Third-party harassment: Is your GP surgery ready for October 2026?
• Date: Wednesday 16th September 2026
• Time: 13:00–13:20 (20-minute bite size session)
• Speaker: Sara Ellison – Employment Law Partner – Wilkin Chapman Rollits
• Format: FREE Online Webinar
From October 2026, employers will have a new legal responsibility not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties.
This could include harassment by patients, patients’ relatives, visitors, contractors, suppliers and other members of the public.
For GP surgeries, the change is particularly important. Practice employees regularly work with members of the public, sometimes in pressured, sensitive or challenging circumstances.
Having a policy in the staff handbook may not be enough. A surgery may need to demonstrate the practical and proactive steps it has taken to identify risks, prevent inappropriate conduct, support employees and respond effectively when concerns are raised.
Join our free 20-minute bite-size webinar to understand:
What?
What the new third-party harassment provisions mean for GP surgeries
Who?
Who could be classed as a third party, including patients, relatives, visitors, contractors and suppliers
Which?
Which roles and situations within a surgery could present the greatest risk
What?
What “all reasonable steps” could mean in practice
Why?
Why a generic dignity at work or harassment policy may not be sufficient
How?
The importance of surgery-specific risk assessments, reporting routes and staff training
Who Should Attend?
This session will be practically useful for:
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GP partners
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Practice managers
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HR managers and advisers
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Operations managers
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Primary care network managers
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Anyone with responsibility for employees, policies or workplace compliance within general practice