7. Practice Policies

Locked PCPersonal Health Information

 

 

In your electronic record we hold details of your consultations, illnesses and treatments which have been recorded by either the GP, Health Visitor, District Nurse, Practice Nurse or Receptionist. Letters and information about your care elsewhere are also included in your health record. Our use of your personal health information is covered by a duty of confidentiality, and meets the requirements of Data Protection and Access to Medical Records legislation. Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep all information confidential.

 

Appropriate sections of your information may be shared with others who have a legitimate interest in your care. This may include any or all of the following, where they are concerned in your care:

  •    Medical and nursing students and Doctors in training;
  •    Social care staff within the local Council;
  •    Local pharmacist;
  •    Medical, nursing, pharmaceutical, administrative and laboratory staff in NHS Tayside and beyond;
  •    Those within NHS Practitioner Services and NHS Tayside responsible for checking that Practices are claiming income appropriately for services carried out to patients.

 

We may be asked by solicitors or insurance companies for a report, or a copy of your medical records. We will always check that we have your written consent before sharing information in these circumstances. The only exception is where a Sheriff or Crown Court instructs us to release information without your consent.

 

In addition, anonymous versions of records (which cannot identify any individual patient) may be shared with reputable research agencies, at the discretion of the GP. This can help with the development of new medicines and treatments.

Confidentiality & Medical Records

Locked blue folderThe 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.

Complaints

Customer service formWe 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.

Chaperones

There are occasions when patients need to be assessed by a doctor which might involve an intimate examination. We are committed to putting patients at ease whenever possible, if you wish a chaperone to be present during your examination please do not hesitate to ask the doctor. On rare occasions, it might not be possible for a chaperone to be provided immediately and you might have to return for the examination to be carried out at a mutually convenient time.























 
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