Confidentiality

As part of our commitment to patient care, we have to record personal information. This is to ensure you get proper care and treatment. We keep these details because we may need to see you again.

We are properly registered under the provisions of the Data Protection Act and the designated data controller is the Practice Manager incumbent at any given time.

We may use some of this information to help us:

• Protect the health of public generally
• See that the NHS runs efficiently
• Plan for the future
• Train our staff, pay our bills and account for actions

This information might also be used in conjunction with:

• Auditing our actions
• Preparing statistics on NHS performance and activity
• Investigating complaints
• Helping staff review the care they provide and making sure it is of the highest standard
• Training and educating staff and doctors (but you can choose whether or not to be involved personally)
• Undertaking research approved by the Local Research Ethics Committee (if anything to do with the research involves you personally you would be contacted to give your consent)

Everyone working in the practice has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.

If at any time you would like to know more about how we use your information please contact the Practice Manager.

Data Protection And Freedom Of Information

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 tends to routinely make available. The information you provide will be used for the following purposes:

• Updating your clinical records.
• We share with hospitals or other medical clinicians when you have been referred for further care on a need to know basis.
• The Thames Valley Primary Care Agency

It will not be used for any other purpose. The data held will be used solely by Woodley Centre Surgery & Westfield Road Surgery. The information you provide will be kept securely and confidentially in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act (1988).

The ICO has published a new Model Publication Scheme that all public authorities are required to adopt.

Model Publication Scheme - further information

Comments & Complaints

We are here to help you and welcome comments and constructive suggestions to help us improve our service.

If you would like to make a comment, or if you have experienced problems please speak to Julie Riches, the reception manager, who will endeavour to assist you.

If you are a Winnersh patient please speak to Liz Ward, the reception manager who is based there.

If you would prefer to write, please address your letter to Mr Philip Amps, the practice manager.

Woodley Centre Surgery - practice complaints procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the Staff working in this practice, please let us know.  We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints.  Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.  If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally, within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily.  If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

Ø  Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to Mr. P. Amps (Practice manager) or any of the doctors.  Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with Mr. Amps in order to discuss your concerns.  He will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.  It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.

What we shall do

We shall acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date when you raised it with us.  We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.  When we look into your complaint, we shall aim to:

Ø  Find out what happened and what went wrong;

Ø  Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this;

Ø  Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate;

Ø  Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.

Ø  Explain how you can escalate your complaint if you are not satisfied with the outcome.

Cmplaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we keep strictly to the rule of medical confidentiality.  If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have their permission to do so.  A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing.

Additional Notes

Patients have a right to complain and they can do this directly (via the practice manager) or to Berkshire West Primary Care Trust (PCT).  In either situation we will require patient consent.  Following the receipt of a complaint we will undertake an investigation which in normal circumstances will be clinically led by Dr David Buckle (Senior Partner) and managerially led by Mr Philip Amp (Practice manager).  The findings of our investigation will be sent directly to you or if you have complained to the Primary Care Trust it will be sent to the Complaints manager (Mrs Susan Finch).

The PCTs will be abolished by 1^st April 2013 and new organisations will take over their functions.  It is likely that patients will still be encouraged to complain directly to their own surgery and the PCT’s Complaints Department will move to the Thames Valley office of the National Commissioning Board.  Our surgery will refresh its practice Complaints Procedure in early summer 2013 when the details of the new changes are established.

Dr Buckle only works one day a week at the Woodley branch as he is also the Medical Director responsible for primary care commissioning for the Berkshire PCT Cluster.  Should this result in any specific conflict of interest then he will arrange for an independent clinician to investigate the complaint.

The Health Service Ombudsman

The Health Service Ombudsman has published a booklet that describes the ‘six principles for remedy’ in relation to complaints handling and involves:

1. Getting it right
2. Being customer focused
3. Being open and accountable
4. Acting fairly and proportionately
5. Putting things right
6. Seeking continuous improvements

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.

Tel: 0345 015 4033

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Write: Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP.

Help us to help you

The care that we can provide for you depends on the partnership between patients and their doctor. Whilst we will always strive to meet the demands placed on us there are things that you the patient can do that will make our job easier.

What you can do for us

• Please treat all surgery staff with the same courtesy and respect that we offer.
• Ask if you are not clear about your treatment, and try to follow the medical advice offered.
• Please remember that an appointment is for ONE person only.
• Please book a separate consultation for each member of your family who wishes to see the doctor.
• If you feel your problem is complicated, or you have several problems, please inform the receptionist who will book you a double appointment. This will assist other patients as it will help the doctor run to time.
• It is the patient who is responsible for keeping an appointment with any doctor or hospital specialist. If you wish to cancel, adequate notice must be given to the practice to allow the appointment to be made available to someone else.
• Only ask for an urgent appointment when there is a real need for them: coughs, colds, sore throats, and problems which have been going on for a week or more, rarely need to be seen in an urgent slot.
• If a doctor is running late please be patient, on another occasion it might be you that needs the extra time. Please do not blame the receptionists.
• Do be patient when your doctor is called away to deal with an emergency.
• Do keep us informed about changes in your personal circumstances and in particular any change of address.
• We are all responsible for our own health and we should all take appropriate action to prevent ill health, for instance by not smoking. If you do need advice about prevention we are available to provide it.

Zero tolerance

We strongly support the NHS policy on zero tolerance. Anyone attending the surgery who abuses the GPs, staff or other patients be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner whatsoever, will risk removal from the practice list.