Practice Policies
Confidentiality & Medical Records
The Practice complies with Data Protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:
· To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
· To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
· When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.
If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practioners and the Practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.
Access to Records
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 and Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the Practice Manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient's consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Complaints Policy
If you wish to make a complaint, please write to our Practice Manager. He will take full details of your complaint and decide how best to undertake the investigation. Your complaint will be acknowledged within two working days.
We think it is important to deal with complaints swiftly so you will normally be offered an appointment for a meeting to discuss matters within seven days. Occasionally, if we have to make a lot of enquiries, it might take a little longer, but we will keep you informed. Wherever possible, we will provide you with an explanation and details of any course of action that may be required, within two weeks (10 working days). You may bring a friend or relative with you to the meeting.
We will try to address your concerns fully, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be needed. We hope that, at the end of the meeting, you will feel satisfied that we have dealt with the matter thoroughly. However, if this is not possible and you wish to continue with your complaint, we will direct you to the appropriate authorities who will be able to help you.
If you are not happy with this response then you do have the right to take your complaint further to the Parliamentary Health Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero-tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation, we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.
Rights And Responsibilities
You have the right:
· To be treated as an individual in a friendly and helpful manner.
· To have your privacy and dignity respected.
· To be given a clear explanation of your care and treatment.
· To have information on services offered by the practice available in this leaflet.
· To be offered a routine appointment with a health care professional within 24 hours and with a doctor within 48 hours. You may have to wait longer for a doctor of your choice.
· To have repeat prescriptions available within 48 hours of being ordered.
· To be informed on how long you can expect to wait for your test results.
· To have the Practice Manager, Mr Alex Avis, deal confidentially and promptly with any complaint, comment or suggestion you may have.
· To expect a high standard of hygiene to be maintained on these premises at all times.
You have a responsibility:
· To keep appointments with the practice and any other health care facility and to let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend.
· To take responsibility for your own health by eating a balanced diet and taking regular exercise etc.,
· To telephone before 10.30am if a home visit is essential, except in an emergency.
· To request night visits only in a genuine emergency.
· To supervise your children while on the premises.
· To treat the doctors, nurses and staff with courtesy.