Confidentiality

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.

CONFIDENTIALITY - UNDER 16'S

We provide a confidential service to all our patients including those under 16. This means that you can tell others about your visit, but we won’t. If you have any concerns about confidentiality please feel free to ask a member of staff before your appointment. We are able to give advice and literature on many subjects which may concern you

• Sexual Health
• Contraception
• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Bullying
• Please feel free to make an appointment with the Nurse

Suggestions & Complaints

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

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.

The Practice operates its own complaints procedure. Information about the procedure and the relevant forms to be filled in can be obtained from the practice staff or if preferred please telephone Katie Civil, Practice Manager, for a confidential discussion.

Practice Statement

OUR AIM IS TO:

• Treat you with courtesy and respect.
• Provide a service for both routine and emergency care of your health problems.
• To involve you in shared decision-making relating to your illness, your treatment, and any referral that is necessary for a further opinion.
• To keep information about your health confidential.
• To respond to complaints you may make to the practice promptly.
• To provide you with access to, or information from your health record held on computer or in file, subject to current legislation.

WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO:

• Keep us informed about where you live and how you can be contacted if these details change.
• Keep your booked appointments.
• Contact us a soon as you can when there is a problem relating to your care or you have a complaint about our service.
• Use the Out of Hours emergency service appropriately for genuine emergencies only.
• Share your concerns if you are unclear or uncertain about any treatment that is offered to you.
• Ask for a home visit only when you (or the patient you are responsible for), are unable to attend the surgery due to illness.

Freedom Of Information Requests

Background

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 aims to ensure that general practice contractors providing general or personal medical services are open to the public concerning the way we operate.

Routinely Published Information

In compliance with the Act, the surgery has developed a Publication Scheme, which details all of the information that we routinely publish. If you would like a copy of the Scheme please contact 01379 586227 

Further information can be otained at:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/

Who can request information?

Under the Act, any individual is able to make a request to the surgery for information.  An applicant is entitled to be informed in writing by the surgery, whether the surgery holds information required and if this is the case, to have the information communicated to him/her.

How can a request be made?

Requests must –

• Be made in writing (this can be electronically eg e-mail using the 'contact us' section of this website or by fax)
• State the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence
• Describe the information requested

What will the surgery do?

Following a request the surgery will reply within 20 working days of the request being made to say if the information is available or not.  The surgery will then try to provide the information in the preferred format of the applicant.  Information may be shared on a website or on hard copy. 

Do I Have to Pay for Information?

As a general rule:

Contact Details

Please send requests by letter to:

The Practice Manager,
Fressingfield Medical Centre,
New Street,
Fressingfield
Suffolk
IP21 5PJ

Is There Any Information that the Surgery Will Not Give me?

The surgery will make every effort to provide you with a copy of the information requested and may have to ask you a few questions to make sure that we provide you with what you want. There may be some documentation or certain parts of that documentation which we are not allowed to release. Some examples of information we would not be allowed to release under this Act are:

• Someone else’s medical records (protected by the Data Protection Act 1998)
• Personal information (protected by the Data Protection Act 1998)
• A company’s trade secrets.
• Any information held in Court records  

The Data Protection Act 1998 (Section 7) specifies the rights of access of the Data Subject (Patient)

All requests for access to your health record must be made in writing and sent to the Practice Manager, Fressingfield Medical Centre, New Street, Fressingfield, Suffolk, IP21 5PJ.

A response will be provided as soon as possible, and in any event within 40 days. Where an application is  declined, a reason will be given. In some circumstances, some parts of your record may be withheld.

If records are held entirely electronically, a charge of up to  £10 may be made

If records are held partly electronically and partly manually, a charge up to £50 may be made

If records are held wholly manually, a charge up to £50 may be made

The Practice will notify the enquirer of charges when the request is made. The Practice requires payment once charges have been confirmed but before the work is carried out.  Other charges may apply if the records have been added to in the previous 40 days. The Practice will charge only the costs of providing the data, up to the maximum specified. It will not automatically charge the maximum