Practice Policies & Patient Information

Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact the Practice Manager by letter who will deal with your concerns appropriately.

Further written information regarding the complaints procedure is available from reception, or in the links below:

There is a free and independent service available to patients for advocacy support, which helps local people explore options for getting their voice heard when they feel something has gone wrong with their health services. IHCAS provides guidance and support on how to make a complaint.

Healthwatch West Sussex Independent Health Complaints Advocacy Service (IHCAS)

Telephone: 0300 012 0122

Email: [email protected]

Address:

IHCAS

PO Box 1360

Crawley

West Sussex

RH10 OQS

For further information you can access the Healthwatch (IHCAS) site via the following link.

http://www.healthwatchwestsussex.co.uk/complaints-support-1/forms-and-guidance/

Confidentiality & Medical Records

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.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practitioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Data Protection

Please see our privacy notices below for more information on how and why we hold your personal information and also information on how you can request access to that information.

GP Net Earnings

The average pay for GPs working in Ouse Valley Practice in the last financial year was £66,994 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 9 part time GPs and 1 long term locum GP who worked in the practice for six months or more.

“NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised by 31 March 2024 at the latest. However, it should be noted that the prescribed method of calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice and should not be used for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparisons with other practices.”

Named Accountable GP

All patients registered with Ouse Valley Practice have been allocated a named accountable GP.

From 1^st April 2015 we are required by the Government, under the terms of the latest GP Contract, to allocate all patients a named accountable GP. This is purely an administrative exercise in order that patients can have a named responsible GP. This does not mean that they will be the only GP who will provide care to the patient. Patients are free to choose to see any GP in the Practice in line with current arrangements. If their preferred choice of GP is not available, an alternative will be offered.

The new contract requires the named accountable GP to be responsible for the co-ordination of all appropriate services required under the contract and ensure they are delivered to each patient where required. However, this does not mean that they will be the only GP or clinician who will provide care to that patient. These responsibilities will be carried out within the opening hours of the Practice and do not change the way you currently access care outside these hours.

The allocation has been done for all existing patients, and all newly registered patients will be given a named accountable GP on registration.

In order to facilitate this we have allocated the GPs to patients on a by surname basis as follows:

Patients with a surname beginning with A – D : Dr Tiziana Camilleri
Patients with a surname beginning with E – G : Dr Daisy Campion
Patients with a surname beginning with H – J : Dr Chris Lander
Patients with a surname beginning with K – O : Dr Katie Briggs
Patients with a surname beginning with P – Q : Dr Jo Farrant
Patients with a surname beginning with R – S : Dr Joe Hedgecock
Patients with a surname beginning with T – Z : Dr Janet Hardingham

Please be aware that you may still see any GP of your choice at the surgery and do not have to see your named accountable GP, nor does this mean that you will only be offered appointments with your named GP.

If you have not already been informed of the name of your accountable GP, please ask the receptionist when you are next in the surgery.

Practice Charter

We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. It is your responsibility to keep your appointments, inform us of your past illnesses, medication, allergies and any other relevant details.

Our responsibilities:

Waiting time – Consultations with the nurse or doctor are by appointment only. Except in exceptional circumstances you should expect to be seen within 30 minutes of your appointment time. If you have to wait longer than 30 minutes we will endeavour to advise you as to why this is.

Home visits – Home visits are carried out at the discretion of the doctors and clinical need.
Access to the doctors – You should expect to be able to be seen by a Doctor or Nurse for an emergency on the same day.
Repeat Prescriptions – To ensure effective access for emergency calls, we do not accept requests for repeat prescriptions over the phone. Requests for repeat prescriptions will be processed in 3-4 working days
Test Results – Please telephone the surgery after 2.00 pm Monday-Friday for the results of your tests.
Patient Feedback – Complaints should be directed to the Practice Manager. We want to be sure to continue to improve our services to you. Any constructive suggestions are more than welcome. Always remember, this is your surgery, so help us to improve the service we offer to you
Removal from our list – We have a right to remove patients from our lists if they repeatedly and persistently ignore their responsibilities to us and other patients.

Your responsibilities:

Appointments – Please try to keep your appointments and be punctual. If you cannot attend please tell us as soon as possible so your appointment can then be offered to someone else.
Home Visits – The less time a Doctor spends traveling, the more time is available for patients. Please do not ask for a home visit unless it is strictly necessary.
Repeat Prescriptions – Please order your prescriptions on-line or use your printed repeat request slip (see Repeat Prescriptions for further details). We do not take requests over the telephone.
Test Results – Results of tests take varying times to return to the Surgery. When having a test please ask how long the results are likely to take to return
Zero tolerance – Patients attending the practice, whether in person or by telephone should behave in a manner that respects the rights of others including practice staff and other patients. Bad language, offensive remarks or threatening behaviour will be deemed unacceptable and the practice reserves the right to remove patients from the list if they are abusive or violent in any way. Patients are requested to respect practice premises at all times.

Proxy Access Statement

There are a number of patients who book their appointments, request repeat medication and can view certain parts of their medical records online.

Patient Access have now improved their system to allow parents and Carers to be authorised to all of the above-mentioned functions for children or the people they care for.

Any patient or Carer wishing to have proxy access will need to sign up to this service by completing a form available at the practice Reception.

Violence Policy

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.