Suggestions & Complaints

The practice operates a complaints system in line with NHS complaints procedures. We encourage patients, carers or patient’s representatives to bring to our attention any instances of concern. If you are unhappy with an aspect of your treatment, or if you wish to bring something to our attention you can:

• Telephone or visit the health centre and ask for a complaints form.
• Telephone or visit the health centre and ask to speak with the Practice Manager.
• Write to Carol Broadfoot the Practice Manager, detailing your concerns. She will acknowledge receipt of your letter, and if appropriate investigate it personally, or pass it on to a clinician if it is a medical issue.

We aim to give as good a service to our patients as possible, and take all complaints and comments seriously. An acknowledgement will be sent within 3 working days of a complaint being received by the practice and we aim to fully investigate and answer complaints within 10 working days or advise you of any delay.

Practice Complaints Form

If you do not wish to contact the practice you can write to:

Patient Relations Team,
Acute Trust HQ,
Westburn Avenue,
Falkirk,
FK1 5SU.
Telephone: 01324 678530

Email:FV-UHB.complaints@nhs.net

If you are not satisfied with how we’ve dealt with your complaint

If you are not satisfied with how we’ve dealt with your concerns, you can complain to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman at http://www.spso.org.uk/how-complain . Complaints need to be in writing or electronic. There is an online form on their website.

Alternatively, you can write to : The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman FREEPOST EH641 Edinbugh EH3 0BR Telephone: 0870 011 5378

Patient Rights

All members of the Primary Care Team are dedicated to a quality policy to achieve health services, which meet the patient’s requirements. In particular we believe: 

• Patients have the right to be treated courteously.
• Patients have a right to absolute confidentiality .
• Surgeries should begin at appointed times. Any delay will be due to medical necessity. Where there is a delay patients will be kept informed and offered any alternative.
• Patients have the right to information about their own health, particularly: the illness and its treatment, alternative forms of treatment and the likely outcome.
• A GP will be able to give telephone advice should a patient request it.
• The Practice will offer advice and seek to inform patients of steps they can take to promote good health and to avoid illness.
• The Practice will inform patients of services available by means of its leaflet.
• Patients with urgent medical conditions will be given priority and will be seen as soon as possible, even when this causes delay to booked appointments.
• Patients shall be referred to a Consultant acceptable to them, when their GP thinks it necessary.
• Acknowledgement of a written complaint will be sent within 3 working days.
• Repeat prescriptions will normally be available 24 hours following their request. This is only applicable to those normally issued and recorded on the repeat form. Special Requests will take 48 hours.
• The Practice operates an equal opportunities policy to ensure that no patient or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, race, religion, ethnic or national origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexuality or social status

With these rights come responsibilities, and for patients this means:

• Courtesy to staff at all times.
• To attend appointments on time or give adequate notice that they wish to cancel. Lateness or non-attendance inconveniences other patients and wastes appointment time.
• An appointment is for one person only. Where another member of the family needs to be seen or discussed, an additional appointment should be made.
• Patients must remember that an appointment is for 10 minutes and if they need more time than this they should tell the receptionist when they book their appointment.
• Patients should make every effort to consult at the surgery. Home visits should be medically justifiable.
• When asked to give 24 hours notice for repeat prescriptions, please give us this time as it is to allow accurate prescribing.
• Out-of-hours calls (e.g. evening/night/weekends) should only be requested if they are felt to be truly necessary.
• Aggressive behaviour including personal, abusive and or aggressive comments, cursing and or swearing, physical contact or aggressive gestures will not be tolerated by the practice. The practice will request that any patient behaving aggressively or damaging property is removed from their practice list.
• Any patient removed from the list will be written to by the practice and told why they are being removed and how to get medical services elsewhere.
• All instances of actual physical abuse on any member of our staff by a patient or their relatives will be reported to the police.

Data Protection & Confidentility

The Data Protection Act (1998) gives you the right of access to all information that is held about you on computer or in paper records. You have the right to see your records and obtain a photocopy if you wish. To apply for access you should write to the Practice Manager. There may be a charge for this.

No information on a patient can be disclosed to a third party without the patient’s consent. This confidentiality can only be broken in situations where the health, safety or welfare of the patient or others would be at grave risk of serious harm, and if disclosure to an appropriate person would prevent this.

As providers of healthcare services, our staff ask you for information in order that you are treated appropriately. We keep this information together with details of your treatment in case it is needed when we see you again. We may use some of this information for other reasons. For example

• In improving the quality of care and treatment e.g. when referring you to a Specialist.
• For medical or health service research, audit and training.
• The law may require us to pass on information e.g. Statutory Notification of Births and Deaths
• Processing for administrative purposes e.g. disclosure by a GP to receive payment for treatment provided and post-payment verification of payments.
• In the investigation of complaints and legal claims.
• Disclosures to the police or for purposes of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

We may also need to share some of your information with other people who provide care to you. We only ever use or pass on information if there is a genuine need to know and it is in everyone’s interest to do so. Anyone who receives such information is bound by a legal duty to keep it confidential.

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Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 states that members of the public have the right to certain information. In order to meet this requirement the practice has adopted the British Medical Associations model publication scheme. If you require a copy of this, please contact the Practice Manager.

Violence Statement

The practice considers aggressive behaviour to be any personal, abusive and/or aggressive comments, cursing and/or swearing, physical contact and/or aggressive gestures.

The practice will request the removal of any patient from the practice list who is aggressive or abusive towards a doctor, member of staff, other patient, or who damages property.

All instances of actual physical abuse on any doctor or member of staff, by a patient or their relatives will be reported to the police as an assault.