The Village Surgery: All Your Questions Answered

The Village Surgery is committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times and the safety of everyone is of paramount importance.

This Chaperone Policy adheres to local and national guidance and policy i.e. :-

‘NCGST Guidance on the role and effective use of chaperones in Primary and Community Care settings’.

The Chaperone Policy is clearly advertised through patient information leaflets, website (when available) and can be read at the Practice upon request.

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they consider one is required. The chaperone may be a family member or friend, but on occasions a formal chaperone may be preferred.

Patients are advised to ask for a chaperone if required, at the time of booking an appointment, if possible, so that arrangements can be made and the appointment is not delayed in any way. The Healthcare Professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations.

All staff are aware of and have received appropriate information in relation to this Chaperone Policy.

All trained chaperones understand their role and responsibilities and are competent to perform that role.

There is no common definition of a chaperone and their role varies considerably depending on the needs of the patient, the healthcare professional and the examination being carried out.

Their role can be considered in any of the following areas:

• Emotional comfort and reassurance to patients
• Assist in examination (e.g. during IUCD insertion)
• Assist in undressing
• Act as interpreter
• Protection to the healthcare professional against allegations / attack)

Checklist for consultations involving intimate examinations

Chaperones are most often required or requested where a male examiner is carrying out an intimate examination or procedure on a female patient, but the designation of the chaperone will depend on the role expected of them, whether participating in the procedure or providing a supportive role.

Establish there is a genuine need for an intimate examination and discuss this with the patient and whether a formal chaperone (such as a nurse) is needed.

Explain to the patient why an examination is necessary and give the patient an opportunity to ask questions. The chaperone would normally be the same sex as the patient and the patient will have the opportunity to decline a particular person as a chaperone, if that person is considered not acceptable for any reason.

Offer a chaperone or invite the patient to have a family member / friend present.

If the patient does not want a chaperone, record that the offer was made and declined in the patient’s notes.

Obtain the patient’s consent before the examination and be prepared to discontinue the examination at any stage at the patient’s request.

Record that permission has been obtained in the patient’s notes.

Once the chaperone has entered the room, they should be introduced by name and the patient allowed privacy to undress / dress. Use drapes / curtains where possible to maintain dignity.

There should be no undue delay prior to examination once the patient has removed any clothing.

Explain what is being done at each stage of the examination, the outcome when it is complete and what is proposed to be done next. Keep discussion relevant and avoid personal comment.

If a chaperone has been present, record that fact and the identity of the chaperone in the patient’s notes.

During the examination, the chaperone may be needed to offer reassurance, remain alert to any indication of distress but should be courteous at all times.
Record any other relevant issues or concerns in the patient’s notes, immediately following the consultation.

Chaperones should only attend the part of the consultation that is necessary – other verbal communication should be carried out when the chaperone has left.

Any request that the examination be discontinued should be respected.

Healthcare professionals should note that they are at an increased risk of their actions being misconstrued or misrepresented, if they conduct intimate examinations where no other person is present.

Principles

The Practice:

• Provides a comprehensive service, available to all irrespective of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity or marital or civil partnership status, and has a duty to respect their human rights.
• Promotes equality through the service, providing and to paying particular attention to groups or sections of society where improvements in health and life expectancy are not keeping pace with the rest of the population.
• Provides access to services based on clinical need, not on an individual’s ability to pay.
• Aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism, providing safe and effective high-quality care focused on patient experience.
• Ensures that it is effectively lead and managed and its staff receive relevant education, training and development.
• Its services reflect the needs and preferences of patients, their families and carers who will be involved in and consulted on all decisions about their care and treatment.
• Ensures that it works across organisational boundaries and in partnership with other organisations in the interest of patients, local communities and the wider population.
• Is accountable to the public, communities and patients that it serves.
• Supports staff when they raise concerns about the service by ensuring their concerns are fully investigated and that there is someone independent, outside of their team, to speak to.

Patient Rights

Patients have the right:

• To receive NHS services free of charge, apart from certain limited exceptions sanctioned by Parliament.
• To access NHS services and not be refused access on unreasonable grounds.
• To expect the Practice to assess the health requirements of the local community and to commission and put in place the services to meet those needs as considered necessary.
• In certain circumstances to go to other European Economic Area countries or Switzerland for treatment which would be available through the NHS.
• Not to be unlawfully discriminated against in the provision of NHS services including on grounds of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity or marital or civil partnership status.
• To access services within maximum waiting times, or to be offered a range of alternative providers if this is not possible.
• To be treated with a professional standard of care, by appropriately qualified and experienced staff, in a properly approved or registered organisation that meets required levels of safety and quality.
• To be treated with dignity and respect, in accordance with their human rights.
• To accept or refuse treatment that is offered, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless valid consent has been given.
• To be given information about their proposed treatment in advance, including any significant risks and any alternative treatments which may be available, and the risks involved in doing nothing.
• To privacy and confidentiality and to expect the Practice to keep their confidential information safe and secure.
• To access their own health records.
• To choose their GP practice, and to be accepted by that Practice unless there are reasonable grounds to refuse, in which case they will be informed of those reasons.
• To express a preference for using a particular doctor within their GP Practice.
• To make choices about their NHS care and to information to support these choices.
• To be involved in discussions and decisions about their healthcare, and to be given information to enable them to do this.
• To be involved, directly or through representatives, in the planning of healthcare services, the development and consideration of proposals for changes in the way those services are provided, and in decisions to be made affecting the operation of those services.
• To have any complaint they make about NHS services dealt with efficiently, to have it properly investigated, know the outcome and how to escalate the complaint to the independent Health Service Ombudsman.
• To make a claim for judicial review if they think they have been directly affected by an unlawful act or decision of an NHS body.
• To compensation where they have been harmed by negligent treatment.

Patient Responsibilities

• To make a significant contribution to their own, and their family’s, good health and well-being, and take some personal responsibility for it.
• Register with a GP Practice.
• To treat NHS staff and other patients with respect and recognise that causing a nuisance or disturbance on NHS premises could result in prosecution.
• To provide accurate information about their health, condition and status.
• To keep appointments, or cancel within reasonable time.
• To follow the course of treatment which they have agreed, and talk to their clinician if they find this difficult.
• To participate in important public health programmes such as vaccination.
• To ensure that those closest to them are aware of their wishes about organ donation.
• To give feedback – both positive and negative – about the treatment and care they have received, including any adverse reactions they may have had.

Practice Staff Rights

Practice Staff have the right:

• To a good working environment with flexible working opportunities, consistent with the needs of patients and with the way that people live their lives;
• To have a fair pay and contract framework;
• To be involved and represented in the workplace;
• To have healthy and safe working conditions and an environment free from harassment, bullying or violence;
• To be treated fairly, equally and free from discrimination; and
• To raise an internal grievance and if necessary seek redress, where it is felt that a right has not been upheld;
• To raise any concern with their employer, whether it is about safety, malpractice or other risk, in the public interest, without suffering any detriment.

The Village Surgery Pledge to Staff Members

• To provide a positive working environment for staff and to promote supportive, open cultures that help staff do their job to the best of their ability;
• To provide all staff with clear roles and responsibilities and rewarding jobs for teams and individuals that make a difference to patients, their families and carers and communities;
• To provide all staff with personal development, access to appropriate training for their jobs and line management support to succeed;
• To provide support and opportunities for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety;
• To engage staff in decisions that affect them and the services they provide, individually, through representative organisations and through local partnership working arrangements. All staff will be empowered to put forward ways to deliver better and safer services for patients and their families;
• To have a process for staff to raise an internal grievance;
• To support all staff in raising concerns at the earliest reasonable opportunity about safety, malpractice or wrongdoing at work, responding to and, where necessary, investigating the concerns raised and acting consistently with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

Practice Staff Responsibilities

Practice Staff have the duty:

• To accept professional accountability and maintain the standards of professional practice as set by the appropriate regulatory body applicable to their profession or role.
• To take reasonable care of health and safety at work for themselves, their team and others, and to co-operate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements.
• To act in accordance with the express and implied terms of their contract of employment.
• Not to discriminate against patients or staff and to adhere to equal opportunities and equality and human rights legislation.
• To protect the confidentiality of personal information that they hold unless to do so would put anyone at risk of significant harm.
• To be honest and truthful in applying for a job and in carrying out that job.
• To play their part in ensuring the success of the NHS and delivering high-quality care by:
• Maintaining the highest standards of care and service, taking responsibility not only for the care they personally provide, but also for their wider contribution to the aims of their team and the NHS as a whole;
• Taking up training and development opportunities provided over and above those legally required of their particular post;
• Actively taking part in sustainably improving services by working in partnership with patients, the public and communities;
• Raising any genuine concern they may have about a risk, malpractice or wrongdoing at work (such as a risk to patient safety, fraud or breaches of patient confidentiality), which may affect patients, the public, other staff or the Practice itself, at the earliest reasonable opportunity;
• Involving patients, their families, carers or representatives fully in decisions about prevention, diagnosis, and their individual care and treatment;
• Being open with patients, their families, carers or representatives, including if anything goes wrong; welcoming and listening to feedback and addressing concerns promptly and in a spirit of co-operation;
• Contributing to a climate where the truth can be heard, the reporting of, and learning from errors is encouraged and colleagues are supported where errors are made;
• Viewing the services they provide from the standpoint of a patient, and involve patients, their families and carers in the services they provide, working with them, their communities and other organisations, and making it clear who is responsible for their care.
• To take every appropriate opportunity to encourage and support patients and colleagues to improve their health and wellbeing;
• To contribute towards providing fair and equitable services for all and play your part, wherever possible, in helping to reduce inequalities in experience, access or outcomes between differing groups or sections of society requiring health care;
• To inform patients about the use of their confidential information and to record their objections, consent or dissent; and
• To provide access to a patient’s information to other relevant professionals, always doing so securely, and only where there is a legal and appropriate basis to do so

• All members of staff will treat you courteously and extend to you the utmost respect and dignity. You will also be afforded the high level of privacy, which you would expect from such an establishment.
• We will provide a safe, warm, clean and comfortable premises with disabled access

Waiting Times

• We will aim to keep to appointment times, but unforeseen circumstances may make this difficult on occasions.

Appointments

• We will aim to see all urgent cases within 24 hrs and routine within 48hrs
• The nursing team will see all urgent nursing cases promptly

Telephones

• We will aim to answer the telephone promptly, courteously and introduce staff name on answering.
• The doctors will respond to telephone messages only after surgery.

Home Visits

• We will visit all patients who need to see a doctor. However they must be too ill or infirm to come to the surgery.
• Request calls for emergency visits will be put through to the doctor on call and dealt with appropriately (at any time).

Prescriptions

• Repeat prescriptions will be issued within 48 hrs
• Unless the medications you require is an urgent medical necessity the practice can no longer issues prescriptions on the same day.
• Outside of normal hours you can place a repeat prescription request through our letterbox. Please remember to include:-
• The NAME of the patient who requires the medication.
• The ADDRESS of that person.
• A CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER wherever possible.
• The NAME of the MEDICATION REQUIRED.
• AND the DESTINATION of the completed prescription – ie. where you want the prescription to go to.

Tests and Investigations

• We will contact you with the results of tests ordered by the practice only if urgent action is required.

Forms & Reports

• We will aim to complete all reports and forms within 28 days. If your own GP is on holiday this may take a little longer.
• We will inform you when a charge is necessary.
• We use a processor, iGPR Technologies Limited (“iGPR”), to assist us with responding to report requests relating to your patient data, such as subject access requests that you submit to us (or that someone acting on your behalf submits to us) and report requests that insurers submit to us under the Access to Medical Records Act 1988 in relation to a life insurance policy that you hold or that you are applying for. iGPR manages the reporting process for us by reviewing and responding to requests in accordance with our instructions and all applicable laws, including UK data protection laws. The instructions we issue to iGPR include general instructions on responding to requests and specific instructions on issues that will require further consultation with the GP responsible for your care.

Patients Records

• Under the Data protection Act 2000, you are entitled to view your medical records. However there is a £10 Access to records fee and if you require copies there will be an additional charge, which is dependent on the number of copies required.

Complaints & Suggestions

• The practice has a complaints procedure. Any complaint should be addressed to David Shannon, Practice Manager.
• A complaint will be acknowledged within 48hrs and a response within 10 working days.
• A patient suggestion box is situated in the reception area and all patients are freely invited to contribute to the suggestion scheme on the service we provide. These suggestions are evaluated by the management team on a constant basis

Customer Care

• Patients should extend the same courtesy and politeness to the practice staff as they themselves would expect to receive.
• We hope that patients will assist us by bringing any problems to our attention and showing respect for the surgery premises and surrounding area.
• Wherever possible please try to arrive 5 minutes before the appointment time. If you find that you are going to be late please let us know.

Appointments

• Please notify us as soon as possible if you are unable to keep an appointment as we could offer this appointment to someone else.
• Prior to offering you an appointment the receptionist will enquire about your problem. This will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and is only used as a means to determine who is the most appropriate person in the surgery for you to be seen by. This could either be a doctor or a Nurse.
• Many things can be dealt with over the telephone rather than bringing you into the surgery. This is a more efficient use of your time and the Doctor / Nurse time.

Home Visits

• Please ring before 10.30am if you need a home visit.
• Only request a home visit if you cannot attend the surgery for medical reasons.
• Lack of transport is not a justifiable reason for a house visit.
• When the surgery is closed you should only call a doctor out for urgent problems

Prescriptions

• Please remember that a Doctor may ask to see you concerning a request for a prescription and will need to review repeat medications regularly (usually 6 months).
• Please do not wait until your medication has run out. Give yourself 3-4 working days overlap between prescriptions.
• If at all possible please collect your prescription after 2.00pm Monday to Friday from the surgery or after 4pm from your chosen chemist. Please allow 48hrs for your prescription to be processed.
• Do not leave messages on the prescription line number, as we have no provisions for recovery.

Disabled Access

• The surgery building is constantly being reviewed for disabled access and new automatic doors have been fitted to the front of the premises. All rooms and areas inside the building comply with DDA regulations. A lift operates between ground and first floor levels. Disabled toilets also exist on the ground floor.

Car Parking

• Unfortunately there are no car parking facilities outside the surgery other than for staff. Patients can use the large car park adjacent.