Surgery policies and procedures

Confidentiality

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 Practitioners 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 2018 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.

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

The ICO has published a new Model Publication Scheme that all public authorities are required to adopt.

Download the Model Publication Scheme

Every effort is made by the Practice to make sure all our patients receive the best of care and are kept fully informed, but sometimes misunderstandings can happen.

In order to resolve any problems we have a complaints procedure. A leaflet about the procedure can be obtained from Reception or you can ask to see the Practice Manager (or write to her) and she will be happy to advise you.

If you do not wish to discuss your complaint with anyone in the Practice full details are available from reception on how to contact NHS Tayside Complaints and Advice Team or the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

If you have any suggestions on how we could improve our service, please use the suggestion box in our waiting room, or contact the Practice Manager.

Our responsibilities to you

That you may

• Be registered with the Medical Practice and have a right to choose which Doctor you would like to see.
• Be offered a health check on joining the Practice.
• Receive emergency care at any time from the Practice.
• Receive appropriate drugs and medicines.
• Be referred for a specialist opinion when appropriate and to be referred for a second opinion if you and the GP agree this is desirable.
• Have the right to review your medical records, subject to the provisions of the Acts, and to know that those working for the NHS are under a legal obligation to keep the contents confidential. Please ask at Reception if you wish to see your medical records and they will advise on the procedure.
• Choose whether or not to take part in medical research or medical student training.
• Receive a copy of the Practice leaflet.
• Receive a full and prompt reply to any complaints about the services provided by the Practice.

Your responsibilities to us

• You, the patient, should attend your appointments at the arranged time. If this is not possible you should inform the surgery.
• We expect that you will understand that appointments are for one person only.
• You are responsible for your own health, and the health of your children, and should co-operate with the Practice in endeavouring to keep yourself and your family healthy.
• Requests for help and advice for non-urgent matters should be made during surgery hours only.
• Home visits should only be requested for patients who are seriously ill or housebound.
• You should realise that home visits are made at the Doctor's discretion. Many problems can be solved by advice alone.
• You should notify us of any change of your personal details so that we can amend our records.  If you move outwith our practice area, we will have to ask you to register with another practice nearer to your home.

This Practice considers aggressive behaviour to be any personal, abusive and aggressive comments, swearing, physical contact and aggressive gestures.

No abuse of staff is acceptable whether verbal or physical. All abuse will be reported to the Practice Manager who will keep a log of all incidents.

All physical abuse of any of our staff by a patient or their relatives will be reported to the police and prosecution may follow.

The patient will also be removed immediately from our list.

If, in exceptional circumstances, the police are not informed, the Health Authority will inform the patient of the need to register with a new Doctor.

In these circumstances, the General Practitioners are still obliged to see the patient if they need a doctor within the next seven days of the incident.