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.
Complaints
You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, and this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK.
From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner is changing.
By primary care services we mean GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.
There are two ways you can make a complaint:
· You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.
· You can complain to the commissioner of the service: this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received.
After 1 July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will now contact Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board instead of NHS England.
You can do this by:
Telephone: 0800 032 2424
E-mail: mlcsu.lscpatientexperience@nhs.net
Writing to us at:
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, Jubilee House, Lancashire Business Park, Leyland, PR26 6TR
If you want to make a complaint directly to the provider of the primary care service, you still can – that does not change on the 1 July 2023.
Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that the ICB is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.
If you have any queries, please contact Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB.
This Practice places a high priority upon the handling of complaints. We also recognise that suggestions, constructive criticisms and complaints can be valuable aids to improving services.
The primary objective of this procedure is to provide the fullest opportunity for investigation and resolution of the complaint as quickly as is possible in the circumstances. We aim to satisfy the complainant that their concerns have been addressed, whilst being fair to staff and the complainant alike. Once a complaint has been made the complainant has the right to have their concerns investigated and a full prompt written explanation given by the Practice.
Time limits for making a complaint
A complaint should be made as soon as possible after the action giving rise to the complaint. If the complainant was not immediately aware that there was cause to complain, the complaint should be made within 12 months of the event.
How to make your complaint
This must be done with the Practice Manager or Senior Partner. It is important that you put a serious complaint in writing even if you complain verbally at the time.
What happens Next?
A written complaint will be acknowledged in 3 working days. A further response will be made in 28 days. Any further progress will be notified at 2 weekly intervals until the problem is fully resolved.
If your complaint is minor and is verbal only it will be dealt with immediately and hopefully there will be agreement from both sides.
Once we receive a complaint we will acknowledge it immediately, and then we will investigate the matter thoroughly in practice, and will meet as a team to look at the complaint and decide what changes we need to make, if necessary, to prevent the same thing happening again. This may mean that we change a procedure or re-train staff.
Whatever the outcome is we reassure you that you will receive a full report of our investigations. We hope that by doing this we will prevent the matter being taken beyond the practice as this can be a long drawn out procedure.
Just to remind you……please do not hesitate to complain as your treatment and that of any family members will not be compromised.
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.
Removal From The Practice
Any patient being removed from the practice will be informed of this in writing and a copy of this will also be sent to the Central Lancashire Care Trust.