Practice Policies

Confidentiality & Medical Records

Tower Medical Center complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

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

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.

Individual GP level data collection

To follow…

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the Tower Medical Center manager.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the Tower Medical Center manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

The Accessible Information Standard aims to make sure that disabled people have access to information that they can understand and any communication support they might need.
This includes making sure that patients, service users, their carers and parents get information in different formats if they need it, such as:

• Large print
• Easy Read
• Via eMail

The Accessible Information Standard also tells organisations how to support people’s communication needs, e.g. by offering support from an interpreter or an advocate.
As part of the Accessible Information Standard we have to carry out 5 tasks:

1. Ask people if they have any information or communication needs and find out how to meet those needs
2. Record those needs in a set way
3. Highlight a person’s file, so that it is clear that they have information or communication needs, and clearly explain how those needs should be met
4. Share information about a person’s needs with other NHS and adult social care providers, when they have consent or permission to do so
5. Make sure that people get information in an accessible way and communication support if they need it

Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends Tower Medical Center.
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 contact Tower Medical Center manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

Violence Policy

Tower Medical Center operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and Tower Medical Center has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard 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.