Confidentiality

We provide a confidential service to all our patients, including those under 16. This means that you can tell others about your visit but we won’t.

We may be required to give certain information concerning you to other agencies, such as hospitals, social services and the Primary Care Trust. But this is done after discussion with you and your consent obtained. Even then, we undertake to reveal only those facts that are relevant and necessary for your care.

All GP surgeries keep recall lists for various chronic diseases and health promotion schemes. In order to provide thorough and appropriate care, we may need to hold your name on a recall list. If you do not want to be included on any of these lists, please notify the practice in writing and your name will be removed.

Please note that we do not give out information to anyone except the patient, therefore, if you wish to know the results of a blood test etc, you must call yourself; we can only give information to a friend or relative if we have written authority. Parents may know the results of some tests done on their children who are under 16 years old.

We appreciate that this strict adherence to confidentiality may cause some difficulties, but would ask for your understanding in this matter.

Freedom of Information

The ICO has published a new Model Publication Scheme that all public authorities are required to adopt by 1st January 2009.

Model Publication Scheme - further information

Comments & Complaints

Even though we try our best, there may well betimes when things don’t go as well as they could or should. We strive to maintain a high quality service to our patients, within the limitations of the NHS! If you have any reason to feel you have not received the best from us, we need to know about it.

We rely on all of our patients to tell us when things have gone wrong or where our systems have proved inadequate. If we are not told we cannot correct them.

Please take time to tell us about your experience. The best person to speak to is Vicki, our Practice Manager. She will be happy to listen to any comments, suggestions, or complaints you may like to make, we like to hear the good as well as the bad!

We follow the NHS complaints procedure, so if there is any thing you feel warrants a formal complaint, that will also be dealt with by Vicki.

If you would prefer to write to us with any comment/complaint, we shall deal with it promptly. We do have forms at reception for comments or more formal complaints if you would find that easier.

The Health Service Ombudsman

The Health Service Ombudsman has published a booklet that describes the ‘six principles for remedy’ in relation to complaints handling and involves:

1. Getting it right
2. Being customer focused
3. Being open and accountable
4. Acting fairly and proportionately
5. Putting things right
6. Seeking continuous improvements

If you remain unhappy after everything has been done to try to resolve your concern or complaint you have the right to approach the Ombudsman.
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Write: Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP.

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)

The NHS employs over a million staff in thousands of locations. It is a large and complex organisation providing a broad range of services. It is not surprising that sometimes you or a loved one may feel bewildered or concerned when using the NHS. And this can be at times when you are feeling at your most vulnerable and anxious.

So, what should you do if you want on the spot help when using the health service? The NHS expects all members of staff to listen and respond to you to the best of their ability. But sometimes, you may wish to talk to someone employed especially to help you. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, known as PALS, has been introduced to ensure that the NHS listens to patients, their relatives, carers and friends, and answers their questions and resolves their concerns as quickly as possible.

PALS also helps the NHS to improve services by listening to what matters to patients and their loved ones and making changes, when appropriate.

What does PALS do?

In particular, PALS will:

• Provide you with information about the NHS and help you with any other health-related enquiry
• Help resolve concerns or problems when you are using the NHS
• Provide information about the NHS complaints procedure and how to get independent help if you decide you may want to make a complaint
• Provide you with information and help introduce you to agencies and support groups outside the NHS
• Inform you about how you can get more involved in your own healthcare and the NHS locally
• Improve the NHS by listening to your concerns, suggestions and experiences and ensuring that people who design and manage services are aware of the issues you raise
• Provide an early warning system for NHS Trusts and monitoring bodies by identifying problems or gaps in services and reporting them.

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Find out more

If you would like more information about PALS, the functions it is intended to provide and the standards it should strive to achieve , follow this link.

Disabled Access

We are very fortunate that we are a modern surgery and we have full access for all our patients to all clinical areas, including wheelchairs users. We have an additional surgery and waiting area on the first floor which has a stair-lift to assist anyone who may have difficulty managing stairs. For a few patients access to this surgery would be impossible, in which case the doctor will see patients on the ground floor. We have ramps and a disabled toilet for those who need them.

Your Responsibilities

We will do our best to provide you with the service you require, in turn, we expect all our patients to use our service appropriately. If you are unable to keep an appointment please let us know so that the time is not wasted. Please do not ask the doctor to visit unless it is medically necessary. Some days are busier than others and it is not always possible for letters etc to be dictated and typed at short notice-please be patient.

Patients who are abusive and/or violent will be removed from our list.