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/Feedback
The University of Nottingham health Service (UNHS) welcomes complaints. They not only ensure that people can have their concerns properly addressed but that they receive the best service to improve people’s health and care.
How do I make a complaint?
In the first instance you can telephone, write or visit the Practice Manager or you can contact the NHS England Customer contact centre:
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
0300 31122 33
Email england.contactus@nhs.net
Who can make a complaint?
Anyone can make a complaint. You can complain on behalf of a child, or someone who has died. If you have another person’s permission, you can complain on their behalf.
Is there a time limit for making a complaint?
Yes. Your complaint should be made as soon as possible (up to one year after the event).
Can I get help and support?
Yes. An organisation called POhWER can provide you with support and advocacy. You can contact POhWER by phone on 0300 020 0093 or email yourvoiceyourchoice@pohwer.net
What will happen once I make my complaint?
UNHS is committed to responding to complaints as quickly and helpfully as possible. All complaints will be acknowledged when received and investigated in a manner that is appropriate to the issues raised. We will advise you how long it may take to investigate your complaint. Where possible we will offer a range of suitable options to resolve the complaint. UNHS will take action where needed to prevent the incident from happening again.
Making a complaint will not put your care at risk or adversely affect your future care.
Is it confidential?
Your rights to confidentiality will be respected throughout the investigation. However, there may be times when we need to share information without your consent e.g. to protect children and vulnerable adults.
We may also need to share your complaint with other health professionals in order to ensure any issues raised are addressed appropriately.
If your complaint involves a number of different services such as Hospitals, Mental Health services, Social Care or community health services we will work together to resolve your complaint. To do this we will need to share information.
What if I am still not satisfied?
We aim to resolve all complaints. However, if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint we will look into the matter further. If you are still not satisfied with our response you can ask the Health Service Ombudsman to investigate your case.
The address to contact is:
The Parliamentary and Health service ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
0345 015 4033
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.