Our approach to your healthcare
We believe that good General Practice is a partnership requiring doctors and patients to work together to achieve the best possible outcome. All patients at this surgery are given Dr Henderson as their named GP, accountable for managing all healthcare needs for each individual patient.
You will be treated as a partner in the care you receive . We will treat you as an individual and give you respect and courtesy at all times, irrespective of your ethnic origin, religious belief, personal attributes or the nature of your health problems.
Following discussions with you, you will receive the most appropriate treatment. This will not be given without your consent.
Patient’s rights and responsibilities
Being in partnership with us to care for your health & well being means that we would expect you to try and follow all medical advice offered and to take any medication that is prescribed.
We would also expect you to treat the doctor, and all practice staff with courtesy and respect.
Who has access to patient information
Your Personal Health Information
To give you the care you need, we keep information about your health and lifestyle and any illnesses, test, prescriptions and other treatments that you have had. When this information contains things that can identify you, such as your name, address, postcode or date of birth, it is called your personal health information. Your personal health information is stored securely on paper or on computer, or both.
We sometimes share your personal health information with other organizations involved in your healthcare. We only share relevant information. For example, when your GP refers you to a specialist at the hospital we send relevant details about you in the referral letter and receive information back from them.
Sometimes, we might use information about you and other patients to help improve our services or to check that they are up to standard. Whenever we do this we will make sure that as far as possible we do not share any information that could identify you.
Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information to other organizations. For example, we have to report all births, deaths and certain diseases or crimes.
The law sets out how we can use your personal health information. The Data Protection Act gives you rights about how your personal information is used, including a right to see the information we hold about you. All NHS staff have a legal duty to keep information about you confidential and they follow a staff Code of Practice on Protecting Patient Confidentiality.
If you have any questions about how we use your personal health information, or would like to see your health records please contact our Practice Manager.
Policy on violent or abusive patients
The practice will not tolerate abusive, threatening or violent behaviour directed towards any member off staff or patient. Any incidents of such behaviour will be dealt with severely and may result in the patient being removed from the list.
Abusive language on the telephone will not be tolerated and staff have been advised to disconnect the call.
Change of patient’s personal details
You will be required to complete a form, obtained from reception if you change your name, address or telephone number. If your new address is out of the Practice boundary you may be asked to re-register with a practice nearer to your new residence.
When should I see a nurse?
You will often have been referred by the doctor to see the nurse, who runs specialised clinics in Contraception, Diabetes, Asthma, Smoking Cessation, Immunisation, Travel Vaccination, Flu vaccination, Hypertension, Dietary advice. The nurse will also deal with the removal of stitches and wound management and dressings.
Why see a nurse instead of a doctor?
The doctor has many calls on her time and often the routine monitoring of certain conditions can safely be transferred to the practice nurse who is trained in most aspects of clinical care and is therefore a valuable link between the patient and the doctor. If the nurse is not able to resolve any concerns that you have, then she will contact the doctor as soon as possible.
Nursing care at home
Home visits will be made, at the doctor’s discretion and only to patients whose medical condition prevents them attending the surgery. Therefore allowing the doctor more consultation times in the practice .
If possible, please request a home visit early in the morning. Preferably between 9:00 am and 10:00 am .
How can patients have their say
The practice has a patient participation group which meets regularly to discuss relevant issues and aspects of care at the surgery. The group is co-ordinated by Mrs Ann Barry, the Practice Manager.