Practice Policies

Mission Statement

• Provide a service which puts patient welfare at the heart of all we do.
• Work within the framework of the NHS Primary Care Services to provide professional health medical, nursing and other services which meet the identified needs of patients.
• Try to provide these services locally
• Promote best practice through utilising specialist expertise within the practice team and externally and encouraging the continuous professional development of all members of the practice team.
• Nurture a culture which is innovative, forward looking and adaptable.

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 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 manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Disclosing information to the Care Quality Comission (CQC)

As from April 2013 the Care Quality Commision expects to inspect general practices every two years.  As part of their inspection the CQC will talk to staff and patients and may gather information from patients.

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 the CQC has the power to access documents and information, including patient records.  However, the CQC’s Code of Practice states that it will only obtain personal confidential information when it is necessary to do so.

Therefore, as part of the CQC inspection process Heath Lane Surgery may occasionally need to disclose identifiable information but this will usually be done with consent and wherever possible, we will provide anoymised information so that individual patients are not identified.

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.

To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

Changes to how you make a complaint about primary care from 1 July 2023

You have the right to make a complaint about any aspect of NHS care, treatment or service, and this is written into the NHS Constitution on GOV.UK.

From 1 July 2023 new changes have been introduced to the way members of the public make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner.

 By primary care services we mean GPs, dentists, opticians or pharmacy services.

There are two ways you can make a complaint:

• You can complain to the healthcare provider: this is the organisation where you received the NHS service, for example a GP surgery or dental surgery.
• You can complain to Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB): this is the organisation that paid for the service or care you received.

After 1 July 2023 if you want to make a complaint about primary care services to the commissioner you will now contact LLR ICB instead of NHS England.

You can do this by: 

Telephone: 0116 295 7572

Email: llricb-llr.enquiries@nhs.net

Writing to us at: Corporate Governance Team, NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB), Room G30, Pen Lloyd Building, County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester, LE3 8TB

If you want to make a complaint directly to the provider of the primary care service, you still can – that does not change on the 1 July 2023. 

Members of the public with ongoing complaints received on/after 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that the ICB is now handling their complaint with confirmation of their case handler.

Members of the public with any ongoing complaints received before 1 July 2022 will receive a letter from NHS England informing them that their complaint is being retained by NHS England with confirmation of their case handler.

If you have any queries, please contact 0116 295 7572.

Find out more about how to feedback or make a complaint about an NHS service  

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.

Abuse of Practice Staff on Social Media

There have been incidents of abuse levelled towards practice staff and the doctors on social media platforms, this will not be tolerated.

If you have a concern about the practice please contact the Practice manager in the usual way.