Noticeboard

It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the death of our colleague Dr Ryan Hamilton. This was a sudden, unexpected event and we are all devastated and in shock. We would appreciate your consideration and sensitivity when dealing with all practice staff, as we try to process our grief. Thank you.

Practice Policies

Confidentiality & Medical Records

Locked blue folderThe 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.

Social Media Policy 

 

We welcome compliments / suggestions or complaints in writing to The Practice Manager to be dealt with as per our policy.

 

Regarding Social Media - Many patients choose to send feedback through sites and some comments are negative, inaccurate or offensive, which many doctors would wish to respond to directly. Most sites set clear guidelines on what can and can’t be posted. Readers who consider a post “offensive or unsuitable” can alert a moderator who may remove the posting.

The Practice does not appreciate negative or derogatory comments regarding any of the Clinical or Administrative staff in the Practice, and will take action deemed necessary against patients who make these comments.

This is a collective Bangor Health Centre policy

 

Complaints

Customer service formWe 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. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

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.

DNA Policy

The practice adheres strictly to the guidelines published by the GMC regarding removal of patients from the practice list.

 

Patients are advised upon joining the practice that we considers Do Not Attends to be wasteful of our appointments in that it prevents other patients from accessing medical attention in a timely way.    

Repeatedly booking and missing appointments without cancelling is inconsiderate to other patients and disruptive to the practice, directly affecting the quality of service we can provide to other patients. 

 

The Practice considers multiple DNA’s to be a justifiable reason to remove patients from the Practice List in line with GMC guidelines as it determines that frequent DNA’s results in a breakdown of trust necessary to maintain the Patient/Doctor relationship. 

 

Therefore those patients whom have more than 2 DNA’s in a 12 month rolling period will be issued with a letter of warning highlighting that should the patient go on to have 2 further DNA’s following that warning letter within the next 12 months then they will be written to again to advise them that are being removed as per procedure outlined below for reason of breakdown of Patient and Doctor Relationship.

 

Chaperone Policy  

Our Chaperone Policy upholds the practice’s policy on equality and diversity. 

A chaperone may be required in the following situations:

 

  1. Intimate Examinations.  These are examinations of rectal, genital or breast areas.

  2. Patients with Disabilities.  A patient with a severe mental or physical disability is unlikely to attend Surgery unaccompanied.  GPS will endeavour to communicate with the patient with the assistance of the relative or carer accompanying them.  Particular care will be taken to ensure the patient is not made to feel that their wishes are being ignored.

  3. Examinations by a Member of the Opposite Sex.  In some religions this is effectively taboo.

  4. Examinations on Patients with Poor English.  It would be unwise to proceed with any examination unless the GP is satisfied that the patient understands and can give informed consent.  If an interpreter is present they may be able to double as a chaperone.  If an urgent clinical need for an examination is evident every effort should be made to communicate with the patient by whatever means are available before proceeding with the examination.

  5. Examinations on Children.  Children are expected to be accompanied by a parent or adult relative to whom the need for the examination will be explained and consent obtained.  They will be expected to remain with the child during the examination so a further chaperone will not normally be necessary.  The GP will obviously reassure the child and explain the examination if appropriate to the child. 

  6. Teenagers Aged Thirteen and Upwards.  They may consent to examinations provided the GP is sure that they have sufficient competence to understand the nature and purpose of the examination.  It would be advisable for a chaperone to be present or in the case of a female patient for the examination to be carried out by a female doctor.

 

Under all of These Situations the Doctor or Nurse Will:

 

  1. explain why the examination is needed and what it will involve;
  2. obtain the verbal expressed permission before proceeding;
  3. give the patient privacy to dress and undress;
  4. allow the patient to postpone or decline to be examined;
  5. if appropriate offer a chaperone.
  6. read code that a chaperone has been offered, accepted, declined and the name of the nurse if applicable.  (9NP0/9NP1/9NP2/9NP3.)

 

Who Should Act as a Chaperone?

 

Ideally either a practice nurse or community nurse.  If they are not available in the surgery then one of the administration staff may be acceptable, especially if of the same sex.  Sometimes the patient’s friend or relative may be appropriate but if the patient being examined has a history of unpredictable behaviour it may be better to have a member of the practice team present as well.

 

Examinations on Home Visits

 

GPs are at an increased risk of their actions being misconstrued or misrepresented if they conduct intimate examinations at patients’ homes and it would be better to encourage these to be done at the surgery where “facilities are better” if at all possible.



 
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