The practice makes every effort to provide a high standard of patient care and is continually looking for ways to improve patient services. We have listed below standards of service that you can expect from this practice. In return we ask you to co-operate with us by treating staff courteously
Standards of care
As an NHS patient registered with our practice you are entitled to:
- Courtesy and respect from the staff.
- Privacy and confidentiality when speaking to any member of staff.
- A health service that is sympathetic and responsive to your individual needs within the resources available.
- Be given an appointment the same day if you need to see the doctor urgently or as soon as possible for routine concerns.
- A clear explanation of any treatment proposed for you by our practice team.
- Expect your medicines to be reviewed regularly if you are receiving repeat prescriptions.
- Be referred to a Consultant, acceptable to you, when your GP thinks it is necessary.
- Have access to your health records, as allowed by GDPR. Please write to the practice manager if you would like to see these or have copies made. There may be a small charge for this service. This request can be made verbally, please ask us for further information if this is the case.
- Have your telephone enquiries answered promptly and dealt with efficiently.
- Be informed of test, x-ray and outpatients results upon request after 4.00pm.
- We will attempt to accommodate all appointment requests from patients.
In addition:
- Registered patients aged 16-74 who have not been seen for three years may request a consultation.
- Registered patients aged over 75 years who have not been seen in the previous 12months may request a consultation.
If you are unable to attend the surgery for this consultation because of your medical condition, a home visit may be arranged.
The practice will only restrict or withdraw your rights to care in exceptional circumstances when you have failed to behave in a way which is deemed unacceptable.
How you can help us to help you
- By treating all our staff, fellow patients, carers and visitors to the practice politely and with respect at all times
- By giving the doctor all the relevant information about your condition and past medical history
- By letting us know when you move address or change telephone number
- By keeping appointments or giving as much notice as possible if you have to cancel
- By using your appointment for one person only
- If you have an enquiry, please ensure you re-contact the surgery for the response.
- By not expecting a prescription every time you see the doctor - implementing our advice can be more effective than drugs
- By giving 72 hours' notice before collecting prescriptions, including repeat prescriptions
- By remembering if you need a home visit to make your request as soon as possible from 8.30am
- By not consuming alcohol, smoking or taking any form of non-prescribed medication or drugs whilst on the surgery premises
- By understanding that if you display any aggressive, threatening or violent behaviour towards any member of staff employed by the practice or put any staff or members of the public in fear of their own safety, you will be removed from the practice list and the matter will be referred to the police.
You can help us by letting us know when you are not happy with the services we provide of if you have useful comments about how they can be improved. A suggestion box is available in reception for your contributions to improving our service.
Concerns/putting things right
This practice has a system for dealing with your concerns, complaints and incidents. If you have a complaint / concern about the service we provide, please contact Mrs Alison Davies, the Practice Manager. Your concern, complaint or incident will be investigated, and the practice will try and resolve your problem. We use the NHS Wales principles of dealing with complaints, claims and incidents which came into force in April 2011. The procedure is available on request.
What is a Concern?
A concern is when a patient or member of staff feels unhappy about any service provided by the Practice. By you telling us about your concern, we can apologise, investigate and try and put things right. We will also learn lessons and improve services where they need to be better.
How is a Concern actioned?
A concern is normally recorded and investigated by the Practice Manager who has the role of Responsible Officer. In her/his absence this will be delegated to a nominated member of staff who has received appropriate training in handling concerns.
What happens to a Concern?
A concern is acknowledged (usually in writing) within 2 working days, excludes weekends and bank holidays. An investigation then takes place and further information or specialist advice may be sought.
Final Response
In the majority of cases a final response is made within 30 days of the date when the concern was received, excludes weekends and bank holidays. If this is not possible we will provide reasons why and confirm when a reply can be expected.
Further Action
Following this process if you are still unhappy, you can contact the Concerns Team in writing: Concerns Team, Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2PW or by telephone: 03000 851234.
The Public Service Ombudsman can also be contacted on 0300 790 0203.
Chaperone Policy
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, ie a trained member of staff.
Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking the appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However, occasionally it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.
Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.
Zero tolerance
We fully accept that when people are unwell and possibly anxious, they may well be shorter tempered than usual. However, there is no reason why our dedicated and loyal staff should tolerate unprovoked blatant rudeness, aggression, and unreasonable demands.
This policy is designed to protect all the staff within the surgery. If we experience patients demonstrating the above behaviours a full investigation will be carried out. This may result in a patient being removed from our list.
Equality mission statement
The Practice is committed to ensuring that all our patients and staff are protected from unlawful discrimination.
Direct discrimination occurs where someone is treated less favourably and put at a disadvantage on discriminatory grounds in relation to his or her treatment. Direct discrimination may even occur unintentionally.
No patient will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, race, colour, religion, religious or philosophical belief, nationality, age, ethnic origin, marital status, civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment.
No member of the practice's staff - GP, nurse, administration or reception staff will receive less favourable treatment from patients on the grounds of sex, race, colour, religion, religious or philosophical belief, nationality, age, ethnic origin, marital status, civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment.
Any patient or employee who believes he or she may have been unfairly discriminated against is encouraged to use our Equality Policy.
Any patient who conducts himself or herself in a discriminatory manner (whether on the grounds of sex, race, colour, religion, religious or philosophical belief, nationality, age, ethnic origin, marital status, civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment) towards another patient or member of staff will be guilty of gross misconduct and will be dealt with according to our Equality Policy.
Any member of staff who conducts himself or herself in a discriminatory manner (whether on the grounds of sex, race, colour, religion, religious or philosophical belief, nationality, age, ethnic origin, marital status, civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment) towards a patient or member of staff will be guilty of gross misconduct and will be subject to the Practice Disciplinary Procedure.
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.