Noticeboard

We are closed Mon 18th March 2024.

Online services: Please be advised that there will be essential maintenance to the Patient Facing Services website, taking place between 21:00 and 23:59 on 3rd August. The website will be unavailable for use during these times.

Hearing Loss, Deafness- If you have hearing loss or are Deaf please let a staff member know what your preferred methods of communication are.  We can organise a BSL interpreter or offer other means of contacting the Practice.


REFER YOURSELF TO PHYSIOTHERAPY- See latest news page with link.


Patients travelling outside Northern Ireland for treatment

If you wish to receive medical treatment outside Northern Ireland, it’s important to understand how it works and the assistance you may be able to access.

This guidance applies to patients who are travelling outside Northern Ireland to access healthcare assessment and/or treatment. It is not relevant for travel within Northern Ireland for health and social care services.

http://www.hscboard.hscni.net/travelfortreatment/

National Contact Point Health and Social Care Board 12-22 Linenhall Street Belfast BT2 8BS
E: NationalContactPoint@hscni.net
T: +44 (0)28 9536 3152

Practice Policies

DNA (Did Not Attend)  Policy:

DNAs have an enormous impact on the healthcare system. The practice is aiming to proactively engage methods to reduce the number of appointments’ missed through DNAs, and achieve a positive method for managing patients who repeatedly miss their appointments.  Approximately 80 appointments per month are ‘Did Not Attend’ (DNA), i.e. the patient does not turn up for the appointment at the practice. The effects of these are:

· An increase in the waiting time for appointments

· Frustration for both staff and patients

· A waste of resources

IF YOU FAIL TO ATTEND APPOINTMENTS WITHOUT INFORMING US WE WILL WRITE TO YOU ASKING IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIFIC PROBLEMS PREVENTING YOU FROM LETTING US KNOW.

IF YOU REPEATEDLY FAIL TO ATTEND FOR APPOINTMENTS YOU MAY BE REMOVED FROM THE PRACTICE LIST AND HAVE TO FIND AN ALTERNATIVE GP PRACTICE.

 

Confidentiality & Medical Records

Locked blue folderThe 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 through the practice manager 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

Customer service formWe 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.

To pursue a complaint please contact the Practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

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.



 
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