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.
• To allow out of hours services access to prescribing information when treating you in places where your medical records are not readily available.

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 any anonymised 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.

Data Protection Act 1998

Please note that your information will be kept both in your medical records and also on our computer system. All information is stored as securely as possible, and all staff are bound by a confidentiality clause in their contracts. On occasion, we are asked for information from outside agencies working on behalf of other government services.

This may be collected with the aim of improving health care services in general, or to assess our own practice’s provision of care services and our right for payment. Be assured that no identifiable information will be given to anyone without the patient’s consent.

Comments & Suggestions

Patients wishing to make a complaint should in the first instance contact the Practice Manager at the Health Centre, either verbally or in writing. Details of our full complaints procedure are available at reception.

If not satisfied, you can contact:

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
4 Melville Street,
EDINBURGH,
EH3 7NS
Phone: 0800 377 7330.

Your Rights

Every Patient has certain rights. You have the right to:

• Be registered with a Medical Practice and receive treatment from a General Practitioner (General Medical Services).
• Have your treatment explained to you.
• Have a relative or friend with you.
• Have access to an interpreter or signer.
• Confidentiality.
• Have access to emergency medical care.
• Refuse to be treated in front of students or be involved in medical trials.
• Receive treatment regardless of race, religion, gender, income, disability or medical condition.
• Ask for a second opinion, though you are not automatically entitled to one.
• Complain without discrimination.
• Have access to your medical records under the Access to Medical Records Act (1990). (Apply in writing to the Practice Manager.)

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Your Responsibilities

You can help yourself and the Health Service staff by doing the following:

• Be on time for appointments
• Tell the surgery or clinic if you cannot keep your appointment.
• Chose to follow the medical advice given by a Healthcare Professional.
• Check you have been given the correct prescription.
• Take care with medicines.
• Share responsibility for your own health.
• Tell your GP or any hospital you are attending if you move home or change your telephone number. (N.B. Numbers may be passed to hospitals for referral purposes, but they will be advised if we know they are ex-directory.)
• Use emergency services responsibly.
• Treat healthcare staff politely. Abuse may result in you being asked to register elsewhere.
• Pass on comments to healthcare staff.