Practice Policies

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.

Proxy Access

You can ask us to register you for proxy access. We will guide you through the set-up process.

If the relative or person you wish to act on behalf of is at a different practice to yourself, you can ask us to register you for proxy access.

What information do you need to provide to act on behalf of someone?

When we register you for proxy access, you will need to provide your identification (ID) to establish you are the person that you say you are. Please check with us with regards to the type of ID we require.

A legal basis will also be required. If the relative or person you wish to act on behalf of is aged over 11 years, consent from them for the proxy access must be provided to us and recorded in either:

• Verbal consent to the GP witnessing the consent.
• Written consent.A signed consent form, or a letter from the relative or person, requesting that you are given proxy access. This form will detail the level of access you will require, if you are uncertain about what access you require, please discuss this with us. Examples include: access to book appointments and order repeat prescriptions only; or access to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view the patient’s medical records, share or download the patient’s medical records.

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.

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.