Practice Charter
Patient Confidentiality & Data Protection
We ask you for personal information so that you can receive appropriate care and treatment. This information is
recorded on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act. The practice will ensure that
patient confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the practice team. However, for the
effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about you is
shared between members of the practice team.
Everyone who works for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. Anyone who
receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.
- We ask for information so that we can look after you.
- We keep this information, together with details of your care, because it may be needed if we see you
again.
- We may use some of this information for other reasons. For example, to help us protect the
health of the public generally and to see that the NHS runs efficiently, plans for the future,
trains its staff, pays its bills and can account for its actions. Information may also be needed
to help educate tomorrow's clinical staff and to carry our medical and other health research
for the benefit of everyone.
- Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information, for example, to notify a birth.
- We may share information with others who are not part of the NHS. We do this so that we
can all work together for your benefit. We only do this if there is a genuine need for it and
will emove details which could identify you whenever possible. If this is not possible we will
not share this information without first obtaining your consent. The sharing of very sensitive
personal material is strictly controlled by law.
- You have a right of access to your health records.
For further information please contact Keith Fraser, practice manager on 0844 499 0845/0161 748 5559.
Freedom of Information - Publication Scheme
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication
Scheme is a guide to the ‘classes’ of information the practice intends to routinely make available.
This scheme is available from reception.
Zero Tolerance
We strongly support the NHS policy on zero tolerance. Anyone attending the surgery who abuses the GPs,
staff or other patients be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner whatsoever, will be removed from the practice list. In extreme cases we may summon the police to remove offenders from the
practice premises.
Complaints
You have the right to present your complaints or concerns to the manager and receive a response within a
week.
Where there is a serious breakdown of the patient/doctor relationship, we reserve the right to remove
patients from our list.
Computers
This practice is computerised and all medical details are held on computer. All patients’ information is
strictly confidential.
Data Protection Act 1998
Patients are advised that practice staff including allied health care professionals use the medical
computer system in order to register patients, prepare prescriptions, arrange appointments, recall patients
and obtain results. Staff are contracted to treat patient information in the strictest confidence.
It is possible to restrict access to anyone other than a doctor to sensitive information if this extra
security is necessary.
Staff have been trained in their responsibilities under the terms of the Act.
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