands. You can read people and get a pretty good sense of who they are from the very first moment you interact with them. This is your opportunity to say no. This is the joy and benefit of running your own business now. You get to decide who you treat.
How Do I Say No?
It can feel uncomfortable if you’re not very confident and hate confrontation. You may feel super anxious about having to tell a patient you don’t want to treat them. But you can and you should do it, it’s short-term pain for long-term gain. You have to protect yourself.
Be honest. Keep it professional and polite but tell them the truth.
Here’s a few lines you can use:
‘I’m sorry, I’m not comfortable proceeding with treating you. I think it would be better if you found someone else as I don’t think I’m the right practitioner for you.”
“I can’t meet your expectations and I don’t want to compromise the way I like to work with my patients.”
“I don’t believe I have a treatment that will sufficiently address your concerns, so I’m going to suggest you have a consult elsewhere to see if someone else can better meet your needs’
“I'm not going to be able to assist you in the way that you want.”
“I don’t think you’re going to be satisfied with the results, I can achieve for you, I can’t help you any further sorry.”
Yes, they may get touchy about it but you don’t really need to explain yourself any further than this. If really pushed, tell them bluntly “I don’t want to treat you, I know this isn’t what you want to hear and I’m sorry but I don’t believe this is in your or my best interests.”
But What Happens If They Complain?
Firstly, who are they going to complain to? You’re the boss. If they decide to take it up with your statutory body, you’re well within your rights to refuse a patient, you’re under no obligation to treat them and it’s highly unlikely any statutory body would even look into it.
It’s not unreasonable to assume they might leave you a negative review, but other consumers aren’t stupid and if it’s one negative review in a sea of positive and glowing recommendations, another potential patient will see through this and ignore it (weirdly consumers trust things more when there is the odd negative review - else it seems too good to be true - so don’t fret too much about a less than satisfactory review).
Some Will Slip Through
Sometimes, of course, they sneak up on you. It’s only after the treatment you realise you’ve got a Demanding Debbie on your hands. Five emails, 4 missed calls, and 20 DMs asking all the questions you covered at length during the consult. A bombardment of photos ‘proving’ something hasn’t worked, even though you can see it clearly has, a request for more mls for free…. even if you then do some extra treatment there will always be some Demanding Debbies who will never be happy.
And this is when you cut them loose. You’ll never win. You’ll lose money. You tell them that you can’t help them any further and suggest they see someone else.
Your Business, Your Choice
It’s entirely your prerogative to decline a patient and you should trust your gut and follow your instincts. This is your business and you are in control of how you manage it and who you do and do not treat. Choose your patients wisely!