Information Sharing & Privacy Notice

A copy of our Privacy Notice can be found at the link below:-

HMG Privacy Notice for Patients

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, eg from District Nurses and other health professionals attached to the Practice

• To help you get other services, eg from the Social Work Department. This requires your consent.
• When we have a duty to others, eg 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, eg for diabetic care. If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal obligation to keep it confidential.

If you agree, a relative, friend or carer can be kept up to date with the progress of your treatment.

You have the right to access your health records.  If you wish to do so please apply to the Practice by e-mail, in writing, in person or by telephone.  We will require specific information and relevant ID.  We have one month to comply with your request.  In most cases, you will be required to collect the information you require in person.

Comments & Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our Practice. We are aware, however, that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. We would wish such matters to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

If you have feedback, comments, concerns or a complaint, please let us know.

Complaints Handling Procedure

Stage one: early, local resolution

We will try to resolve complaints quickly, within 5 working days, if we can.

Stage two: investigation

For complex complaints, or where further investigations is needed, or if you are unhappy with our response at Stage one.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and will aim to provide a full response within 20 working days.

A copy of our Complaints Handling Procedure is available below or from reception.

If you have any suggestions about how we can improve our service, please let us know by phone, in writing, via our website, or in person.

Complaints Handling Procedure

Download our patient complaints form

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

The procedure for making a complaint against the NHS in Scotland is described in the leaflet NHS Scotland Public-Facing Complaint Handling Procedure

The ombudsman has published a booklet that describes the process behind bringing your complaint to the ombudsman 

If you remain unhappy after everything has been done to try to resolve your concern or complaint you have the right to approach the Ombudsman and there are instructions for doing this on the SPSO website.

Our commitment to you

• We are committed to giving you the best possible service. We aim to provide up-to-date medical care within a framework which values the individual Doctor/Nurse/Patient relationship.
• We aim to provide routine appointments, whenever possible with the Doctor/Nurse of your choice, within a reasonable timescale, urgent appointments on the same day and to assess real emergencies immediately.
• When the surgery is closed we will advise patients of the emergency out of hours service (NHS 24/G-MED) to enable a Doctor to be contacted for advice.
• We will treat you as an individual, and with courtesy and respect at all times, irrespective of ethnic origin, religious belief, personal attributes, or the nature of your health problems.
• We will involve you in your care, and no care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.
• We will respect your confidentiality and, when necessary, refer you for specialist treatment or investigation.
• We will visit a patient at home if we consider they are too ill or disabled to travel to the surgery.
• We will keep confidential records to which (subject to the limitations of the law) only you and those involved in your care have access.
• We will listen and respond openly to your suggestions, comments and complaints.
• We will undertake relevant appropriate training to remain confident and competent family Doctors and Nurses and an efficient team as a whole.
• If you are totally dissatisfied with us, or the services we provide, you have the right at any time to leave our list and to register with another practice.

Your commitment to us

• Value the Doctor/Nurse/Patient relationship as we do. We ask that you treat the Doctors, Nurses and all Practice staff with the same courtesy and respect shown to you.
• Remember that our Practice staff are here to provide a professional, quality service to both the patients and the Doctors. All staff carry the same responsibility for confidentiality. Please provide our staff with as much information as possible when requesting home visit, as this information is vital for our Doctors.
• Help us to help you by telling us as clearly as you can how you are feeling, it may help to write it down. If you do not understand what your Doctor/Nurse asks you or tells you, please say so to allow them to explain in more detail.
• Follow the medical advice offered and take any medication as advised.
• Look after yourself - your health is your most valuable asset, look after it by leading a healthy lifestyle - if you are not sure what this is – please ask us. We have regular displays in the waiting room about healthy lifestyle, which are changed often and cater for all age groups.
• When making appointments try to assess the degree of urgency. If in doubt, please discuss it with us. Sometimes an appointment may not be necessary if Reception staff can help you with a query about a prescription or result etc.
• Please do everything you can to keep appointments, tell us as soon as possible if you cannot attend.
• Ask for a home visit only if the patient is too ill to travel. If in doubt, please discuss it with us.
• Contact NHS 24 and GMED out of hours only when you consider matters to be very urgent.
• If you change your name, address or telephone number please let us know so we can update your medical records.

We have the right to remove patients from our list if they persistently abuse our service. In the rare event of a patient being violent or threateningly abusive to staff or other people in the surgery, we may call the Police, and we may ask the Health Board to remove you from our list immediately.

Approximately 50 appointments per week are ‘Did Not Attend’ (DNA), i.e. the patient does not turn up for the appointment and does not contact the surgery in advance to cancel/change appointment. The effect of these are:

• An increase in the waiting time for appointment
• Frustration for both staff and patient
• A waste of resource
• A potential risk to the health of the patient

General Policy

DNAs must be coded onto the clinical system at each non-attendance by clinical and nursing staff.

If a patient fails to attend a pre-booked appointment on more than one occasion in the last 6 months, an informal warning letter will be sent to the patient, advising them that a further occurrence will result in them being asked to attend the surgery to discuss the circumstances and failure to do so may result in them being removed from our list of patients.

If the patient fails to attend another appointment a further letter will be sent to the patient asking them to meet with members of the Practice Management Team (including a GP, if appropriate). The letter will also warn the patient that should they fail to address the issue this may result in their removal from the practice list.

If the patient fails to arrange to meet with the Practice Management Team or fails to attend another appointment, the matter will be discussed with the GP Partners and a majority agreement will be reached as to whether the patient will be removed from the practice list.

Warning letters are valid for a period of 12 months. Removal based on warnings greater than 12 months old will be invalid – in this case a further formal warning and period of grace will be required.

SCREENING/RE-CALL APPOINTMENTS

Patients with a chronic condition, eg Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease, are invited to attend for blood tests initially followed by an appointment with the Practice Nurse. Patients who fail to attend for the initial blood test will be contacted to arrange a further appointment. The appointment with the Practice Nurse will be cancelled to allow for bloods to be done prior to review.