The Wellbridge Practice - Surgery policies on confidentiality, comments and suggestions, data protection etc

Wellbridge Practice
Wool Surgery
Meadow Lane
Wool
Wareham, BH20 6DR
Tel: 01929 462376

Health Charities

Marie Curie Cancer Care is a UK charity dedicated to the care of people with terminal cancer and other illnesses. Over the financial year 2010/11, we reached a total of 31,799 patients

01 Dec - 28 Feb
YouthHealthTalk

Youthhealthtalk enables young people, their family and friends, and professionals such as doctors and teachers to understand young people's experiences of health, illness and life in general. The website feature real-life accounts of issues such as effect on work and education, social life and relationships, consulting health professionals and treatment.

03 Sep - 28 Feb
Macmillan Cancer Support

One in three of us will get cancer and it’s the toughest thing most of us will ever face. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, or a loved one has, you’ll want a team of people in your corner supporting you every step of the way. Macmillan provide practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care.

BBC Health

Time link to sudden cardiac death

How the time of day can increase the risk of dying from an irregular heartbeat has been identified by researchers.

NHS 'will be Cameron's poll tax'

Labour leader Ed Miliband tells David Cameron he risks making NHS reform "his poll tax" - in noisy Commons clashes over the health bill.

Male extinction theory challenged

A new study comparing chromosomes in humans and rhesus monkeys suggests genetic decay of the male sex chromosome has all but ended.

Heart symptoms 'differ in women'

Fewer women than men suffering from a heart attack appear to experience chest pain symptoms, according to a study in the US.

Nurses 'should sign Dignity Code'

Nurses and care workers should sign a Dignity Code guaranteeing that elderly patients are treated with respect, say a group of politicians and charities.

Baby P duo made 'serious errors'

Two of Baby Peter's social workers committed a "serious error of judgement" during an incident which saw him "disappear" for 12 days, a tribunal hears.

US record kidney donor chain ends

The world's largest chain of organ transplants ends in the US after 30 patients received kidneys from living donors.

Diabetes patients miss key tests

More than 1.3 million diabetes patients could be missing out on vital and potentially life-saving health checks, the BBC learns.

Fatal fungal probe awarded £5.1m

Aberdeen researchers are awarded £5.1m to lead an investigation into fungal infections which cause death.

Government 'not trusted on NHS'

Over two-thirds of people do not trust the government's handling of the NHS, a poll commissioned for BBC Radio 5 live suggests.

Health Protection Agency

Update on measles outbreak declared on Merseyside

A measles outbreak has been declared on Merseyside. There are 13 confirmed and 16 suspected cases ranging in age from nine months to adults aged in their 20s. Six people, four children and two adults, required treatment in hospital. This compares to just one confirmed case on Merseyside in the first six weeks of 2011 and one in the corresponding period of 2010.

Measles outbreak declared on Merseyside

Update on Legionnaires’ Cluster Associated with a Hotel in Spain

10 February 2012, 1400hrs. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has this week been alerted by the Spanish public health authorities about a further case of Legionnaires’ Disease in a UK resident who stayed at the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Costa Blanca, as well as two French cases. This brings the total number of UK residents associated with this cluster to 12, with three deaths.

Development made in breakdown of a Meningitis B vaccine component

Scientists from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) are a step closer to ensuring the stability of a component of a vaccine that may one day be used to protect against Meningitis B. The research is published today (Tuesday) in Vaccine.

Update on Legionnaires’ Cluster Associated with a Hotel in Spain

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is aware of nine cases of Legionnaires’ disease in English holiday makers associated with the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Costa Blanca since January 2012, in addition to four Spanish cases so far reported. Subsequently two of the English patients are reported to have died from their illness.

Outbreak of Salmonella Newport

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is investigating an outbreak of a strain of Salmonella Newport infection among 30 people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the beginning of December 2011. Cases of illness caused by the same strain have been confirmed in Scotland, Ireland and Germany.

Health Protection Agency confirms new incinerator study

A new study to further extend the evidence base as to whether emissions from modern well run Municipal Waste Incinerators affect human health has been approved by the Health Protection Agency.

HPA helps solve radon problems in West Oxfordshire homes

Hundreds of homes across West Oxfordshire have been found to have high levels of radioactive gas radon. Last summer, the Health Protection Agency invited about 9,000 householders across West Oxfordshire to apply for a free test for radon, a naturally occurring gas present in all homes.

HPA helps solve radon problems in Orkney homes

Hundreds of householders across Orkney are being advised to act to protect their health, after HPA tests detected high levels of radioactive gas radon.

Cornish radon hotspot targeted

Thousands of households in a part of Cornwall with historic radon problems are being offered a free test for levels of the radioactive gas radon.

Suggestions & Complaints

Practice Charter

Equality Policy

Suggestions & Complaints

We don't always get it right but we always try to do our very best for patients. If you would like to let us know how we can improve our service to our patients please let us know. We have a Suggestion Box situated in our waiting area. Please be aware that we will not acknowledge any suggestions left in this box.

Comments, complaints and problems

If you have any comments, complaints or suggestions either about your medical treatment or about our practice in general, please contact your doctor who will do his/her best to help.

If you prefer you can speak to the Practice Manager, Mrs Jan Burt.

Please ask for a copy of our leaflet "If things go wrong" which will explain the complaints procedure in detail.

Download our Complaints Handling Procedure

Practice Philosophy

Within our local community, we aim to:

Treat and if possible cure disease, quickly, effectively, and economically.
Relieve suffering and promote well being in the sick, disabled and dying.
Promote the physical, mental, spiritual, and social well being of each individual.
Encourage everyone to be responsible for maintaining, and if possible improving, his or her own health. To assist this by educating and informing our patients appropriately.
Attempt to reduce the overall incidence of disease and handicap, and increase the overall level of health and well being.
Increase community awareness of what we can all do to improve health generally, and encourage and facilitate local initiatives, and encourage a health-promoting environment.

We will provide care in accordance with our Practice Charter; Dorset Primary Care Trust and the National Patients Charters.

Our Responsibilities	Your Responsibilities
Names People involved in your care will give you their names and ensure that you know how to contact them. The surgery should be well signposted and the Doctors' or Nurses' names should be on their surgery rooms or name badges.	Please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number. If you have an appointment with a hospital or waiting for an appointment please inform them of any changes.
Waiting time We run an appointment system in this practice. You will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse hopes to be able to see you. You should not wait more than thirty minutes in the waiting room without receiving an explanation for the delay.	Please try to keep appointments, and tell us as soon as possible if you cannot. Otherwise, other patients may have to wait longer. Try not to save up a lot of different complaints for a single appointment. Please do not call doctors out of surgery except for a real emergency.
Access You will have access to a doctor rapidly in case of emergency, and within one working day in cases of urgency. We will arrange a home visit as appropriate for those who are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery.	We need help too. Please ask for home visits by the doctor only when the person is too ill to visit the surgery.
Telephone We will try to answer the phone promptly and to ensure that there are sufficient staff available to do this. You should be able to speak to a doctor by telephone.	Please keep your phone call brief and avoid calling during the peak morning time for non-urgent matters.
Test results If you have undergone tests or X-rays ordered by the practice, we will inform you of the results at your next appointment. If no further appointment needs to be arranged, we will advise you when and how to obtain the results.	Test results take time to reach us, so please do not ring before you have been asked to do so. Enquiries about tests ordered by the hospital should be directed to the hospital, not the practice. (Please ring after 2pm Mon – Thurs and after 2.30pm on Fri for results of tests and general enquiries)
Respect Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their health care irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious and cultural beliefs. (Please see details of our Equality and Diversity Policy)	We ask that you treat the doctors, and practice staff with the same courtesy and respect.
Information We will give you full information about the services we offer. Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive the information that directly affects your health and the care being offered.	Please read this practice leaflet. It will help you to get the best out of the services we offer. It is important you understand the information given to you. Please ask us questions if you are unsure of anything.
Health Promotion The practice will offer patients advice and information on: q Steps they can take to promote good health and avoid illness; q Self-help which can be undertaken without reference to a doctor in the case of minor ailments.	Remember, you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children. We will give you our professional help and advice. Please act upon it.
Health Records You have the right to see your health records, subject to any limitations in the law. They will be kept confidential at all times. The Surgery is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998.	Please write to your usual doctor if you wish to see your health records.
Complaints We will provide you with information about how to make suggestions or complaints about the care that we offer. We want to improve services, so we welcome any comments you have.	Please read our practice leaflet, which will tell you about the arrangements we have made to receive your suggestions, complaints or even compliments!
Violence & Aggression This practice supports the Government’s NHS zero tolerance zone campaign. Violent patients will be reported to the police and struck off the GP’s list.	Violence and abuse is a growing concern. GPs and their staff have the right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused either physically or verbally. We ask that you treat your GP and practice staff properly-without violence or abuse. www.nhs.uk/zerotolerance

We operate an Equality and Diversity Policy as follows:

The term ‘visitor’ used below refers to anyone (including patients and their family members, other visitors and contractors) making use of the Practice’s premises and services.

The Practice:

will ensure that all visitors are treated with dignity and respect
will promote equality of opportunity between men and women
will not tolerate any discrimination against, or harassment of, any visitor for reason of age, sex, marital status, pregnancy, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief
will provide the same treatment and services (including the ability to register with the Practice) to any visitor irrespective of age, sex, marital status, pregnancy, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief

Applicability

This Policy applies to the general public, including all patients and their families, visitors and contractors.

Procedure

Discrimination by the Practice against you.
If you feel discriminated against:

You should bring the matter to the attention of the Practice Manager.
The Practice Manager will investigate the matter thoroughly and confidentially within 5 working days.
The Practice Manager will establish the facts, and decide whether discrimination has taken place and advise you of the outcome of the investigation within 10 working days.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you should raise a formal complaint through the Practice’s Complaints Procedure (please ask for a copy of our leaflet “If things go wrong” from reception.

Discrimination against the Practice’s staff
The Practice will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment of our staff by any visitor. Any visitor who expresses any form of discrimination against, or harassment of, any member of our staff, will be required to leave the Practice’s premises forthwith. If the visitor is a patient, he/she may be removed from the Practice’s list if any such behaviour occurs on more than one occasion.

In addition to the above provision Dorset PCT provide PALS (Patient Advice & Liaison Service)

What is PALS?

PALS is an accessible and confidential service for patients, relatives and carers. PALS acts independently when handling patient and family concerns, liaising with staff, managers and, where appropriate, relevant organisations to negotiate immediate or prompt solutions. If necessary we can refer patients and families to specific local or national-based support agencies.

PALS aims to: