Confidentiality & 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.
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 Practitioners 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. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Our full Data Protection Notice can be downloaded here.
Complaints
The Practice strives to offer an excellent service however we always appreciate constructive suggestions from our patients. A suggestion slip can be obtained from the waiting room and posted in the box in the foyer, or handed to the receptionist.
In the event that you wish to complain about any part of the service you have received, please put your complaint in writing to the Practice Manager who will investigate and respond timeously.
A full copy of the complaints procedure can be obtained from reception, or downloaded here.
We do hope that if you have a problem, you will make use of our practice complaints procedure, but if you feel we have not dealt with this appropriately, you have a right to approach the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. You can contact them by e-mail at ask@spso.org.uk or telephone 0800 377 7330. Copies are also available within the surgery of NHS Tayside complaints leaflet “Making a compliant about the NHS”.
NHS Tayside has a separate complaints and advice team which can be contacted on Freephone: 0800 027 5507 or email TAY.feedback@nhs.scot. This team will be able to give impartial advice and support but it must be made clear that NHS Tayside cannot assume responsibility for either the circumstances leading to the complaint or for the resolution of the complaint as this rests solely with the GP practice.
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.