Abuse
Meddygfa Star Surgery will not tolerate abuse and violence towards staff and other patients. Patients who are abusive and violent towards staff or other patients on the premises will be removed from the general medical services list.
Chaperone Policy
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. Whenever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking your appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However occasionally it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.
Medical Students
The Practice undertakes training for fifth year medical students. As part of their training, the students spend time sitting in with the doctors and nurses during consultations and can also undertake an initial consultation prior to seeing the GP. You will be informed if this is the case when you make your appointment on arrival. If you do not wish to have any input from the student during your consultation please tell the doctor or nurse and the student will leave.
Welsh Language Policy
If, on any occasion, you would prefer to be dealt with by a Welsh-speaking member of our team, please ask us and we will endeavour to meet your language needs.. The majority of our staff are fluent in Welsh or have a basic understanding of the language.
E-mail Policy
Please be aware that by emailing the practice you are consenting for us to contact you. You will first be sent an automated response and then we will aim to get back to you within 3 working days. Emails will be accessed by staff at the surgery and a copy may be recorded in your electronic record. We may add your email address to your patient record.
Internet email accounts such as those used by individuals for private purposes, are not secure. There is a risk of your email being intercepted or hacked. You are responsible for ensuring the correctness of your email settings to enable a reply to be received to your email inbox. We recommend using a private email account, not a family or shared account for the purposes of emailing the practice.
Your email may form part of your permanent medical record so you may wish to consider using appropriate language and forms of address when writing them. Emails may be archived for up to 7 years under NHS Wales protocol.
Social Media Sites
The surgery will not respond to comments made on social media websites such as Facebook/Twitter etc., but may contact patients found to be making derogatory or insulting comments.
Local Complaints Procedure
We welcome any constructive suggestions or comments about the practice.
We will endeavour to resolve any complaints or follow up any comments either informally or in writing addressed to either the doctor or practice manager. If this is unsuccessful then the complaint can be referred to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board:- The Concerns Team, Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2PW. Tel:01248 384194: [email protected].
If you need help or support in raising a concern you can contact Community Health Council, Unit 11 Chestnut Court, Parc Menai, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 4FH. If you remain dissatisfied you may wish to refer your concern to the Public Services Ombudsman for wales, 1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae, Pencoed CF35 5LJ. Tel: 0845 601 0987, e-mail
[email protected]
website:- www.ombudsmann-wales.org.uk
Access to your medical records and personal information will be limited to what is relevant to the investigation of your concern and will only be disclosed to people who need to know in order to investigate your concern.
Access to Medical Records
The practice is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Any request for access to notes by a patient, patient’s representative or outside body will be dealt with in accordance with the GDPR guidelines. Please contact the Practice Manager for further information.
General Data Protection Regulation & Patient Confidentiality
The Practice uses computers and paper records to keep clinical and administrative information about patients, this information may be shared with other healthcare professionals. Confidential information will only be passed to a third party, such as a Solicitor or Insurance company, with your express written permission. We may also ask your permission to take photographs.
We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office
You have a right to view or copy your medical records. Should you wish to review your medical record, please speak to a member of staff.
A leaflet explaining GDPR is available on request
Uses of Information
Your medical records are held in the strictest confidence. Information is not passed on without your consent unless it is within the confines of the NHS, by legal framework, or is in the public interest. Certain anonymised patient data may be shared for the purposes of public health and audit, research, teaching and training. It is a practice and legal requirement that all staff maintain confidentiality of patients’ records.
Practice Charter Standards
The practice makes every effort to provide a high standard of patient care and is continually looking for ways to improve patient services. We have listed below standards of service that you can expect from this practice. In return we ask you to co-operate with us by treating staff courteously.
Standards Of Care
As an NHS patient registered with our practice you are entitled to:
- Courtesy and respect from the staff.
- Privacy and confidentiality when speaking to any member of staff.
- Be given an appointment the same day if you need to see the doctor urgently or as soon as possible.
- A clear explanation of any treatment proposed for you by our practice team.
- Expect your medicines to be reviewed regularly if you are receiving repeat prescriptions.
- Be referred to a Consultant, acceptable to you, when your GP thinks it is necessary and to be referred for a second opinion if both you and your family doctor agree that this is desirable.
- Have access to your health records, as allowed by the Data Protection Act. Please write to the practice manager if you would like to see these or have copies made.
- Have your telephone enquiries answered promptly and dealt with efficiently.
- Be informed of test, x-ray and outpatients results upon request.
How You Can Help Us To Help You
- By treating all our staff with courtesy.
- By giving the doctor all the relevant information about your condition and past medical history.
- By letting us know when you move address or change telephone number – we need to keep our records up to date.
- By keeping appointments or giving as much notice as possible if you have to cancel.
- By using your appointment for one person only.
- By not expecting a prescription every time you see the doctor – implementing our advice can be far more effective than drugs.
- By giving three working days notice before collecting repeat prescriptions.
- By remembering if you need a home visit to make your request before 10.30am.
- By calling the doctor (out of hours) only in an emergency and not for routine treatment, appointments or prescriptions.
You can help us by letting us know when you are not happy with the services we provide or if you have useful comments about how they can be improved. A suggestion box is available for your contributions to improving our service.
