Confidentiality & Medical Records
The practice complies with General Data Protection Regulations. 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 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
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 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 who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception or by clicking here.
Violence Policy
The Practice operates 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.
Zero Tolerance Policy
Abusive Behaviour
All staff have the right to courteous and polite behaviour from all patients.
We have a Zero Tolerance policy and if a patient becomes violent or abusive to the Clinical Staff, the Practice Staff or any person present within the Practice premises or boundaries the GPs will have no other option but to remove the patient / or patient’s from their list. If the behaviour is of an abusive or threatening nature there will also be the possibility of Police intervention. You must also be aware that the premises are monitored by CCTV.
Zero Tolerance Policy
Clinical Governance
Clinical Governance "is a system through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of services and safeguarding high standards of care, by creating an environment in which clinical excellence will flourish".
Clinical Governance encompasses quality assurance, quality improvement and risk and incident management.
What is a Chaperone?
A chaperone is a fully trained member of staff who has been specifically trained in the role. Chaperones may also fulfil other roles in the practice, such as reception work, nurses or health care assistants. Chaperones are all bound by confidentiality in the way that any clinician or staff member is. The chaperone is there to provide support to you and the doctor or nurse who will be examining you. When the chaperone arrives, they will check if you have any more questions to ask of the doctor or nurse and if you are happy for the examination to take place. The chaperone will then observe the examination discreetly. This helps to remove the risk of any misunderstanding. The chaperone can help you dress and undress if required.