Practice Policies

Confidentiality & Medical Records

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

• To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
• To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
• When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the Business Partner and Practice manager.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact one of our managers who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

Violent Patients

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.

Complaints Procedure

Our aim is to provide the highest possible quality of care to our patients.  As part of our Quality Assurance System we operate a Practice Complaints Procedure which meets Department of Health criteria.  If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know.

How to Complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly at the time they arise and with the person concerned or with the assistance of our senior managers.

If, however, you wish to make a complaint we would like you to let us know as soon as possible because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily.  If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint

*    within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem

                     or 

  *  within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided

     this is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to the Business Partner & Practice Manager or any of the doctors.

Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment or a telephone consultation with the Business Partner & Practice Manager to discuss your concerns.

What we will do

We will acknowledge your complaint, normally within 3 working days, and aim to have completed our enquiries and be ready to offer you an explanation within 25 working days (no more than 6 months for more complex problems).  When we look into your complaint we will aim to

*    find out what happened and what went wrong

*    make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned if you would like

*    make sure you receive an apology where this is appropriate

*    identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.   

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality.  If you are complaining on behalf of someone else we will need a letter of consent signed by the person concerned giving us permission to discuss their problem (unless they are incapable [because of illness] of providing this).

Independent Review

We hope our procedure can resolve the problem to your satisfaction.  However, you have the right to request an independent review if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or if you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. 

For further advice you should contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) at your local Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust, Bexhill Hospital, Holliers Hill, Bexhill-on-Sea, TN40 2DZ (0300 1000 891) or the Healthcare Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.org.uk (0345 015 4033)

CODE OF PRACTICE         

This Practice aims to provide comprehensive care to patients, whereby your designated Doctor is responsible for your ongoing care whenever possible. 

We are committed to the best possible service which can only be achieved if we work together.