PRACTICE CHARTER

Confidentiality

We ask you for personal information so that you can receive appropriate care and treatment. In addition to paper records, this information is recorded on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act. All members of the practice team have access to patient information. In addition, the practice is audited on an annual basis by a team from NHS East Lancashire; it will be necessary for members of this team to have access to patient records for audit purposes only. However, should you wish to deny the auditors access to your records, you should put this request in writing to the practice manager and a note will be made in your records. The practice will ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the practice team and the auditors.

There may be rare occasions when we need to disclose your personal information without your consent; we would only do this if it were necessary for the provision of your health care. An example may be if a new service were set up for a large group of patients making it impractical to obtain individual consent. If this were the case, we would inform you by displaying a poster in the surgery or a message on our prescriptions.

Our administrative staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the doctors and nurses. They have a difficult job to do especially in dealing with the large numbers of patients who visit or telephone the surgery each day. They have to try and keep both doctors and yourselves happy and to do so may have to ask what might appear at times to be unnecessary questions. Please remember that they are only doing what they are asked to do by the doctors and help them carry out their job by providing the information they need.

Patients can have access to their medical records, for which a fee is payable.

The attached leaflet explains ‘How we use your Health Records’

Complaints, Compliments And Concerns

In order to improve our services the practice welcomes feedback, both positive and negative, about the care we offer. Patients wishing to comment on the services provided by the practice should contact the practice manager or your own doctor. Feedback is shared at monthly team meetings to try to improve and poor aspects of our service and build on the positive aspects. We have a policy for dealing with complaints which can be obtained from the practice manager if required. You can also leave feedback on the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk, then by locating our practice.

Patient Surveys

Surveys are regularly sent out by the Department of Health and we would encourage you to participate if a questionnaire is given or sent you at this is one way in which our work is evaluated.

Rights And Responsibilities Of Patients

Patients will be treated with courtesy and respect as individuals and partners in their healthcare. Please understand that everyone works better when treated with courtesy and respect.

Violent, threatening and abusive behaviour will not be tolerated in this practice; any patient behaving in such a way will be removed from our list.

The practice expects patients to keep appointments that they have made. Whilst we appreciate that there are often genuine reasons for non-attendance persistent non-attendance without reasonable explanation is not acceptable as valuable practice time is wasted. Please let us know if you are unable to keep an appointment. Patients who constantly do not attend for appointments they have made will be removed from the practice list.

Freedom Of Information Act Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the 'classes' of information the practice intends to routinely make available. The scheme is available by contacting the practice manager.

Click here to download the model publication scheme 2009