New texting service 

Patient Records

The surgery is in the process of becoming completely computerised. All consultation details are entered onto the computer; including test results and patient summaries.

The information can only be accessed by a limited number of personnel ensuring the highest level of confidentiality is maintained.

The surgery is registered under the Data Protection Act and all stored information is strictly confidential just as the information in your traditional handwritten records has always been.

Comments & Complaints

We make every effort to look after all our patients to their complete satisfaction. However, if there is a need to complain, please contact the practice manager to discuss or ask for a copy of our complaints procedure.

Your comments on aspects of our service are always appreciated. Please make use of our suggestion box which is situated at reception.

POhWER

The Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) which used to be a national organisation, has now been contracted out to independent providers and the current provider for Derby is POhWER. Patients who need help in making a complaint can contact POhWER by clicking here

HealthWatch Derby

We hope that that if you have a problem, you will use the Practice Complaints Procedure. This gives us the opportunity to improve our service. This does not affect your right to approach HealthWatch Derby who are based at The Council House, Corporation Street, Derby, DE1 2FS. Telephone: 01332 643988.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

If you wish to contact the CQC, you can telephone the National Customer Service Centre on 03000 616161, write to them at CQC, National Customer Service Centre, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4PA or email through their website www.cqc.org.uk

UK Ombudsman Services

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website contains detailed information on raising a complaint about any aspect of the NHS in England. There is also a leaflet explaining the procedure of bringing a complaint to the ombudsman.

If you have a compliment, comment, concern or informal complaint about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in the practice, please let us know directly.

This leaflet deals specifically with complaints. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of unified regulations for dealing with complaints which govern all NHS organisations in England.

How to Complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted easily and quickly, often at the time that they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a formal complaint then 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:

• Within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
• Within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem Complaints should be addressed to the Practice Manager, or any of the doctors. Alternatively you may ask for an appointment with the Practice Manager in order to discuss your concerns. The complaints procedure will be explained to you and we make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be of great help if you can be as specific as possible about your complaint.  
• We shall acknowledge your complaint within three working days of receipt. The acknowledgement will include the offer of a discussion to agree a plan of how your complaint will be handled and agree a reasonable timescale for investigating and concluding the complaint. When we look into your complaint we shall aim to

• What we shall do
• Find out what happened and what went wrong. Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this.Make sure you receive an apology where appropriate.
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.
• Use feedback to improve care where appropriate.
• Complaining on behalf of someone else

• Please note that we keep strictly to the rules 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 this.

• Complaining to NHS England.We hope that if you have a problem you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and provide an opportunity to improve practice. However, this does not affect your right to approach NHS England if you feel that you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. You may contact NHS England by post at PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT; electronically at nhscommissioningboard@hscic.gov.uk or by telephone on 0300 311 22 33.   For further details contact:Millbank TowerLondon 
• Tel: 0345 015 4033
• SW1P 4QP
• Millbank

  The Health Service Ombudsman for England

• You also have the right to take your complaint to the independent Health Service Ombudsman if you are not satisfied with the manner in which your complaint has been dealt with. The Ombudsman is completely independent of the NHS and the Government and it is up to the Ombudsman whether they decide to take up a complaint. 

For further details contact:

The Health Service Ombudsman for England

Millbank Tower

Millbank

London

SW1P 4QP 

Tel: 0345 015 4033

The practice pledges to:

• Greet you in a welcoming manner and deal with you courteously and in confidence.
• Diagnose and treat your problems to the best of our ability and respect any particular worries you may have.
• Give full explanations of investigations and treatment offered.
• Start surgery on time and ensure you are seen on time. If you are waiting more than 30 minutes you will be entitled to an explanation.
• Offer a routine appointment within 48 hours (excluding weekends). Requests to see a particular GP may take longer.
• Deal with medically urgent problems the day they are reported
• Answer the telephone as quickly as possible.
• Listen to complaints or suggestions you have about our service
• Provide repeat prescriptions within two working days
• Let you see, on a written request, your medical records subject to any legal requirements

The practice expects that you:

• Show courtesy and respect for doctors, staff and other patients at all times
• Understand that violent or abusive patients will be removed from the practice list
• Keep appointments and arrive on time.
• Let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend—if you are more than 15 minutes late you will be asked to make another appointment
• Inform us of any change of address, name or telephone number in case we need to contact you urgently. A change of address may mean that you are now outside the practice area.
• Attend invitations for screening and health monitoring which will prevent problems in the future.
• Keep immunisations for yourselves and your children up to date
• Should not expect a prescription every time you see the doctor—they are not always necessary.
• Avoid calling the practice at peak times for routine enquires.
• Let us know if you do not understand our explanations of your medical problems.

Chaperone

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they consider that one is required. The chaperone may be a family member or friend but on occasions a formal chaperone may be preferred. 

If required patients are advised to ask for a chaperone at the time of booking an appointment, if possible, so that arrangements may be made and the appointment is not delayed. The Healthcare Professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations.

GDPR - the practice is compliant in aspects of GDPR, see below for new policies and procedures.

GDPR Privacy Notice.pdf