Practice Charter

Confidentiality And Access To Records

All the staff and doctors of Swineshead Medical Group are bound to maintain patient confidentiality at all times. Any breach of confidentiality will be treated very seriously and could lead to disciplinary action for the staff concerned.

Any medical information relating to yourself will not be divulged to any member of your family or any other agency without your written consent.

Information about patients is held on computer and in written medical records. The practice is registered with the Data Protection Registrar.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998) and the Access To Medical Records Act (1990), patients may request to see, or to have copies of, their medical records or to have them released to a third party. Requests should be made in writing and there may be an administration charge.

You can also make an appointment with the GP to have your records explained to you - please tell the receptionist that this is the reason for the appointment.

Information about patients is not released without consent unless there is a legal obligation to do so.

Suggestions, Comments And Complaints

We welcome comments regarding the quality of the service that we provide. If you have any suggestions on how to improve our services still further, please speak to the receptionist.

This practice operates a complaints procedure in accordance with NHS guidelines. If you have a complaint, please ask a receptionist for a complaint form and a copy of the complaints procedure. Any complaints made will be thoroughly investigated and a written response given. The practice manager acts as the Complaints Manager for the practice.

The Fairfax House Patient Forum also welcomes comments and suggestions for improvements to patient services. A suggestion form is available at reception or, if you would like to be involved with forum activities, please ask for details.

Zero Tolerance

The practice operates a 'zero tolerance' policy in regard to verbal or physical abuse towards staff and healthcare professionals. Patients behaving in an inappropriate or unacceptable manner may be removed from the practice list.

Freedom Of Information - Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the 'classes' of information the practice intends to routinely make available.