Access To Medical Records
The doctors, nurses and staff are aware of the importance of maintaining confidentiality of patient medical records and are required to abide by a strict code of conduct on confidentiality. Information is only shared with those who need to know in order to provide your continuing health, eg hospital doctors, district nurses etc; these healthcare professionals are also subject to an identical duty of confidentiality. Occasionally we are asked to provide information to the Bexley Care Trust, but the information is given without any details which could identify the patient. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are entitled to see the information held in your medical records with a few exceptions. We will not release any information regarding you to a third party, eg employers/solicitors without your written consent. Occasionally we are required by law to report information, for example with certain infectious diseases, to the appropriate authorities.
Charter
• All members of the surgery primary care team and staff are committed to achieve high quality
services to you, our patients.
• We will do everything we can to keep you healthy; we will treat you as an individual and
make every effort to respect your personal beliefs.
• We will also try to ensure that you have easy access to the services you use and understand
the care and treatment we offer.
• The care of your health is a partnership between the practice team and yourself and to be
fully effective requires certain co-operation from you.
Therefore, as will be seen on the next pages, this also includes what we need from you in order to meet our responsibilities fully as this can only be achieved by working together.
OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO YOU
• We will provide and maintain premises that are clean, comfortable, safe and easily accessible
to our patients including those with mobility disabilities and special needs.
• You will be treated with respect and courtesy by all practice staff.
• You have the right to confidentiality at all times; if you wish to speak to any member of the
practice team privately, please speak at reception.
• We will try to answer the phone promptly and courteously.
• We will offer same day consultations to all our patients by appointment with their own doctor,
or, if he or she is fully booked, the duty doctor. Routine appointments to see your own doctor
or the nurse can also be pre-booked up to 10 days in advance.
• We will try to see you within 20 minutes of your appointment time. Delay is sometimes
unavoidable particularly in the case of emergencies, but when this happens we will try to
keep you informed.
• We will advise you about how and when to obtain the results of any tests or x-rays you have
undergone. If further action is required before your next appointment we will get in touch
with you.
• We will visit you at home if you are really too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery.
• We will respond to written requests for repeat prescriptions where agreed within two working
days. Please note Saturday and Sunday or bank holidays are not working days of the surgery.
• We will offer a health check with one of our practice nurses on registering with the practice.
• We will maintain accurate health records.
• We will offer advice and information about how you can promote good health and avoid
illness.
• We will respond to comments, suggestions or complaints.The practice manager is responsible
for handling complaints about any service provided by the practice. All complaints will be recorded
and written complaints will be acknowledged within two days.
We have the right to remove patients from our practice if they repeatedly and persistently ignore their responsibilities to us and other patients.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO US
• We ask you to treat the doctors and practice staff with courtesy and respect and to make
responsible use of the service by showing reasonable consideration to other patients.
• Please read our booklet carefully and retain it for future reference. This will help you get
the best out of all the services we offer.
• Please keep us updated with any changes of your name, address or telephone number,
especially if you are ex-directory, so we may contact you if necessary.
• Please keep your phone call brief and avoid calling during the peak morning time for
non-urgent matters.
• Please try and attend surgery whenever possible. Home visits should only be requested if you
are too ill to come to surgery. Most children can be brought safely to the surgery.
• If you need a home visit please telephone before 10.00am.
• Please do everything you can to keep appointments or let us know as soon as possible if you
are unable to attend so that another patient can be offered your appointment.
• If we are running late, please be patient - on another occasion it may be you that needs extra
time and attention.
• Please give adequate notice for your repeat prescription and use the form provided.
• For your safety, please do not try to order repeat prescriptions over the telephone - mistakes
can be made.
• An acknowledgement of good service is always encouraging to our staff.
• Please remember that you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children
and that we are here to give our professional health and advice.
• If you are seriously unhappy with us, or the service we provide, you have the right at any
time to leave our list and register with another practice.
PRACTICE ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
The doctors of this practice support the NHS Zero Tolerance policy. Healthcare workers are required to work within the boundaries of the Human Rights Act (1998). The relationship between a doctor and patient should be a therapeutic and beneficial one. Equally, all members of staff have the right to be respected while they work - the practice will not tolerate the harassment of a doctor or any member of staff by patients or any member of the public. This means any incident where a GP or practice staff, in circumstances relating to their work, are:
- Abused
- Subjected to verbal aggression
- Threatened
- Assaulted
Situations which justify removal from the surgery list:
- Physical violence towards a doctor, practice staff or other patients on the premises.
- Physical damage to our premises or other patient's property.
- Verbal abuse or making threats towards doctor, practice staff or other patients.
- Racial abuse.
- Violence, use or condone threatening behaviour to a doctor or other member of the health team visiting a patient's home.
In addition, patients may be removed from the practice list if they are found to have:
- Fraudulently obtained drugs for non-medical reasons.
- Altered a doctor's prescription or medical certificate.
- Deliberately lied to a doctor in order to obtain a service or benefit by deception.
- Moved out of the practice's designated area and failed to register with another GP.