GP Training

Our practice participates in advanced training of higher qualified doctors within General Practice.  These doctors have experience of hospital posts and on occasions, other practices prior to joining the team.  They work with us for up to a year and share all aspects of medical care in liaison with the Partners.  As part of their training and to aid their ongoing development, it is necessary for some consultations to be video recorded.  Your consent will always be requested in advance.  Please accept their services as an extension of our own.

Student Doctors

Our practice also participates in the training of student doctors from the University of Derby.  We support, train and develop students throughout their 5 year qualifying period at University, before further training as a doctor.  To support their development, meeting patients, understanding health care and the management of this, plays an essential part to their learning journey. Patients will always be asked to confirm they are happy to see student doctors prior to their appointment. Your support is much appreciated in helping us develop doctors for the future.

Confidentiality

The practice complies with Data Protection and Access to Medical Records legislation as well as the Caldicott guidelines which are specific NHS guidance on confidentiality.  Mrs Debbie Melling is practice Caldicott Guardian.  Identifiable information about you will be shared with other in the following circumstances:-                                                                                                                                          

• To provide further medical treatment for you eg from district nurses and hopsital services 
• To help you get other services eg from the social work department.  This requires your consent
• When we have a duty to others eg 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 eg for diabetic

However, NHS auditors have a duty to carry out routine checks from time to time to determine if claims for payment by the practice have been made correctly.

In the course of these checks, it may be necessary to verify details from patient records. Such checks are undertaken in accordance with strict guidelines agreed with the Primary Care Trust and the Local Medical Committee. 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. Please do not ask the receptionists

• For information regarding other patient's appointments
• For test results of a patient other than yourself

This type of information is confidential and therefore cannot be divulged to anyone else and we do not wish to cause offence by being unable yo answer your questions.If you have any queries, please ask to speak to Mrs Debbie Melling (Practice Manager) who will be pleased to help you.

Maintaining patient confidentiality is very important to everyone at Peel Croft Surgery.

Freedom of Information

The ICO has published a new Model Publication Scheme that all prublic authorities are required to adopt. 

Freedom of Information Factsheet

Freedom of Information leaflets are available free of charge at Reception or from the Practice Manager.

Suggestions & Complaints

We try hard to provide an efficient service, but occasionally the standard can slip and you may feel that the agreements stated in the Patient Charter have been breached. Explanations from the Practice Manager or one of the doctors can usually resolve these sort of problems.

If you would like to make a complaint, please note our complaints procedures set out below.

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any other staff working at Peel Croft surgery, please let us know.  We operate a Practice Complaints Procedure as part of a National Health Service system for dealing with complaints.  Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How To Complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly - often at the time they arise and with the person concerned.  If your problem cannot be resolved in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible, and ideally within a matter of days.  This will allow us to establish what happened more easily.  If it is not possible to do this, please let us have details of your complaint as follows:-

• within twelve months of the indicent that caused the problem

or

• within twelve months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint comes to the complainant's notice

The designated complaint handler is Mrs Debbie Melling, Practice Manager, and complaints should be directed to her in the first instance.

What We Promise To Do

We shall acknowledge your complaint within three working days and aim to complate our investigation of your complaint within ten working days of the date you raise it with us.  We shall then be in a position to offer you an explanation or a meeting with the people involved.  If it is not possible to complete our investigations within ten working days, we will advise you and agree a timescale with you.  Complaints will normally be resolved within a maximum of six months.  When we investigate your complaint, we shall aim to:-

• Find out what happened and what went wrong
• Provide an apology where this is appropriate
• Identify ways in which similar problems can be prevented
• Send you a final response, which will include a note of who you can escalate the complaint to if you are not satisfied

Complaining On Behalf Of Someone Else

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality.  If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we shall need to know that you have permission to do so.  A note of authorisation signed by the person concerned will be needed - unless they are medically incapable of doing so.

Complaining To The Health Authority

We hope that if you do have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure.  We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and perhaps an opportunity to improve our service within the practice.  However, this does not affect your right to approach the local Primary Care Trust if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us.

You should contact the South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust for further advice as follows:-

The Complaints Team

South Staffordshire PCT

Springfields Health and Wellbeing Centre

Lovett Court

Rugeley

WS15 2QD

Tel: 01889 571826

If you have any further queries on the subject, please do not hesitate to contact Debbie Melling, Practice Manager, who will be happy to help

Peel Croft Surgery

Lichfield Street

Burton on Trent

Staffordshire

DE14 3RH

Tel: 01283 568405

Fax: 01283 515761

email: [email protected]

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

The NHS employs over a million staff in thousands of locations. It is a large and complex organisation providing a broad range of services. It is not surprising that sometimes you or a loved one may feel bewildered or concerned when using the NHS. And this can be at times when you are feeling at your most vulnerable and anxious.

So, what should you do if you want on the spot help when using the health service? The NHS expects all members of staff to listen and respond to you to the best of their ability. But sometimes, you may wish to talk to someone employed especially to help you. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, known as PALS, has been introduced to ensure that the NHS listens to patients, their relatives, carers and friends, and answers their questions and resolves their concerns as quickly as possible.

PALS also helps the NHS to improve services by listening to what matters to patients and their loved ones and making changes, when appropriate.

What does PALS do?

In particular, PALS will:

• Provide you with information about the NHS and help you with any other health-related enquiry
• Help resolve concerns or problems when you are using the NHS
• Provide information about the NHS complaints procedure and how to get independent help if you decide you may want to make a complaint
• Provide you with information and help introduce you to agencies and support groups outside the NHS
• Inform you about how you can get more involved in your own health centre and the NHS locally
• Improve the NHS by listening to your concerns, suggestions and experiences and ensuring that people who design and manage services are aware of the issues you raise
• Provide an early warning system for NHS Trusts and monitoring bodies by identifying problems or gaps in services and reporting them.

Find out more

If you would like more information about PALS, the functions it is intended to provide and the standards it should strive to achieve , follow this link.

Further help is available from:

Patient Liaison Service (PALS)
Deana Clare
Tel. 01543 412929

The Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS)
Tel: 0300 456 2370

Burton on Trent Citizen Advice Bureau
Anson Court

Burton on Trent

Staffs

Tel: 01283 566722

The Health Service Ombudsman in England

The Health Service Ombudsman has published a booklet that describes the ‘six principles for remedy’ in relation to complaints handling and involves:

1. Getting it right
2. Being customer focused
3. Being open and accountable
4. Acting fairly and proportionately
5. Putting things right
6. Seeking continuous improvements

If you remain unhappy after everything has been done to try to resolve your concern or complaint you have the right to approach the Ombudsman. 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.

In line with the Patients' Charter, Peel Croft Surgery pledges:

• Members of staff will at all times act courteously towards you. They will protect patient confidentiality.
• Normally you will not have to wait any more than 48 hours to see a doctor except for unforeseen circumstances. However, if you wish to see a specific doctor there may be a longer wait, but this will be explained to you when you request your appointment.
• In an emergency, you will be seen by a doctor on the same day.
• The doctors/nurses will see you within twenty minutes of your appointed time. If there is a delay, you will be given an explanation by a member of staff.
• There may be a delay of more than twenty minutes to see the nurse. This is because the procedures carried out by nurse can be time consuming. However, you will be kept informed.
• At the ante-natal clinic, in spite of the appointment system, there might be a delay of more than twenty minutes because of extensive careful checks given by the doctor or midwife.
• The telephone in the surgery will be answered as promptly as possible.
• Repeat prescriptions will normally be available the following day after 12 noon.
• Any complaints will be dealt with quickly by the practice manager and/or doctor.
• We will listen to constructive criticism and suggestions. We have a feedback form available on the website and a suggestion box in the surgery waiting room.

With these rights come responsibilities and for patients this means:

• Please be courteous to our staff.
• Please attent appointments on time. If you cannot attend, please let the receptionist know, so that the appointment can be given to another patient.
• Please be patient if we are running late. On another occasion it may be you who needs the extra time.
• If you need a home visit, please telephone before 9.30am except in emergencies.
• If you have any investigations, (blood, urine, x-ray, etc.) please ask the doctor what arrangements you should make for results. Telephone calls for results can only be taken between 3 and 3.30pm Monday to Thursday.
• Please do not ask for medical advice from our receptionists, or ask them to break the confidentiality rules by asking for information about family members.
• If you change your name, address or telephone number, please let us know.
• Please return any surgery equipment, books or tapes when finished with, so we can lend it to other patients.
• Because of the minimal space available, car parking is strictly limited to the time you spend in the surgery.
• In summary, the range of services that we offer has expanded over the years. Please help us by using these appropriately.
• Please let us know about the service you receive. This will help us improve our service to you and others.

Thank you.

Zero Tolerance

The surgery is an NHS Zero tolerance zone.                                          

The policy is as set out below:

Physical violence and verbal abuse are a growing concern.

GP's, practice nurses, receptionists and other practice staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. We ask that you treat your GP and practice staff properly - without violence or abuse.

The practice will request the removal of any patient from the practice list who is aggresive or abusive towards a doctor, member of staff, other patient or who damages property.

All instances of actual physical abuse on any doctor or member of staff, by a patient or their relatives will be reported to the police as an assault.