Practice Policies & Patient Information
Comments & Complaints
Patients wishing to make a verbal complaint will need to ask to speak with the practice manager. If she is unable to offer you a satisfactory result she will then ask you to put your complaint in writing. Your written complaint will be acknowledged within 72 working hours, with a promise to investigate and reply again within the next 14 days.
The Health Service Ombudsman
The Health Service Ombudsman has published a booklet that describes the ‘six principles for remedy’ in relation to complaints handling and involves:
- Getting it right
- Being customer focused
- Being open and accountable
- Acting fairly and proportionately
- Putting things right
- Seeking continuous improvements
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.
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Write: Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice
However we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly and as amicably as possible.
Please put it in writing to the practice Manager Leesa Rogers or email us your concerns to nnicb-nn.c84081@nhs.net both options will be passed onto the Practice Manager.
In April 2012 the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman published Principles of Good Complaints Handling and this is summarised in the 6 points below:
- Getting it right
- Being customer focused
- Being open and accountable
- Acting fairly and proportionately
- Putting things right
- Seeking continuous improvement
If you feel you cannot contact the Practice Manager regarding your complaint, then please contact NHS England, North Midlands Complaints Team on 0113 824 9421.
Please find below the link to our complaints procedure.
Confidentiality
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
The ICO has published a new Model Publication Scheme that all public authorities are required to adopt by 1st January 2009.
GP Earnings
The General Medical Services (GMS) contract is the contract between general practices and NHS England for delivering primary care services to local communities.
The 2018/19 contract requires all GP practices to declare the mean earnings (average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
The average pay for GPs working in John Ryle Medical practice in the last financial year was £80,019 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 0 full time GPs, 4 part time GPs.and 0 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.
It should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice, and should not be used to form any judgment about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.
Patient Advice
Your Data Matters to the NHS
Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
How your data is used
Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.
Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.
You have a choice
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?
No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.
What do you need to do?
If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.
To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters
Summary Care Record
There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). The Summary Care Record is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. Initially, it will contain just your medications and allergies.
Later on as the central NHS computer system develops, (known as the ‘Summary Care Record’ – SCR), other staff who work in the NHS will be able to access it along with information from hospitals, out of hours services, and specialists letters that may be added as well.
Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held on central NHS databases.
As with all new systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so.
On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing your personal information and wish to keep your information at the level of this practice. Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the Summary Care Record have agreed with doctors’ leaders that new patients registering with this practice should be able to decide whether or not their information is uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System.
For existing patients it is different in that it is assumed that you want your record uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System unless you actively opt out.
For further information visit the Connecting for Health Website
If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery.
Download the opt out form
Violence Statement
OUR PRACTICE STAFF ARE HERE TO HELP YOU. OUR AIM IS TO BE AS POLITE AND HELPFUL AS POSSIBLE TO ALL PATIENTS. IF YOU CONSIDER THAT YOU HAVE BEEN TREATED UNFAIRLY OR INAPPROPRIATELY, PLEASE ASK THE RECEPTION STAFF TO CONTACT THE PRACTICE MANAGER, WHO WILL BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS.
HOWEVER, SHOUTING AND SWEARING AT PRACTICE STAFF WILL NOT BE TOLERATED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES AND PATIENTS WHO ARE ABUSIVE MAY BE REMOVED FROM THE PATIENT LIST. PLEASE HELP US TO HELP YOU.
THANK YOU