The clinic is at an undisclosed location

South Leicestershire Primary Care Trust has confirmed 26 patients can now only get treatment at the clinic, where GPs have been trained in self-defence.

Police are on stand-by throughout appointments in case there is any violence.

A Department of Health spokesman said Leicester's scheme could be the first of its kind in the country.

He said: "To our knowledge, it's the first where a specialist surgery has been set up."

BANNED PATIENT The man banned from the NHS

The trust said the measures had been introduced to help cope with increasing numbers of attacks on doctors and health staff.

Last week, an abusive patient from York became the first person to be banned from entering or calling all NHS premises and private clinics.

It is believed most of the excluded patients taking part in the Leicester scheme have drug or alcohol problems.

'Safe environment'

All have been referred to the clinic in the past 12 months.

Andrew Rundle, the trust's associate director of human resources and corporate services, said: "The key principle behind this service is that we ensure primary care professionals can work in an environment where they feel safe."

Each primary care trust in Leicestershire is funding the �36,000-a-year centre, which is at an undisclosed location on the outskirts of Leicester.

The trained GPs are drafted in on a part-time basis from their own surgeries.