Important Information for Patients

New patients residing within our practice area can register with the practice, either by bringing their medical card or by completing registration forms available at reception.

We strongly support the NHS policy on zero tolerance. Anyone attending the surgery who abuses the GPs, staff or other patients be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner will risk removal from the practice list. In extreme cases, we may summon the police to remove offenders from the practice premises.

The practice is fully computerised. Please be assured that information is extremely confidential and can only be accessed by authorised staff using a secure code. Every member of staff has signed a confidentiality statement as part of their contract of employment. The staff are only allowed to give information to the patient themselves or to someone acting on their behalf with written authorisation.

Research Data Collection

The information recorded about you may be used for reasons other than your personal care, for example, to help to protect the health of the general public, to plan for the future, to train staff and to carry out medical and other health research.

We are involved in research studies which require access to anonymous information from patients’ notes. You cannot be identified from these notes as all personal details (name, address, post code, full date of birth) are removed. Individual patients’ records are added to a much larger anonymous database from man patients across the UK which is used by researchers outside this practice. The data may be anonymously linked to other data, such as hospital data.

If you would like to opt out of this data collection scheme, please let your doctor know and your records will not be collected for use in the anonymous research database. This will not affect your care in any way.

If anything to do with the research would require that you provide additional information about yourself, you will be contacted by your GP to see if you are willing to take part; you will not be identified in any published results.

If at anytime you would like to know more, or have any concerns about how we use your information, you can speak to our Practice Manager, Catherine Kitson (Tel: 01633 840827).

EVERYONE WORKING FOR THE NHS HAS A LEGAL DUTY TO KEEP INFORMATION ABOUT YOU CONFIDENTIAL

We always try to provide the best service possible; sometimes you may feel that this has not been the case. By telling us your concern, we can apologise to you, investigate and, if necessary correct any problems you have identified.

Our practice procedure is not able to deal with:

• Private healthcare or treatment (including private dental treatment);
• A complaint which was made and investigated under the arrangements that were in place prior to April 2011.

It may be possible to address some concerns "on the spot". In many cases, these sorts of concerns relate to relatively easy to address issues and the person who raised the concern must be satisfied with the immediate actions taken, they may be asked to sign a form to confirm that they are satisfied.

Formal concerns may be raised by speaking or writing to the Practice Manager.

For further information, the Putting Things Right leaflet can be downloaded here.