Practice Policies

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. In these cases, we wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact our reception team who will signpost your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

If you use AI tools such as ChatGPT to help write a complaint, please keep the final version short and focused. Since the use of ChatGPT has boomed, we have regularly received 1200-3000 word complaints, with 9 bullet-point demand endings, which often only consist of a single issue and are filled with things better dealt with on the clinical and not complaint-side. If we receive complaints like this, we may ask you to respond asking what issue you would actually like investigated.

Please simply tell us what happened, what you are unhappy about, and what outcome you would like. AI-assisted lengthening of complaints only serves to take longer for us to respond, or creates confusion as to the actual issue of concern.

If you are not authorised to receive medical information regarding the person you are complaining on behalf of – for instance, via power of attorney or other explicit medical consent – then we may not be able to respond in any detail to your concerns.

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.

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.