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 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. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Complaints
We try to give all our patients the best care and attention. If you have any suggestions to improve the service, please place these in the suggestion box in the reception area. Should you have the need to complain or are unhappy with the service you receive, we have an in-house complaints procedure. Complaints should be made in writing to the Practice Manager.
If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided, you have the option of contacting the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to ask them to independently review the complaint you have made. Ideally this will be done within two months of receipt of this letter. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is an independent body established to promote improvements in healthcare through the assessment of the performance of those who provide services. You can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman by
writing to:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Helpline: 0345 015 4033 Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
Another option is to contact NHS England. This body has responsibility for primary care in South Gloucestershire; GP practices, dental practices, opticians and pharmacies. People with complaints or concerns about a GP practice, dental practice, optometry practice (optician) or pharmacy will need to contact either the individual practice or the NHS England Customer Contact Centre:
Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: England.contactus@nhs.net
Post: NHS Commissioning Board
PO Box 16728
Redditch
B97 9PT
In addition to the above, if you need advice and support with writing letters of complaint or attending meetings relating to a complaint, the Advocacy Service “Care Forum” can be contacted on 0808 808 5252.
Violence Policy
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.