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 and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
CCTV is installed internally and externally for security. Recordings are used entirely at the discretion of the Partners including the provision of images to the police or other official bodies and will otherwise comply with the Practice’s Data Protection registration.
The Practice also reserves the right to record telephone conversations for the purposes of patient and staff care, security, and dispute resolution.
Child, Young People and Vulnerable Adult Protection
This practice is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults. It recognises its responsibility to take all reasonable steps to promote safe practice and to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation. GPs, staff and volunteers of this practice will endeavour to work together to encourage the development of an ethos which embraces difference and diversity and respects the rights of children, young people and adults.
Complaints
We operate a Practice complaints procedure as part of the NHS regulations and our system meets the national criteria. The practice complaints leaflet gives details of the procedure and is available from reception. Our aim is to give you the highest possible standard of service and we try to deal swiftly with any problems that may occur. Please help us to help you.
NHS England
If you wish to complain about Primary Care services you can either contact the GP practice or NHS England as follows:
Email: http://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/
Number: 0300 311 2233
Postal address: NHS Commissioning Board, PO Box 16738, REDDITCH B97 9PT
Dorset Advocacy
If you are unhappy with your local NHS and are unsure whether you need to make a complaint at all or simply want to raise some concerns that you might feel are important, then why not contact Dorset Advocacy. This NHS service is free of charge and is designed to offer advice and support to patients, their families and carers. They will be able to provide information on NHS services, listen and respond to concerns, suggestions or queries and will help to sort out any potential problems quickly on your behalf.
Contact a Dorset Advocacy on Tel: 0300 3437000.
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.