Confidentiality and 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.
Our reception and administration team require access to your medical records in order to carry out their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the clinical team.
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’s Data Controller Sarah Leeder, Practice Manager. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Chaperone
Mowbray Group Surgeries is committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times and the safety of everyone is of paramount importance.
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, i.e. a clinically trained member of staff.
Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking your appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However occasionally it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.
Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this please ask at Reception.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding simply means keeping people safe from harm. It is about protecting children and adults from abuse or neglect.
The document below outlines our safeguarding policy and provides information on how to recognise abuse and what to do if you are concerned about someone.
Zero tolerance 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.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. However, we are aware that from time to time problems can occur. Most problems can be resolved quickly and easily, often at the time they arise, or by contacting a member of the practice team.
Where you are not able to resolve your problem in this way you can find more information by speaking to the Practice Manager or consulting our patient complaint information leaflet which is available at reception.
From 1 July 2023 the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services (GPs, pharmacy, optometry) to the commissioner changed. Rather than contacting NHS England, they now need to contact their local integrated care board (ICB). Members of the public can still make a complaint to the provider. This has not changed.
