Craigvinean Surgery Patient Privacy Policy
On May 25th new data protection laws came into affect across the EU including the United Kingdom. The purpose of these laws are to create more transparency so individuals have more control over how their personal data is used and stored by the companies and businesses the person uses.
As a medical centre, due to the sensitive nature of the data we store, we have always had to have very stringent policies in place for the governance of the data we hold. Indeed these new regulations are actually a mechanism to bring the rest of British Industry up to the same standard that the Healthcare Industry has always worked under.
The new laws therefore will make no changes to how we use your data and keep your data secure. We do however need to provide more information to our patients about how we hold the data and how you can access the data we use. To which end we have created a Patient Privacy Policy which contains all the information you need about your data and how it is used as well as a Surgery specific Data Protection Policy this document contains an embedded link 'Other rights' which can also be found below. You can ask for a copy of these at reception but to save on trees here is a copy; also available is our Data Sharing Agreement with NHS Tayside:
Patient Privacy Policy
Data Protection Policy
Other Rights
NHS Data Sharing policy
As a business we need to make ‘reasonable’ efforts to ensure the data we hold on our customers is correct. Having the correct addresses and contact details of our patients is crucial in ensuring that results, referrals etc are sent to the correct addresses. Please help us by letting us know as soon as you move house, change your mobile number or email address.
RESEARCH
As a practice, we feel that research is essential for progress in healthcare and is of considerable benefit to individual patients and the public as a whole. We regularly take part in research studies with the help of experienced NHS and University staff (these people are all bound by Data Protection Laws) who search medical records for people who might be suitable so that we can write to them asking if they are interested in taking part.
No personal identifiable data is removed from the Surgery or provided to any researchers without specific consent from patients.
Patients have the right to opt out of being contacted about research studies. Please let the reception staff or your GP know if you wish to opt out.
If you have any questions, please ask to speak to the Practice Manager
Complaints
We 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 use the file attached below as your guide on how to proceed:
Craigvinean Surgery complaints procedure.doc
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.