Policies & Procedures

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.

The Practice participates in anonymised data collection through the Health Data Collection and Health Observatory.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to perform various clerical functions such as case note preparation and filing. Everyone working in the Practice has a legal responsibility to ensure your information remains confidential at all times.

Freedom of Information

The ICO has published a new Model Publication Scheme that all public authorities are required to adopt. Here is the Kings Practice Publication Scheme.

Personal Health Information

To provide you with the care you need, we hold the details of your consultations, illnesses, tests, prescriptions and other treatments e.g. G.P., Health Visitor, Practice Nurse. This information may be stored on paper or electronically on computer files by practice staff.

We sometimes disclose some of your personal health information with other organisations involved in your care. For example, when your GP refers you to a specialist at the hospital we will send relevant details about you in the referral letter and receive information about you from them. Our practice also participates in regional and national programmes such as the cervical cytology screening service and your name and address, date of birth and health number will be given to them in order to send an invitation to you.

We need to use some of your personal health information for administrative purposes. In order to receive payment for services provided to you, we have to disclose basic details about you to the NHS Board responsible for this area and to the Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service. These organisations have a role protecting public funds, and are authorised to check that payments are being properly made. We are required to co-operate with these checks and the disclosure of your data is a necessary part of our provision of healthcare services. Sometimes, we may participate in studies that are designed to improve the way services are provided to you or to check that our performance meets required standards and benchmarks. Whenever we take part in activities such as these we will ensure that as far as possible any details that may identify you are not disclosed.

We are sometimes involved in health research and the teaching of students nurses, doctors and other health professionals. We will not use or disclose your personal health information for these purposes unless you have been informed beforehand and given your consent for us to do so. Please click here for our research policy.

Where you need a service jointly provided with a local authority we will seek your permission before giving them your details.

Sometimes we are required by law to pass on information e.g. the notification of births, deaths, certain diseases or crimes, to the government, this is a legal requirement.

Data Protection

Our use of your personal health information is covered by a duty of confidentiality, and is regulated by The General Data Protection Regulations - May 2018. The Act gives you a number of rights in relation to how your personal information is used, including a right to access the information we hold about you. You can read our Data Protection Policy.

Everyone working for NHS has legal duty to keep information about you confidential and adheres to a Code of Practice on Protecting Patient confidentiality. Further information on this can be found at www.nhsis.co.uk/confidentiality. Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.

If you have any queries or concerns on how we use your personal health information please contact our Practice Manager.

How to request personal information from the practice

You can ask your doctor, dentist or any other health professional who has been treating you to see or have copies of the records that have been made about your health. View our subject access request procedure.

Comments & Complaints

If you should have a complaint about any aspect of this Practice, or any suggestions for improvement of the service, it should be addressed to the Practice Manager, Mrs Nicola Gilmore. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the Practice Manager to discuss you concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure and will make sure that your concerns are investigated promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint or suggestion. Using social media does not give us the opportunity to respond and address your complaint or concern.

Read our Kings Practice Complaints Handling Procedure for further information.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

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 and there are instructions for doing this on the SPSO website. The SPSO contact details are as follows:

SPSO
Bridgeside House
99 McDonald Road
Edinburgh
EH7 4NS
Tel: 0800 3777330

Rights & Responsibilities

Our Responsibilites

We are committed to giving you the best possible service. This will be achieved by working together.

  • You will be treated as a partner in the care and attention you receive. You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times, irrespective of your ethnic origin, religious beliefs, personal attributes or the nature of your health problems.
  • You have the right to express a preference for which General Practitioner you wish to see.
  • Following discussion you will receive the most appropriate care, given by suitably qualified people. No care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.
  • We will give you full information about the services we offer. Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive the information which directly affects your health and the care being offered. Please ask us questions if you are unsure of anything.
  • We will try to ensure that you are seen on time, but some consultations take longer than others and we have no way of knowing about this in advance. If there is a patient with an emergency or a serious problem we will give them priority. When there is a prolonged delay, an explanation will be given by the receptionist.
  • If we consider that you need a second opinion or treatment is not available in the practice we will try to inform you of the best way of achieving this.
  • The Practice will offer patients advice and information on:
    • Steps they can take to promote good health and avoid illness
    • Self-help which can be undertaken without reference to a doctor in case of minor ailments.

If you are totally dissatisfied with us or the services we provide, you have the right at any time to leave our list and to register with another practice.

Your Responsibilities

These rights are balanced by responsibilities which can help the health service work more efficiently. You can help yourself and health service staff if you do the following.

  • We expect that you treat the Doctor and all Practice Staff with courtesy and respect. Violence and racial, sexual or verbal abuse is completely unacceptable and will result in the dismissal from our list. For more information see our Abusive or Threatening Behaviour Policy below.
  • Be on time for appointments and tell the clinic, practice or hospital if you cannot keep your appointment.
  • Please keep your phone call brief and avoid calling during the peak morning time for non urgent matters.
  • Look after your own health and think about how you could have a healthier lifestyle.
  • Try to take medicine which is prescribed and finish the course of treatment. Do not take medicine which is out of date.

Abusive or Threatening Behaviour Policy

As a Practice, we aim to assist all our Patients in the promotion and maintenance of good health and to help when you become ill. In pursuit of this goal you will come in to contact with various personnel. All employees with the Health Centre are here to assist YOU, the Patient, in helping us achieve this aim.

The wellbeing and health and safety of all Practice employees are of paramount importance and as such any abusive or threatening behaviour will not be tolerated. This will include the following: swearing, threatening or abusive behaviour, drunkenness, verbal or physical abuse of any kind.

If you are violent or abusive to any Practice personnel you will be asked to leave the Premises and the Police may be called. In addition we will reserve the right to have you removed from the Practice List. This will necessitate you in seeking Medical Services from another General Practitioner.