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OUR
SERVICES TO YOU THE PATIENT
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.
YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY AS A PATIENT USING OUR SERVICES
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.
COMMENTS/SUGGESTIONS
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.
COMPLAINTS
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.
Our aim
will be to:
- establish the facts and determine
where anything has gone wrong
- make it possible for you to discuss
the problem with those concerned, if this is what you wish
- make sure you receive an apology,
where this is appropriate
- identify anything we can do to make
sure the problem does not happen again.
The practice manager is available
most weekdays to give you further information about the procedure and to try to
deal swiftly with any problem that may occur.
If you are totally dissatisfied
with us or the services we provide, you have the right at any time to leave our
list and to register with another practice.
We also have the right to have patients removed from our list. In general we will only exercise this right in the case of patients who repeatedly and persistently ignore their own responsibilities to us and to other patients after due warning has been given. We will remove from our list immediately patients who are violent or seriously abusive towards any of the practice staff.
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.
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