Confidentiality

We ask for information about you so that you can receive the best possible care and treatment. We keep this information, together with details of your care, to ensure that your doctor or nurse has accurate and up to date information. Your medical history will be recorded on our practice computer system which may only be accessed by authorised members of our team.

We provide a confidential service to all our patients, including under 16’s, and your personal health information will not be disclosed to a third party without your prior consent.

There are times when we have to pass on information about you to other people such as hospitals, Social Services or the Primary Care Trust. This is always done confidentially or by removing your identifying details when they are not essential. Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to maintain the highest level of confidentiality about patient information.

If you have any worries about confidentiality or how we use your information please speak to our Practice Manager.

The practice operates in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Suggestions & Complaints

• This can be made in person to the practice manager Zoe Clarke, or, if she is not available, Dr Dean.
• Or you can make your complaint in writing to the practice manager, Zoe Clarke.

You will receive a response to your complaint within 10 working days. If further investigation is necessary then you will be advised of the time delay for the response.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint to the surgery you can contact the Chief Executive of Reading PCT or The Health Service Ombudsman

Patients Rights and Responsibilities

You have a right to expect a high standard of medical care from our practice and we will try at all times to provide the best care possible within the resources available.
In order to assist us in this we require that you take full responsibility for ensuring that you do not abuse the service. For example, it is your responsibility to ensure that you keep medical appointments and follow the medical advice given.

Very occassionally a practice/patient relationship breaks down completely. In this situation the patient may choose to register with a different practice. The practice also has the right to remove that patient from their list. This would generally only follow a warning that had failed to remedy the situation and we would normally give the patient a specific reason for the removal.

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Violent Patients – Zero Tolerance

The NHS operates a Zero Tolerance Policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has a right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons.

In this situation we are obliged to notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patients medical records the fact of the removal and circumstances leading to it. The PCT is then responsible for providing further medical care for such patients.

Research

This practice is a member of the Medical Research Council’s General Practice Research Framework. If the practice takes part in a study your name address and age, as recorded on our practice computer, may be passed to the Medical Research Council.

The information will remain confidential and be used only to choose a sample of patients whom we would then contact to ask whether they would consider helping with some of the research.

You would be free to refuse to help without your medical care being affected

Training Practice

This practice is approved for the training of registered doctos who intend to enter general practice. These GP Registrars, who have extensive hospital experience, are attached to the practice, usually for one year and work as part of the team. The practice also offers training to recently qualified doctors (F2's) as part of their professional development.