Clapham Family Practice

Practice Charter Standards

We aim to...

• provide a high standard of care for you and your family. No care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.
  
• treat you with courtesy and respect at all times, irrespective of your ethnic origin, religious beliefs or the nature of your health problem.
  
• work in partnership with you, the patients.
  
• ensure that you will be seen by a doctor for URGENT conditions as soon as possible that day.
  
• ensure that you will have a non-urgent appointment with the doctor of your choice within 48 hours of your request, unless the doctor is away.
  
• keep all information about you and your consultation confidential.
  
• ensure that all our staff are easily identifiable.
  
• advise all our patients of the system of handling complaints and suggestions.
  
• try not to keep you waiting for your appointment and inform you of any delays.
  
• ensure that in an emergency, out of opening hours, if you phone the practice you will have to make only one other telephone call to obtain assistance.

What we expect from you; please...

• treat the practice staff with the same courtesy you would expect to receive.
  
• be patient if the surgery runs late. There is always a good reason.
  
• cancel your appointment if you cannot keep it.
  
• contact the surgery for your results after you have had a test. Please phone between 2.00 and 3.30pm on 020 7498 1810.
  
• give the reception staff as much information as you can.
  
• only request home visits for the genuinely housebound or seriously ill.
  
• be responsible for ordering your repeat medication by giving ample time to allow for it to be processed in 48 hours.
  
• inform us of any change of address or telephone number, etc.

Finally...

Our team will try to provide the best care we can for all our patients. Occasionally patients react to stressful situations with anger and we try to be as understanding as possible.

HOWEVER, IF PATIENTS BECOME PHYSICALLY OR VERBALLY ABUSIVE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REMOVE THEM FROM OUR LIST.

Complaints & Suggestions

This practice operates a practice-based complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for handling complaints. All complaints must be made in writing and addressed to the Complaints Administrator. We shall always attempt to learn from errors and mistakes and are happy to accept and consider comments and suggestions from our patients.

Please present your views in writing at reception.

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.

This scheme is available from reception.

Disclosure of Health Records Policy

The Clapham Family Practice follows the directives of The Data Protection Act 1998 which gives effect in UK law to EC Directive 95/46/EC, and introduces Eight Data Protection Principles that set out standards of information handling.

Individuals have the right to access information about themselves, held on computer, and in some paper files, under the Data Protection Act 1998. This is known as the "subject access right".

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives a general right of access to all types of "recorded information" held by public authorities, sets out exemptions from that right and places a number of obligations on public authorities. Public authorities include Government Departments, local authorities, NHS bodies (such as hospitals, as well as doctors, dentists, pharmacists and opticians).

Anyone will be able to make the request for information, although the request must be made in writing. The request must contain details of the applicant and the information sought. The Act gives applicants two related rights:

• to be told whether the information is held by the public authority;
  
• to receive the information and, where possible, in the manner requested, ie as a copy or summary, or the applicant may ask to inspect a record.

The term "health record" is defined by Section 68 of The Data Protection Act 1998 and means any record which:

• consists of information relating to the physical or mental health or condition of an individual, and
• has been made by or on behalf of a health professional in connection with the care of that individual.

A health record may be composed of the following descriptions:

• Consultations with a clinician or non-clinical member of the practice staff.
• Correspondence from clinicians or non-clinical members of the practice staff, or from health professional/s to whom the patient has been referred or has consulted with eg specialist or pharmacist, or from persons related to the patient's health eg Social Services, or Housing Trust.
• Health results including blood tests, culture samples, X-ray, MRI, or of any other investigation.
• Any other information pertaining to the patient.

Health records are kept in the possession of the Clapham Family Practice for the duration of a patient's registration with us. They are held to provide updated and continuing health service for the patient and therefore the best possible service.

The Clapham Family Practice recognises your right to access your own health records and the records of your immediate family, ie:

• Husband
• Wife
• Partner
• Child/children

Please note that The Clapham Family Practice will require written consent from the family member/s concerned excepting those under 15 years of age.

You must also be aware of the following:

• The Clapham Family Practice does not charge a fee for granting you access to health records.
• A member of staff will be present with you the entire time you are with the health records.
• The staff member will be unable to answer clinical queries.
• Health records remain the possession of the Secretary of State for Social Services.
• Health records cannot be removed from the GP practice and only in the exception when requested by a Primary Care Trust.
• However, you can have copies at a cost of 35p per page.
• Should you wish to discuss your health records, you will need to make an appointment with your doctor.

You will now be asked whether you understand and agree to the conditions stated above, and whether you wish to proceed with the reading of the health record/s.

VIOLENT AND ABUSIVE PATIENTS

All practice staff have the right to work in a safe environment, therefore the practice has zero tolerance regarding violent and abusive patients. Should a situation arise where the safety or wellbeing of a staff member is being compromised, the practice will request that the patient be removed. Patients are advised in writing before removal.

ANONYMISED DATA

Anonymised data about your medical care is used for audit purposes and may be submitted to Lambeth PCT for performance management purposes.

TRAINING

Clapham Family Practice has received approval to be a training practice. We will be hosting and supervising postgraduate doctors as part of their professional development. As qualified doctors, they will provide an invaluable service to the practice and to you. We would value your support in the development and training of our future doctors.