Practice Policies

Confidentiality

Patient confidentiality is of paramount importance to us and is respected regardless of the patient’s age. If you wish to discuss any issue relating to patient confidentiality please contact either the Practice Manager or one of the doctors.

Sometimes we are asked to share patient information with other health professionals for reasons of audit and research. Anyone having access to medical records is bound by the same rules of confidentiality as we are ourselves and we have a specific leaflet on confidentiality available from reception.

Comments and Complaints

We welcome your comments/suggestions and there is a Suggestions box in the Waiting Room area for this purpose.
In the case of complaints, we have an established procedure, which needs to be followed, and we hope to achieve a satisfactory outcome. A complaint can be made in person, in writing, or by telephone to the Practice Manager. It can be made by the patient concerned or by a relative/ friend with the written consent of the patient.

Your complaint will be discussed and fully investigated by either a Doctor or the Practice Manager depending upon the nature of your complaint and you will be informed of the outcome within 14 working days. We would then ask you to contact the Practice Manager to confirm whether you are happy with the outcome. We would hope to reach a solution that was acceptable within 4 weeks of the initial complaint. If you feel that your complaint has not been dealt with adequately you may contact the NHS England National Contact Centre on 0300 311 22 33. Lines are open between 7.30 am to 6pm.

Email england.contactus@nhs.net

Address: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 6PT

Freedom of Information – Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the ‘classes’ of information the practice intends to routinely make available. This is available from our practice manager.

Your Obligations as a Patient

We expect you to help us provide an effective and caring service by;

• Treating members of the Primary Care Team with courtesy and respect – just as they will treat you
• Treating other patients and users of the health centre with consideration and courtesy – just as they should treat you
• Looking after your children at all times and ensuring that they treat other people and the building with respect
• Remembering that an appointment is for one person only. Please book separate appointments if more than one person needs to be seen
• Coming to the surgery, during surgery hours whenever possible and only requesting a home visit if you are not well enough to get to the surgery. If you do need a home visit please try to ask before 10:30am
• Keeping appointments and being on time, or giving as much notice as possible if you wish to cancel or alter an appointment. We can give an appointment you no longer want to someone else who needs it, if you let us know in time
• Informing the practice of any change of address and making sure we have your telephone number. If you are attending for outpatient appointments, please also inform the hospital/clinic
• Making requests for repeat prescriptions at least two working days before you need your medication
• We exercise a zero tolerance policy on patients who are violent or aggressive towards our staff and or patients

Our Obigations to You

As an NHS patient registered with our practice you are entitled to:

• Courtesy and respect from the staff
• Privacy and confidentiality when speaking to any member of staff.
• Be given an appointment the same day if you need to see the doctor urgently or as soon as possible
• Be given an appointment the same day if you need to see the doctor urgently or as soon as possible
• Expect your medicines to be reviewed regularly if you are receiving repeat prescriptions
• Be referred to a Consultant, acceptable to you, when your GP thinks it is necessary and to be referred for a second opinion if both you and your family doctor agree that this is desirable
• Have your telephone enquiries answered promptly and dealt with efficiently
• Be informed of test, x-ray and outpatients results upon request

We will attempt to accommodate all appointment requests from patients. In addition

• Registered patients aged 16-74 who have not been seen for three years may request a consultation
• Registered patients aged over 75 years who have not been seen in the previous 12 months may request a consultation.
• If you are unable to attend the surgery for this consultation because of your medical condition, a home visit may be arranged.