At North Shore Surgery we take our job as clinical practitioners incredibly seriously and strive to provide our patients with Blackpool and the Fylde’s leading GP healthcare services. To do this, we follow a number of policies and procedures, some of which are outlined by our governing organisations and others that the surgery has electively implemented to help us measure and monitor our successes. You will find all of North shore Surgery’s practice policies outlined below, and we welcome any questions you should have.
Practice Policies
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North Shore Surgery Practice Policies
Confidentiality
The practice is fully computerised and the confidential information held on computer is covered by the Data Protection Act.
The Data Protection Act 1998 governs the use of personal information through data protection principles. These principles require that personal information is:
- Processed fairly and lawfully
- Processed for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and not further processed in any way that is incompatible with the original purpose
- Adequate, relevant and not excessive
- Accurate and, where necessary, for the purpose for which it is being used
- Processed in line with the rights of the individuals
- Kept secure with appropriate technical and organisational measures taken to protect the information
- Not transferred outside the European Economic Area (the European Union member states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) unless there is adequate protection for the personal information being transferred
As we process personal information covered by the Act, our staff comply with the Data Protection principles.
Access to Medical Records
Patients can ask to see their medical records. AAll requests should be made via the reception team by completing a subject access form.
Zero Tolerance
We all have our bad days, and when we feel ill we may feel down and a little more irritable than is normal. All our staff are here to help you. Reception staff are following procedures that help the practice to function efficiently. The staff have the right to work in a safe and secure environment and we, as employers, have the legal responsibility of providing that safe and secure environment. The practice will not tolerate:
- Verbal abuse to staff which prevents them from doing their job or makes them feel unsafe.
- Threats of violence or actual violence to a GP or a member of his or her staff. The GPs have the right to remove from the practice list, with immediate effect, any patient who behaves in the above manner.
Our Zero Tolerance policy can be viewed here.
Comments & Complaints
If you have a comment or complaint about the way things are run, or if you have a problem with any member of the team, please talk to the Non-Clinical Manager. We want to improve services and will welcome any comments you have which will help us to do that.
We will ensure that any comment or complaint is taken seriously. It will be confidentially investigated. A reply and/or the chance to talk about it will be arranged to resolve matters within seven days of the initial contact.
Complaints Policy | Annex A Complaints Leaflet | Annex B Complain Form & Annex C Consent Form (third party)
Constructive suggestions from patients to improve any part of the practice will always be welcome. Complaints will be discussed openly and taken seriously. These can be made via the Administration Manager. All written complaints will be acknowledged in writing.
Chaperone
If you require a chaperone for any consultation, please make this clear to the reception staff at the time of booking your appointment. Arrangements can be made to ensure that a chaperone is present during the consultation.
DNA
Please be aware the practice operates a Did Not Attend (DNA) Policy for patients who fail to attend booked appointments without cancelling. Our DNA policy can be viewed here.