Practice Charter

Your Medical Records
We collect and hold information about you to help us to give you the correct care and treatment. The information is kept on computer and paper records. All information is strictly confidential, and staff are required and trained to respect their duty of confidentiality to you.

Your records include basic details such as your address, ethnic group and next of kin. They also contain facts about your health, including appointments and test results. They may also contain information based on the professional opinion of the staff caring for you.

To make sure you receive all the care and treatment you need we might share relevant information about you with other healthcare professionals. This is only done when it is essential and high standards of confidentiality are maintained at all times. Please let us know if you have any objections about your information being shared.

Reviewing your medical records
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you have a legal right to access your health records. If you would like to see your medical records please ask reception about the process. You can come into the practice to review computer-held records. For paper records you can look at them in the practice or request photocopies.

Records referring to the last 40 days are available free of charge. For older records an administration charge to cover staff time, photocopying etc may apply; for records held on computer the charge is up to &10, for paper records the charge is up to a maximum of &50 (in total). Limiting the date range of the records you wish to see will help keep administration charges down, eg asking to see records from 2005-2008.

DNA (Did Not Attend/Arrive) Policy

It is a strictly upheld policy of this practice to monitor and deal with patients who persistently fail to attend appointments.

If you do not turn up for your first appointment we will be unable to register you or your family.

The following procedure relates to patients already registered:

• A first failure to attend will result in the patient receiving a letter stressing the importance of turning up for appointments.
• A second failure to attend will result in a letter warning that any recurrence will lead to more severe action. It is imperative at this stage to contact the practice to arrange a meeting with the practice manager as soon as possible.
• A third occasion or failure to follow stage 2 above, will result in your removal from the practice list. We will also at this juncture inform the FSHA of your removal from our list and the reasons why.

Freedom of Information

As part of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the practice has a publications scheme which outlines types of information we make available to the public (this does not include any patient information).
A copy of the scheme is available from reception.

Zero Tolerance Policy

We have a professional responsibility to try to develop the mutual trust and respect which is essential for a satisfactory doctor/patient relationship. We do not discriminate against any category of patients on grounds of their age, sex, sexual orientation, race, colour, religious beliefs, perceived economic worth or the amount of work they are likely to generate by their clinical condition. If, however, there is an irretrievable breakdown of mutual trust and respect, then it would be in your interest to seek medical care from another practice.

Any act of violence, verbal abuse or threatening behaviour, whether actual or proposed, towards doctors, staff or patients in the surgery, will result in an immediate removal of the offending individual from the practice and list respectively. We follow strict practice guidelines equally in accepting patients and also removing them from our list.

Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint, please telephone, write to, email or fax our practice manager, who will give full details on how best to proceed. Alternatively, you could pick up a complaints leaflet (PALS) at reception. We will offer an appointment to discuss the complaint, wherein we will try to address your concerns, provide you with an explanation, and discuss any action that may be needed.

To find out more about the NHS complaints process contact NHS Hammersmith and Fulham’s team on 020 3313 7252 or visit www.hf-pct.nhs.uk/yourvoice/complaints

Suggestions/Comments

We welcome any suggestions or comments on how to improve our service. Please let us know in writing if you have any ideas you think might be of interest.

The NHS Constitution

In January 2009 the NHS published its first constitution. It brings together in one place for the first time in the history of the NHS what staff, patients and public can expect from the NHS. As well as capturing the purpose, principles and values of the NHS, the constitution brings together a number of rights, pledges and responsibilities for staff and patients alike.

The Constitution and accompanying handbook are available at www.nhs.uk