Rockleigh Court Surgery

We are committed to giving you the very best possible service. This is best achieved by working together.

What we will do for you.

1. You have the right to complete confidentiality (Please read the confidentiality section of this page).

2. You will be given courtesy and respect at all times.

3. You are entitled to emergency care when you need it and will be seen within 24 hours.

4. Every effort will be made for you to be seen at the time of your appointment.
Emergencies sometimes inevitably delay the doctor and nurse so try to be patient.

5. Requests for home visits should be made before 12 noon to ensure that one of the doctors will visit on the day of request. Home visits are for patients who are too frail/ill to attend the surgery and are made at the discretion of the doctor.

6. Under normal circumstances we will give you an appointment with a doctor within two working days.

7. We will deal with your request for a repeat prescription within 48 hours. Requests for repeat prescriptions should be made on the slips provided or must be put in writing. We do not accept requests by telephone.

8. Any complaint you make will be acknowledged within three working days and we aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days.

1. Please avoid asking for an appointment for colds, coughs or tummy bugs. A pharmacist can advise on simple matters.

2. If you cannot keep an appointment, please cancel it. There is always someone else to take up that appointment.

3. Do not telephone the surgery after hours for routine matters which can wait until the morning.

4. Keep any appointment made for you at the hospital. If you find you no longer need the appointment telephone the hospital so that it can be allocated to someone else.
If you cannot contact the hospital please let the surgery know.

5. Take responsibility for your own health. Take medication properly, keep follow-up appointments and attend for screening regularly.

6. Notify any change of name and/or address immediately to avoid unnecessary mistakes later.

7. Always remember to use the computerised tear off portion when ordering a repeat prescription. Tick the items you require and do not add items that you have not been prescribed before. Always bring the tear off portion of your computerised prescription when you attend for an appointment with your doctor.

8. To behave with civility to the doctors and staff and not to act in a disruptive manner in the waiting room.

We are constantly monitoring our services to patients and would welcome any comments, including praise and constructive criticism, which can be placed in the repeat prescription box in the entrance hall.

We offer an in-house complaints procedure that meets national criteria.

We hope that most problems can be resolved as they arise, with the person concerned.

If this is not possible and you wish to complain, please speak to the practice manager or one of the doctors in the first instance. Any complaint should be brought to our attention as early as possible so that it can be investigated while the matter is fresh.

We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have investigated and responded within 10 working days.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The practice policy on confidentiality is in compliance with guidelines provided by the British Medical Association. We subscribe to the view that the duty of confidentiality owed to a teenager even if under the age of 16 is as great as the duty owed to any other person. All information in your medical records is confidential and will not normally be disclosed to anyone without your prior consent. Exceptions are:

• in compliance with any legal requirement, such as a court order or statutory notification of infectious and notifiable diseases.
  
  
• disclosure to other healthcare professionals on a "need to know" basis where, in the doctor's judgment, this is necessary for the best treatment of the patient. "Other healthcare professionals" would include consultants to whom a patient is referred for a specialist opinion, practice and district nurses, health visitors.
  
  
• disclosure to NHS management for the purposes of audit and accountancy. It is sometimes necessary to allow Health Authority auditors access to records to enable them to verify achievements claimed by GPs. Such staff are subject to rules of confidentiality which are written into their contracts of employment. You have the right to object to such a disclosure. If you do, please put your objection in writing, addressed to the practice manager and your letter will be retained with your notes.
  
  
• in the public interest. An example would be notifying the DVLA of the name of a patient who is unfit to drive and who has failed to notify the DVLA of their condition themselves.
  

ACCESS TO MEDICAL RECORDS

Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998 patients are entitled (subject to certain exemptions) to have access to, and copies of, their medical records. Applications must be made in writing and addressed to the practice manager. A fee (£10 as of February 2008) is payable for access with further charges payable for copies (up to a maximum of £50). Access/copies must be provided within 40 days of request and payment of the fee.

VIOLENT OR ABUSIVE PATIENTS

Any patient who is abusive to, makes racist comments to or who uses or threatens violence to:

• any doctor or

• any member of the healthcare team or

• any other member of staff or

• any other person present

either on the surgery premises or any other place where treatment is being provided, will be reported to the police and the patient will be removed immediately from the practice list.