Confidentiality

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 of care 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. diabetes 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 staff members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

Freedom of Information 

Information about the General Practitioners 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 

You have the right to request access to view or obtain copies of the information the practice holds about you and to have it amended, if it is factually inaccurate.

Your request must be in writing and we have one month to respond.

If you want to see information from another provider e.g. a hospital, you should write to them directly.

Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the practice, please contact the Practice Manager.

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.

Privacy Notice

Praze Surgery holds personal information about patients in the form of their medical records, both on computer and some hard copies.  This is to help our team to look after patients' health needs and it may also be used to protect the health of the public and help manage the NHS as a whole.  Information may be used for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service the practice provides.  Information used for statistical purposes will be held so that individual patients cannot be identified.

We are committed to protecting patient privacy and every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation has a legal obligation to keep the information we hold about patients confidential.  We will not disclose your information to any third party, without your permission, unless there are exceptional circumstances i.e. in a life or death situation or where the law requires information to be passed on.  We may also have to share your information with our partner organisations e.g. District Nurses or Social Services, this is subject to strict agreements on how it will be used.

Our full Privacy Notice is available here Privacy Notice

Praze Surgery is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO)

Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the practice, please contact the Practice Manager.  If you are still unhappy following a review by the data controller, you can then complain to the Information Commissioners Officer (ICO) via their website www.ico.gov.uk

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 the practice manager, in writing, who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

Praze Surgery Practice Complaints Leaflet

Practice Charter

These are the local standards set within this practice for the benefit of our patients.  It is our job to give you treatment and advice.  Following discussion with you, you will receive the most appropriate care given by suitably qualified people. 

No care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.  In the interest of your health it is important for you to understand all the information given to you.  Please ask us questions if you are unsure of anything. 

Our Responsibility to You

We are committed to giving you the best possible service.

Access:  You will have access to a doctor rapidly in cases of emergency: 24 hours in cases of urgency and otherwise within two working days.  We will arrange a home visit as appropriate for those who are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery.

Telephone:  We will try to answer the telephone promptly and to ensure that there are sufficient staff available to do this.  You should be able to speak to a doctor by telephone.

Test Results
If you have undergone tests or x-rays ordered by the practice we will inform you of the results at your next appointment.  If no further appointments needs to be arranged we will advise you when and how to obtain the results. 

Respect
Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their healthcare irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious and cultural beliefs. 

Information
We will give you full information about the services we offer.  Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive the information which directly affects your health and the care being offered. 

Health Promotion
The practice will offer patients advice and information on steps they can take to promote good health and avoid illness. Self-help which can be undertaken without reference to a doctor in the case of minor ailments. 

Health Records
You have the right to see your health records subject to limitations in the law.  These will be kept confidential at all times. 

Your Responsibility to Us 

Help us to help you.
 
Please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number.
 
Please do everything you can to keep appointments.  Tell us as soon as possible if you cannot, otherwise other patients may have to wait longer.
 
We need help too.  Please ask for home visits by the doctor only when the person is too ill to visit the surgery.
 
Please keep your phone call brief and avoid calling during the peak morning time for
non-urgent matters.
 
Test results take time to reach us, so please do not ring before you have been asked to do so.  Enquiries about tests ordered by the hospital should be directed to the hospital, not the practice.
 
We ask that you treat the doctors and practice staff with courtesy and respect.
 
Please read our practice booklet & website.  This will help you to get the best out of the services we offer.  It is important that you understand the information given to you.  Please ask us questions if you are unsure of anything.
 
Remember you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children.  We will give you our professional help and advice.  Please act upon it.