Dealing with patients who decline to wear a face covering

It is no longer a requirement to wear face masks or coverings in England, unless patients are suspected or have confirmed COVID-19 to minimise contamination. However, this will also depend on your local risk assessment.

The requirements to wear a face covering differ across the UK - make sure you're familiar with the guidelines in:

• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland.

Healthcare providers can remind patients and any companions of the requirement to wear a face covering if deemed necessary by local risk assessment when appointments are made for a face-to-face consultation. Signs can help to reinforce the message at the entrance to the practice, within the waiting room and on the practice website.

Patients who refuse to comply

• If a patient who could wear a face covering chooses not to do so, explain the reason for its importance in protecting patients and staff. Remind them that COVID-19 can be carried by asymptomatic people.
• If the patient does not have a mask, the situation might be resolved by offering them one.
• If the patient continues to decline to wear a mask, you may want to consider whether a face-to-face appointment is absolutely necessary or if another way of carrying out the consultation would be more appropriate.

However, by the time a patient arrives at the surgery, you may have already judged that a face-to-face consultation is required. With this in mind, there are steps you can take to try to minimise the risk to yourself, colleagues and to other patients.

• Maintain social distancing as far as this is possible, observe hand hygiene measures and ensure members of staff wear appropriate PPE.
• Consider booking the patient into a quieter appointment slot, if they don't need to be seen urgently, or allow them to wait in an area separate to the main waiting area or where there tends to be fewer staff and patients.

There is no power to enforce mask wearing by patients, and GPs should be cautious about declining to provide necessary care to a patient on the basis of their decision not to wear a mask.

If a patient was not treated on this basis and came to harm as a result, the practice could be criticised. To avoid any unnecessary confrontations, it is helpful to have a policy in place so that all staff know what action needs to be taken should they encounter this dilemma.

Members are welcome to contact us about treating a patient who declines to wear a face covering.

A version of this article first appeared on GP online.

This page was correct at publication on 10/06/2022. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.