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 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.

Suggestions & Complaints

Making a complaint
                                     
If you have any complaints or concerns about the service that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice, please let us know. 
 
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.  If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – 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 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
• Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that is within 12 months of the incident.

 
Louise Murray-Clarke will be pleased to deal with any complaint.  She will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.   You can make your complaint:
 
In person   –   ask to speak to Louise Murray-Clarke
 
In writing   –   some complaints may be easier to explain in writing - please give as much information as can, then send your complaint to the practice for the attention of  the to Louise Murray-Clarke  as soon as possible

 

What we shall do   Our complaints procedure is designed to make sure that we settle any complaints as quickly as possible.   We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days of the date when you raised it with us.  We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.   When we look into your complaint, we shall 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 this ·       make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate ·       identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.   At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in detail, either in person or in writing.     Complaining on behalf of someone else   Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality.  If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so.  A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

 

Our Committment to You

• We will involve you fully in the care that you receive
• We will treat you as an individual with courtesy and respect at all times
• We will give you full information about the services we provide
• Following full discussion, we will provide you with the most appropriate treatment and advice. No care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.
• We will encourage health promotion and education in the community
•  We will give you access to your health records(subject to the requirements and limitations of the law) and will always treat them as strictly confidential.

In return we ask that you

• Offer the staff and doctors the same courtesy and consideration given to you
• Please enquire if you have any doubts or queries in connection with your treatment
• Take the medication and advice offered to you, but contact the Doctor if the medication seems unsuitable
• Keep us informed of any changes in your circumstances
• Please tell us at the earliest opportunity if you are unable to keep your appointment
• Tell us if we fail to meet your expectations so we can try to put things right.