Practice Policies & Patient Information
Alexandra Medical Practice operate on a general partnership basis:
Dr Nazir Ahmad Shameem
Senior Partner
Dr Maheem Shameem
Partner
Access to Information
We operate a strict policy of confidentiality, and all of our staff have signed a written statement of confidentiality. Any information held in either paper records or on the computer is held in the strictest confidence and you can be sure that we will not pass the information on to anyone without your written consent.
Sometimes it will be necessary to pass certain restricted information to other health care professionals, such as consultants and hospital staff, health visitors, and district nurses in order to provide the best service for you.
The Data Protection Act 2018, which we adhere to, also protects your rights.
Who has access to Patient Information
We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can provide the best possible care. We have a fully computerised medical record system which means information about your healthcare is held on a secure server.
You have the right to know what information we hold about you. Please ask the receptionist if you wish to see or obtain a copy of your record. If you are referred to a hospital specialist you are also welcome to request a copy of the referral letter.
NHS Connecting for Health is currently developing the National Care Records Service, which will create a Summary Care Record (SCR) for each individual patient (by 2010), to be held centrally. At this pilot stage the record is limited to current medication, known allergies and adverse reactions.
Eventually the aim is to enable healthcare staff jointly involved in your care, such as your GP and your hospital consultant, to easily access and share information through this national record. You have the right to withdraw your consent to information being shared.
Chaperones
We pride ourselves on maintaining professional standards. For certain examinations during consultations an impartial observer, a chaperone, will be required.
This impartial observer will be a practice nurse or healthcare assistant who is familiar with the procedure and be available to reassure and raise any concerns on your behalf. If a nurse in unavailable at the time of your consultation then your examination may be re-scheduled for another time.
You are free to decline any examination or chose an alternative examiner or chaperone. You may also request a chaperone for any examination or consultation if one is not offered to you. The GP may not undertake an examination if a chaperone is declined.
The role of a chaperone:
- Maintains professional boundaries during intimate examinations
- Acknowledges a patient’s vulnerability
- Provides emotional comfort and reassurance
- Assists in the examination
- Assists with undressing patients, if required
Complaints Procedure
We welcome your comments and suggestions on the facilities and services provided by the Practice. If you are pleased with the service you receive or feel that there could be an improvement please let us know.
If you have a complaint or are concerned about the service you have received from the doctors or the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure are part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints procedure meets national criteria.
How to complain
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible or at the most within a few weeks – this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that please let us have the details of your complaint:
- Within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem
- Within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident
Complaints should be addressed to practice manager the designated complaints officer, or any of the doctors. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the practice manager in order to discuss your concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice.
Taking your complaint further
If you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner, you will now contact the Black Country Integrated Care Board instead of NHS England.
You can do this by:
Telephone: 0300 0120 281
Email: bcicb.time2talk@nhs.net
Writing to us at: Time2Talk, NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) Civic Centre, St Peter’s Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SH
Who can complain?
- The patient
- Anyone with the patient’s written consent
- Anyone on behalf of someone too ill or too old to complain for themselves
- Where the patient is a child, by either parent or in the absence of both parents, the guardian or other adult who has care of the child
- Normally the next of kin where the patient has died
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of physical or mental illness) of providing this
What shall we do
We shall acknowledge your complaint within three working days beginning with the day on which the complaint was made or, where that is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable, and aim to have looked into your complaint within seven working days of the date when you raised it with us. We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.
When we look into your complaint we shall aim to:
- Find out what happened and what went wrong
- Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
- Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem will not happen again.
What happens next
First of all you will be invited to an informal discussion with the complaints officer who may be able to provide you with a satisfactory answer at that stage, if not you will be advised that the matter with be fully investigated and a further meeting arranged to discuss the outcome of this investigation.
The practice will agree an appropriate timescale with the complainant to resolve the complaint depending on the complexities and complainants expectations of response time, but we try to resolve with a 10 to 25 working days however, this timescale will depend upon the complexities of the complaint and the complainant’s expectation of response times.
If you still remain dissatisfied after the above you may then refer to the parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) at the following address.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)
Millbank Tower,
Millbank,
LONDON,
SW1P 4QP
Alternatively they are available by email at phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
You can contact them by telephoning their helpline on 0345 015 4033. Calls are charged at a local rate from wherever you are in the United Kingdom, and the helpline is open from 08:30 to 17:30, Monday to Friday.
The PHSO carry out independent investigations into complaints about UK government departments and their agencies, and the NHS in England – and help improve public services as a result.
The practice would comment however, that within the NHS there is great emphasis on resolving complaints at a local level, and that the PHSO may refer a complaint back to the surgery for further review if it is felt that all measures to resolve your concerns have not been taken.
Should you remain dissatisfied therefore, we find that a face to face meeting with the doctors can be helpful to identify and address any outstanding issues, and if you wish, the complaints officer would be happy to arrange this for you. Please contact the surgery and ask for the practice manager if you feel such a meeting would be of benefit to you.
Thank you once again for bringing your concerns to our attention.
Confidentiality
The practice complies with the Data Protection Act 2018. All information about patients is confidential: from the most sensitive diagnosis, to the fact of having visited the surgery or being registered at the practice.
All patients can expect that their personal information will not be disclosed without their permission except in the most exceptional of circumstances, when somebody is at grave risk of serious harm.
All members of the primary health care team (from reception to doctors) in the course of their duties will have access to your medical records. They all adhere to the highest standards of maintaining confidentiality.
As our reception area is a little public, if you wish to discuss something of a confidential nature please mention it to one of the receptionists who will make arrangements for you to have the necessary privacy.
Under 16s
The duty of confidentiality owed to a person under 16 is as great as the duty owed to any other person. Young people aged under 16 years can choose to see health professionals, without informing their parents or carers.
If a GP considers that the young person is competent to make decisions about their health, then the GP can give advice, prescribe and treat the young person without seeking further consent.
However, in terms of good practice, health professionals will encourage young people to discuss issues with a parent or carer. As with older people, sometimes the law requires us to report information to appropriate authorities in order to protect young people or members of the public.
Useful Websites
Disability Access
If you have any special needs please let our staff know so that we can help and ensure you get the same support in the future.
Wheelchair Access
The practice has been specially designed to make it easier for disabled patients to visit. There are no steps at the entrance of the building giving patients easy access. Due to fire regulations, we do have heavy fire doors, however if you have trouble opening these please ask reception for assistance as they are always happy to help.
There are several dedicated disabled car parking spaces available immediately outside the front entrance of the surgery. We have a wheelchair for patient’s use, at their own risk, should you require one whilst visiting our premises.
We have two disabled toilets one on each floor.
Blue Badge Scheme
The Blue Badge scheme is for people with severe mobility problems. It allows Blue Badge holders to park close to where they need to go.
Loop System
We have a loop induction system at the reception desk to assist the hearing impaired. For more information on the loop hearing system visit the Hearing Link website.
- British Deaf Association
- The Deaf Health Charity – SignHealth
- Action Hearing Loss
- Royal Association for Deaf People
- National Deaf Children’s Society
Blind and Partially Sighted
If you or family members are blind or partially sighted we can give you a CD or large print of our practice leaflet upon request. Please ask reception for further information.
For more advice and support for blind people please see the following websites:
- Royal National Institute of Blind People (RIND)
- Action for Blind People
- Blind.org.uk
- British Blind Sport
Guide Dogs
Guide dogs are welcome at the surgery but we ask that you be aware of other patients and staff who may have an allergy or fear of dogs.
Further Information:
Other Disability Websites
Freedom of Information
Information about the GPs 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.
There are seven classes of information:
- Who we are and what we do
- What we spend and how we spend it
- What our priorities are and how we are doing
- How we make decisions
- Our policies and procedures
- Lists and registers
- Services the practice offers
For more information, please review the Information Commissioner’s Office guide on the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
GP Earnings
GP Earnings coming soon…
Infection Control Statement
We aim to keep our surgery clean and tidy and offer a safe environment to our patients and staff. We are proud of our modern, purpose built practice and endeavour to keep it clean and well maintained at all times.
If you have any concerns about cleanliness or infection control, please report these to our reception staff. Our GPs and nursing staff follow our Infection Control Policy to ensure the care we deliver and the equipment we use is safe. We take additional measures to ensure we maintain the highest standards:
- Encourage staff and patients to raise any issues or report any incidents relating to cleanliness and infection control. We can discuss these and identify improvements we can make to avoid any future problems.
- Carry out an annual infection control audit to make sure our infection control procedures are working.
- Provide annual staff updates and training on cleanliness and infection control.
- Review our policies and procedures to make sure they are adequate and meet national guidance.
- Maintain the premises and equipment to a high standard within the available financial resources and ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to reduce or remove all infection risk.
- Use washable or disposable materials for items such as couch rolls, modesty curtains, floor coverings, towels etc., and ensure that these are laundered, cleaned or changed frequently to minimise risk of infection.
- Make alcohol hand rub gel available throughout the building.
Named GP
We have allocated a named accountable GP for all of our registered patients. If you do not know who your named GP is, please ask a member of our reception team. Unfortunately, we are unable to notify patients in writing of any change of GP due to the costs involved. Where a preference is expressed the practice will make reasonable efforts to accommodate this. Unfortunately, we are unable to notify patient in writing of any change of GP due to the costs involved.
Non-NHS Work
Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges.
Examples include the following:
- Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
- Insurance claim forms
- Passport signing
- Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
- Private sick notes
- Vaccination certificates
Privacy Notice
This privacy notice lets you know what happens to any personal data that you give to us, or any that we may collect from or about you. This privacy notice applies to personal information processed by or on behalf of the practice.
This notice explains:
- Who we are, how we use your information and our Data Protection Officer
- What kinds of personal information about you do we process
- What are the legal grounds for our processing of your personal information (including when we share it with others)
- What should you do if your personal information changes
- For how long your personal information is retained by us
- What are your rights under data protection laws
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became law on 24th May 2016. This is a single EU-wide regulation on the protection of confidential and sensitive information. It enters into force in the UK on the 25th May 2018, repealing the Data Protection Act (1998).
For the purpose of applicable data protection legislation (including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (the “GDPR”), and the Data Protection Act 2018 (currently in Bill format before Parliament) the practice responsible for your personal data is Alexandra Medical Centre.
This notice describes how we collect, use and process your personal data, and how, in doing so, we comply with our legal obligations to you. Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to protecting and safeguarding your data privacy rights.
How we use your information and the law
Alexandra Medical Centre will be what’s known as the controller of the personal data you provide to us. We collect basic personal data about you which does not include any special types of information or location-based information. This does however include name, address, contact details such as email and mobile number etc.
We will also collect sensitive confidential data known as special category personal data, in the form of health information, religious belief (if required in a healthcare setting) ethnicity, and sex during the services we provide to you and or linked to your healthcare through other health providers or third parties.
Why do we need your information
The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously, such as the NHS Trust, GP surgery, walk-in clinic. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.
NHS health records may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Records which the practice hold about you may include the following information:
- Details about you, such as your address, carer, legal representative, emergency contact details
- Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, et cetera
- Notes and reports about your health
- Details about your treatment and care
- Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays et cetera
- Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you
To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS. Information may be used within the GP practice for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided.
How do we lawfully use your data
We need to know your personal, sensitive and confidential data in order to provide you with Healthcare services as a general practice, under the General Data Protection Regulation we will be lawfully using your information in accordance with:
- Article 6, e) processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller”
- Article 9, (h) processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems
This privacy notice applies to the personal data of our patients and the data you have given us about your carers/family members.
Risk Stratification
Risk stratification data tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person’s risk of suffering a condition, preventing an unplanned or (re)admission and identifying a need for preventive intervention. Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP Practice.
A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information is only provided back to your GP as data controller in an identifiable form. Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. If necessary, your GP may be able to offer you additional services. Please note that you have the right to opt out of your data being used in this way.
Medicines Management
The practice may conduct Medicines Management Reviews of medications prescribed to its patients. This service performs a review of prescribed medications to ensure patients receive the most appropriate, up to date and cost-effective treatments.
How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The General Data Protection Regulations 2016
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
- Health and Social Care Act 2012
- NHS Codes of Confidentiality, Information Security and Records Management Information: To Share or not to Share Review
Every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.
We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), where the law requires information to be passed on and / or in accordance with the information sharing principle following Dame Fiona Caldicott’s information sharing review (Information to share or not to share) where “The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.”
This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out by the Caldicott principles.
Our practice policy is to respect the privacy of our patients, their families and our staff and to maintain compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and all UK specific Data Protection Requirements. Our policy is to ensure all personal data related to our patients will be protected.
All employees and sub-contractors engaged by our practice are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. The practice will, if required, sign a separate confidentiality agreement if the client deems it necessary. If a sub-contractor acts as a data processor for Alexandra Medical Centre an appropriate contract (art 24-28) will be established for the processing of your information.
In certain circumstances you may have the right to withdraw your consent to the processing of data. Please contact the Data Protection Officer in writing if you wish to withdraw your consent. If some circumstances we may need to store your data after your consent has been withdrawn to comply with a legislative requirement.
Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified. Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes. The surgery will always gain your consent before releasing the information for this purpose in an identifiable format. In some circumstances you can opt-out of the surgery sharing any of your information for research purposes.
With your consent we would also like to use your information to
We would however like to use your name, contact details and email address to inform you of services that may benefit you, with your consent only. There may be occasions were authorised research facilities would like you to take part on innovations, research, improving services or identifying trends.
At any stage where we would like to use your data for anything other than the specified purposes and where there is no lawful requirement for us to share or process your data, we will ensure that you have the ability to consent and opt out prior to any data processing taking place.
This information is not shared with third parties or used for any marketing and you can unsubscribe at any time via phone, email or by informing the practice DPO as below.
Where do we store your information electronically
All the personal data we process is processed by our staff in the UK however for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance this information may be located on servers within the European Union.
No 3rd parties have access to your personal data unless the law allows them to do so and appropriate safeguards have been put in place. We have a Data Protection regime in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your personal and or special category (sensitive, confidential) data.
Who are our partner organisations
We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations:
- NHS Trusts/Foundation Trusts
- GP’s
- NHS Commissioning Support Units
- Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
- Private Sector Providers
- Voluntary Sector Providers
- Ambulance Trusts
- Clinical Commissioning Groups
- Social Care Services
- NHS England (NHSE) and NHS Digital (NHSD)
- Local Authorities
- Education Services
- Fire and Rescue Services
- Police & Judicial Services
- Voluntary Sector Providers
- Private Sector Providers
- Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of
You will be informed who your data will be shared with and in some cases asked for consent for this to happen when this is required. We may also use external companies to process personal information, such as for archiving purposes.
These companies are bound by contractual agreements to ensure information is kept confidential and secure. All employees and sub-contractors engaged by our practice are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. If a sub-contractor acts as a data processor for Alexandra Medical Centre an appropriate contract (art 24-28) will be established for the processing of your information.
How long will we store your information
We are required under UK law to keep your information and data for the full retention periods as specified by the NHS Records management code of practice for health and social care and national archives requirements.
More information on records retention can be found online.
Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care Information.
How can you access, amend move the personal data that you have given to us
Even if we already hold your personal data, you still have various rights in relation to it. To get in touch about these, please contact us. We will seek to deal with your request without undue delay, and in any event in accordance with the requirements of any applicable laws. Please note that we may keep a record of your communications to help us resolve any issues which you raise.
Right to object
If we are using your data because we deem it necessary for our legitimate interests to do so, and you do not agree, you have the right to object. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases). Generally, we will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.
Right to withdraw consent
Where we have obtained your consent to process your personal data for certain activities (for example for a research project), or consent to market to you, you may withdraw your consent at any time.
Right to erasure
In certain situations (for example, where we have processed your data unlawfully), you have the right to request us to “erase” your personal data. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases) and will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.
If we do agree to your request, we will delete your data but will generally assume that you would prefer us to keep a note of your name on our register of individuals who would prefer not to be contacted. That way, we will minimise the chances of you being contacted in the future where your data are collected in unconnected circumstances. If you would prefer us not to do this, you are free to say so.
Right of data portability
If you wish, you have the right to transfer your data from us to another data controller. We will help with this with a GP to GP data transfer and transfer of your hard copy notes.
Access to your personal information
Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR): You have a right under the Data Protection legislation to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information the surgery holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate. To request this, you need to do the following:
- Your request should be made to the practice, for information from the hospital you should write direct to them
- There is no charge to have a copy of the information held about you
- We are required to respond to you within one month
- You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, NHS number and details of your request) so that your identity can be verified, and your records located information we hold about you at any time
What should you do if your personal information changes
You should tell us so that we can update our records please contact the practice manager as soon as any of your details change, this is especially important for changes of address or contact details (such as your mobile phone number), the practice will from time to time ask you to confirm that the information we currently hold is accurate and up-to-date.
Objections and complaints
Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the GP, please contact the GP practice manager or the Data Protection Officer as above. If you are still unhappy following a review by the GP practice, you have a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: You have a right to complain to the UK supervisory Authority as below.
- Information Commissioner: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
- Telephone: 0162 554 5745
- www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
If you are happy for your data to be extracted and used for the purposes described in this privacy notice, then you do not need to do anything. If you have any concerns about how your data is shared, then please contact the Practice Data Protection Officer.
If you would like to know more about your rights in respect of the personal data we hold about you, please contact the Data Protection Officer as below. The Practice Data Protection Officer is Paul Couldrey of PCIG Consulting Limited. Any queries in regard to Data Protection issues should be addressed to him at:
- Email: Couldrey@me.com
- Postal: PCIG Consulting Limited
- Address: 7 Westacre Drive, Quarry Bank, Dudley, West Midlands DY5 2EE
Changes
It is important to point out that we may amend this privacy notice from time to time. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our privacy notice, please contact the practice data protection officer.
Proxy Access
What is Proxy Access?
Proxy access was developed to allow someone other than the patient to access and manage parts of their GP online services account. The person acting on behalf of the patient for example a parent or carer (the proxy) is given their own online access account (rather than using the patient’s login details).
To obtain proxy access a person must be registered for online access at the practice where the patient they are acting for is registered. Proxy access is the recommended alternative to sharing login details. Every practice is required to verify patient identity documentation, or individually vouch for each patient requesting access to online services.
Please contact the practice and ask to speak to the practice manager who will advise how to request Proxy Access.
Suggestions, Comments and Complaints
Our aim is to provide the highest level of care for all our patients. We will always be willing to hear if there is any way that you think that we can improve the service we provide. If you would like to give us any feedback or wish to make a complaint, please complete our Feedback and Complaints Triage.
Summary Care Record
NHS England require practices to enable successful automated uploads of any changes to patient’s summary information, at least on a daily basis, to the summary care record (SCR).
Having your summary care record (SCR) available will help anyone treating you without your full medical record. They will have access to information about any medication you may be taking and any drugs that you have a recorded allergy or sensitivity to.
Of course, if you do not want your medical records to be available in this way then you will need to let us know so that we can update your record. You can do this via the summary care record opt-out form.
The practice confirms that your SCR is automatically updated on at least a daily basis to ensure that your information is as up to date as it can possibly be.
Violence Policy
The practice fully supports the NHS Zero Tolerance Policy. The aim of this policy is to tackle the increasing problem of violence against staff working in the NHS and ensures that doctors and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused.
We understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint. We ask you to treat your doctors and their staff courteously and act reasonably. All incidents will be followed up and you will be sent a formal warning after a second incident or removed from the practice list after a third incident if your behaviour has been unreasonable.
However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or verbal abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police will be contacted if an incident is taking place and the patient is posing a threat to staff or other patients.
Removal from the Practice List
A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship.
When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of the surgery, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence, such as when the police are involved.
Removing other Members of the Household
In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household.
The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family.
This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.
Your Rights and Responsibilities
As a patient you have the right to:
- Be registered with a named doctor
- Change doctor if desired (but please remember that you may have to see any of the doctors if your need is urgent)
- Receive emergency care
- Receive appropriate drugs and medicines
- Be referred for specialist or second opinion if they and GP agrees
- See your medical records or a copy, subject to certain laws
- Know that by law, everyone working for the NHS must keep the contents of your medical records private
With these rights come responsibilities for the public. That means being:
- Courteous to staff at all times
- As prompt as possible for all appointments
- Responsible for cancelling appointments in adequate time