COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS

We will always welcome any comments or suggestions about how we may improve the service we provide to our patients. Please ask to speak to the practice manager or write to him at the surgery.

In those situations where you are unhappy about our service, we operate a practice-based complaints procedure. Again, please either ask to speak to, or write to, the practice manager.

CONFIDENTIALITY

We are legally obliged to keep all personal and medical information we hold about you confidential and this lies at the core of the surgery’s organisation and procedures. Under normal circumstances, no information will be divulged to a third party without your consent. If you contact us to request clinical information we may seek to confirm your identity or ask to telephone you back. If we are unable to satisfactorily confirm your identity we may refuse to give out information. Please understand we are trying to protect your interests and act in accordance with the law.

Access To Information About Other Family Members

As mentioned above, no information about an adult will usually be disclosed without that specific individual having consented to the disclosure. This would include a request for information about a spouse or other family member. In the case of young children, those with current parental responsibility may seek information about that child’s medical care. However, once the child reaches an age at which they are considered able to fully understand the implication of medical information being released then such information would only be released with the authority of the child concerned. Once a child reaches this age they may request to be seen without being accompanied by an adult should they so wish. We would be pleased to provide further information on this subject if requested.

Sharing Information With Others Providing Care

In certain circumstances, we may share medical information about you with other medical or nursing staff who are involved in your management. Occasionally this may mean sharing information with health care staff working outside the practice; for example, if you were admitted to hospital the hospital team may need to know details of your medical condition or current medication. When deciding whether to give out medical information the decision would focus on whether you were able to provide consent. If you were not, we would attempt to act in accordance with any previously expressed views and in your best interests.

Confidentiality Within The Practice

If you come to the surgery and wish to talk confidentially to the receptionists, please let them know and we will arrange for you to be taken somewhere where you will not be overheard.

VIOLENT, ABUSIVE OR THREATENING PATIENTS

Any incident of the type listed below will be treated under the Government's Zero Tolerance policy and result in the patient, and any family members, being removed from the practice patient list immediately with no further medical treatment from the surgery being made available.

• Verbal abuse or aggressive language including racial or sexual references
• Verbal or non-verbal threats of violence
• Destructive behaviour towards practice property or buildings
• Attempted or actual physical violence
• Offensive sexual gestures or inappropriate touching

Where details of any incident are reported to the police, the patient will be removed to a Special Allocation Scheme, set up by the Primary Care Trust for violent patients. (Only certain GPs provide this service and the patient may find they have to travel outside the practice boundaries to obtain treatment.)

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 scheme is available from reception.