INFORMATION FOR ALL PATIENTS
- The basic principles upon which our services are provided to you are outlined below.
- All Service Users are requested to give consent to receiving care and treatment from Medical
Express Clinic based upon these principles and understandings.
Our Staff
All are staff are:
- Fully trained and experienced for their role.
- On the relevant professional registers.
- Are required to undergo stringent checks before being permitted to work for our Company.
- Keep up- to-date with their professional practice.
- Are committed to delivering the best possible service for you.
- Required to adhere to strict professional standards and ethics.
Confidentiality of Information
- Your rights to confidentiality will be safeguarded. We will not disclose any personal information
about you to a third party unless this has been agreed with you. Agreement to disclose information
should only be sought if it is for your benefit, e.g. for the purpose of assisting in your support.
- Our policy is that any information about you is strictly confidential and that maintaining a position of trust in
this regard is paramount. However, because some information is relevant to providing quality support, such information
will be shared with members of staff who may be supporting you. Visiting professionals and visitors requiring
information will be referred in the first instance to the Registered Manager or the person in charge within the Company.
You or, where appropriate, your principal Carer will be consulted where appropriate before information is released.
- Information about you will be stored in paper form and may also be held on computer. Both forms are treated in the same strictly confidential way.
- CCTV is used in order to protect your security and well-being. CCTV will not be used in private areas (such as WCs and changing rooms) or in treatment rooms without explicit Service User consent having been obtained.
- Information about you is needed in order to enable staff to provide proper support and treatment.
Some of the information may also be used for other purposes, such as:
- Making sure our services meet your needs.
- Helping staff to review the support they provide to you to help them achieve the highest standards.
- Investigating complaints or legal claims.
- Auditing of our services.
- Sometimes information about you needs to be passed on to other agencies or organisations,
for example if you are receiving care or support from a GP or hospital. The types of organisations
with whom we may share information about you are:
- GPs
- Insurance Companies
- Other health professionals.
- Care Quality Commission.
- Further details about how we use your information are available in our Privacy Notice.
Equal Opportunities
- You have the right to practise your beliefs, religion or culture without constraint by restrictive or discriminatory practice.
- Complaints of discriminatory practice will be thoroughly investigated, and the results of the investigation made known to the complainant.
Teaching
- Occasionally staff in training (such as medical students) may wish to be present during your consultations.
- If you are not happy with this, please let us know.
Chaperoning
- If you wish for a chaperone, please make this known to the receptionist and/or your clinician.
- Please note that our clinicians may themselves arrange for a chaperone to be present during g their consultations with you if this is required on the clinical or safety grounds.
Making a Complaint and Giving Compliments
- We believe that complaints and compliments are a valuable indicator of the quality of our service, and an
opportunity to improve that quality. We assure all Service Users that no-one will be victimised for making a
complaint, and we encourage Service Users to instigate the complaints procedure whenever they feel that this
is necessary. We do not wish to confine complaints to major issues. We encourage Service Users to comment when
relatively minor matters are a problem to them. It is our policy that all matters which disturb or upset a
Service User should be reported, recorded, and corrective action should be taken. Only in that way can we
work towards meeting our aim of continuously improving our service.
- Our commitment is that:
- All complaints will be taken seriously; You will receive a response within 24 hours of the complaint being made, and a final reply within 28 days;
- If the complaint is upheld, you will receive a written apology and appropriate action will be taken to rectify the complaint, and you will be informed of what that action is;
- All complaints will be acted upon with fairness and impartiality
- Service Users are entitled to involve an impartial third party in the complaint
procedure if they so wish.
- Service Users and their representatives may take their complaints to persons in authority outside the Company if they are not satisfied with the response that they receive from us.
- We aim to respect your privacy and dignity at all times. Please speak out, or speak to the supervisor or CQC Registered Manager if your privacy or dignity is not being respected.
- Records will be designed, used and stored to assure privacy. Legislative controls over records, such as the Data Protection Act, will be adhered to, and the Service User’s explicit permission in writing will be sought before information is passed to any person other than those directly concerned with the care of the Service User.
Respect For Other Service Users And Staff
- You are requested to afford the same courtesy to other Service Users and staff as you would expect to receive yourself.
- Note that any loud or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated.
- Service Users are not permitted to smoke on or near the premises.
- Service Users who are under the influence of drink or self-harm substances may be asked to leave the premises.
- Children must be supervised at all times, your service will be suspended if any children are left unattended.
Payment Arrangements
- Details of your treatment fees will be notified in advance.
- If you have any queries or concerns, please let us know before your treatment begins.
- You will be required to settle your accounts promptly and in full.
CONSENT - IT'S UP TO YOU!
About the Consent Form
Before a doctor or other health professional examines or treats you, they need your consent. Sometimes you can simply tell them whether you agree with their suggestions. However, sometimes a written record of your decision is helpful - for example if your treatment involves sedation or general anaesthesia. You'll be asked to sign a consent form. If you later change your mind, you're entitled to withdraw consent - even after signing.
What should I know before deciding?
Health professionals must ensure you know enough to enable you to decide about treatment. They'll write information on the consent form and offer you a copy to keep as well as discussing the choices of treatment with you. Although they may well recommend a particular option, you're free to choose another. People's attitudes vary on things like the amount of risk or pain they're prepared to accept. That goes for the amount of information, too. If you'd rather not know about certain aspects, discuss your worries with whoever is treating you.
Should I ask questions?
Always ask anything you want. As a reminder, you can write your questions in the space over the page. The person you ask should do his or her best to answer, but if they don't know they should find some-one else who is able to discuss your concerns. To support you and prompt questions, you might like to bring a friend or relative. Ask if you'd like someone independent to speak up for you.
Is there anything I should tell people?
If there's any procedure you don't want to happen, you should tell the people treating you. It's also important for them to know about any illnesses or allergies which you may have or have suffered from in the past.
Who is treating me?
Amongst the health professionals treating you, there may be someone in training. They will only carry out procedures for which they have been appropriately trained. Someone senior will supervise - either in person accompanying a less experienced doctor or nurse in training or available to advise someone less experienced.
Photographs, audio and video tapes
As part of your treatment some kind of photographic record may be made - for example X-rays, clinical photographs or sometimes an audio or video tape. You will always be told if this is going to happen. The photograph, recording or report will be kept with your notes and will be held in confidence as part of your medical record. This means that it will normally be seen only by those involved in providing you with care or those who need to check the quality of care you have received. The use of photographs and recordings is also extremely important for other HPSS work, such as teaching or medical research. However, we will not use yours in a way that might allow you to be identified or recognised without your express permission. CCTV is in place in the common areas of the building and the waiting room for security purposes. Privacy in the consulting or treatment rooms is paramount, as such there is no CCTV in these areas.
What are the key things to remember?
It's your decision! It's up to you to choose whether or not to consent to what's being proposed. Ask as many questions as you like, and remember to tell the team about anything that concerns you or about any medication, allergies or past history which might affect your health.
Questions to ask health professionals
As well as giving you information health professionals must listen and do their best to answer your questions. Before your next appointment, you can write some down in the space below.
Questions may be about the
treatment itself, for example:
- What are the main treatment options
- What are the benefits of each of the options
- What are the risks, if any, of each option
- What are the success rates for different options - for this unit or for you (the Doctor)
- What are the risks if I decide to do nothing for the time being
- How can I expect to feel after the procedure
- When am I likely to be able to get back to work
Please proceed to complete and sign our patient registration form in person if you have not already registered online. Proceeding to undergo a consultation at Medical Express Clinic provides us with your consent to receive care and treatment from us in accordance with the terms outlined above.