Policy on Failure to Attend Pre-Booked Appointments
If a patient fails to attend a pre-booked appointment on three or more occasions in a six month period, a warning letter will be sent to the patient, advising them that a further occurrence within six months could risk removal from the practice. If a further non-attendance occurs within six months, a final warning letter will be sent informing them that if they miss any further appointments, they will be discussed at the next Practice meeting and the likely outcome will be that they will be removed from the Practice list. Following agreement with the Partners, if they are to be removed, the Practice Manager will write to the patient and explain the reasons for removal. The term ‘appointment’ includes face to face AND telephone appointments.
Warning letters are valid for a period of 12 months.
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 Practioners 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 to the Administration Department 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.
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.
If you wish to pursue an informal or formal complaint one of the Management team will be happy to talk to you – the Practice Manager, Rebecca Clegg can be contacted on 01977 703635 or email [email protected] who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception, or click here.
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.
Privacy Notice
Please click here to view our Privacy Notice. To view the children’s notice please click here.
Conflicts of Interests Policy
Each year we publish on our website details of any conflicts of interests staff who are in a position of authority might have. Please see below details for each relevant person
| Dr Vega | Dr Riddett | Dr Ibrahim |
| Dr Kemshell | Dr Clark | Dr Brennan |
| Dr Seddon | Dr Baldwin | Dr Wong |
| ACP Jayne Thomas | Charlotte Barter (Assist Practice Mgr) | Rebecca Clegg (Practice Mgr) |
| COMING SOON | COMING SOON | COMING SOON |
To view the Conflict of Interest Policy for Northgate Surgery please click here.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians
We have qualified pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in the practice to support safe, effective and cost-effective prescribing. These healthcare professionals are all registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council and are a valuable resource in helping us maintain the best patient care around prescribing. In order to administer direct patient care, these professionals require access to patients’ clinical records. Each individual works in accordance with the Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidelines and have signed a confidentiality agreement.