Practice Policy

Compliments and Complaints

If you have any issues regarding our practice, your care, the doctors or staff in the practice, please ask to speak with the practice manager or, if you prefer, put it in writing. We take all comments seriously and make an initial response within 2 days.

If you feel that you have grounds for complaint, please discuss this with the member of staff concerned; it is hoped that any problems can be resolved at once. If however you feel you need to make a formal complaint, then please download our complaints procedure and form here

Confidentiality

All patient records on file or in the computer are strictly confidential and can only be released to a third party (e.g. insurance company) by the patients written consent. All information is covered under the data protection act.

Children over the age of 16 are treated as adults and their medical information and test results will not be divulged to their parents without their consent.

Results of laboratory tests and x-rays will only be given to patients themselves or to the parents of minors if appropriate.

NHS Zero Tolerance Policy

Everyone has a duty to behave in an acceptable and appropriate manner. Staff have a right to work free from the fear of assault and abuse.

Non-Physical Violence includes the following types of incidents:

Depending on the severity of the non-physical assault the following action or actions will be taken:

Should the following warnings be ignored or the incident repeated on another occasion, the practice will not hesitate to remove a patient from our practice list.

Cases of serious non-physical abuse may incur the necessity for the police to be called and the offender removed from the premises.

Physical Violence & Threats of Physical Violence

In all cases the police will be called immediately. The incident will be reported to the Primary Care Trust. The offender may be removed from the practice list and placed with a practice with a more secure environment. The offender may be prosecuted.

Medical Students

We teach medical students at this practice.

You may be asked if you would be willing to talk with a medical student before you see your doctor, or if you would be happy for a student to sit in on your consultation.

You are not obliged to say yes and no one will query it if you decline.

The students are all in their final years at medical school, training to be doctors. We take students from several different medical schools through the year. We will only have one student at the practice at any one time and so you will not be put in a position which you might recall from the old films “Doctor in the House” etc. where a large group of students trail a consultant round the wards! The student will at all times behave in a professional manner and has to conform to confidentiality rules in the same way as all our staff.

The more advanced students may see patients in a mini surgery. If offered an appointment for one of these you will also see the supervising doctor after the student has spoken with you. The supervising doctor takes full responsibility for the student and for your consultation. Because they are learning they may ask question of you which you might expect them to already know or be “on my records”. Please be patient with them as generally they are checking to ensure that they do not make a mistake and cause you any inconvenience or harm. Both the student and the practice would value any feedback during their time with us.