If you have a complaint about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know.  We understand that we may not always get everything right and, by telling us about the problem you have encountered, we will be able to improve our services and patient experience.

We hope that we will be able to resolve any issues that you may raise and we will respond to your complaint in line with the NHS Complaints Procedures

Making a Complaint

Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.

Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so.

If you prefer to make your complaint in writing you can address your letter to the Practice Manager at the address below, request a complaints form from the reception desk, fill in the Contact Us Form on our website, or send an email to altonstreet.admin@nhs.net

Send your written complaint to:

Practice Manager
Alton Street Surgery,
Alton Street,
Ross-on-Wye,
HR9 5AB

However if you would like to discuss your complaint our Operation Managers and Patient Service Managers are all trained to assist with complaints and can be contacted on 01989 563646. Alternatively, you can ask to speak to the Practice Manager.

Please give as much detail as you can, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily.

In any event, this should be:

• Within 12 months of the incident,
• or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter

Complaining to ICB

We hope that you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure if you are unhappy. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our GP surgery.

If for any reason you do not wish to liaise directly with the Practice, then you can request that the local ICB investigates your complaint, who will contact us on your behalf:

Website:          https://herefordshireandworcestershire.icb.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaints

Address:          Patient and Stakeholder Liaison Team, NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Kirkham House, John Comyn  Drive,                                 Perdiswell, Worcester,  WR3 7NS

Telephone:     0300 053 4356 (ask to speak to the Complaints Team)

Email:              hwicb.complaints-GP@nhs.net

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. Therefore if you wish to make a complaint and you are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they consent for a representative to act on their behalf.

Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness, accident or mental capacity, it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances that prevent this in your covering letter.

In the event the patient is deceased, then we may agree to respond to a family member or anyone acting on their behalf or who has had an interest in the welfare of the patient.

Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply. You may also find that if you are complaining on behalf of a child who is capable of making their own complaint.  In both of these cases please complete the following consent form.

We may still need to correspond directly with the patient, or may be able to deal directly with the third party. This depends on the wording of the authority provided.

Third Party Patient Consent Form

What We Do Next

We aim to settle complaints as soon as possible. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days, and aim to resolve the matter as soon as possible, however we will provide you with a timescale with your acknowledgment.  If the matter is likely to take longer than anticipated, we will keep you informed of timescales as the investigation progresses.

When we investigate your complaint, we will aim to:

• Find out what happened and what went wrong.
• Make it possible for you to discuss what happened with those concerned, if you would like this.
• Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate.
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

When the investigations are complete, you will receive a phone call or a formal written reply, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue.

The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to refer the matter further to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (details further below) if you remain dissatisfied with the response.

Need help making a complaint?

If you want help making a complaint, Healthwatch Hounslow can help you find independent NHS complaints advocacy services in your area.

Alternatively, POhWER is a charity that helps people to be involved in decisions being made about their care. Call POhWER’s support centre on 0300 456 2370 for advice.

If You Are Dissatisfied With the Outcome

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint you have the right to approach the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman.

Their contact details are: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, 30 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 0154033
Website: Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman

You may also approach Healthwatch or the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy (IHCA) for help or advice.

The practice 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.

Data Security and Protection Policy

Alton Street Surgery recognises that information has its greatest value when it is accurate, up to date and accessible where and when it is needed. This document sets out a strategic direction form information governance management within the Practice. 

Data Security and Protection Policy

Privacy Notices – How we use your information

Being transparent and providing accessible information to patients about how we will use personal information is a key element of the GDPR Regulations. The following notices will inform you how we use your information.

Data Protection Privacy Notice For Patients 10/06/2021

Additional Privacy Notice – Covid-19 – 24/02/2022

Privacy Notice for Children 14/4/21

Shared Care Record – Privacy Policy

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practitioners and the practice required for disclosure under this Act can be found here.

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 to the Managing Partner 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.

Data Opt-out – Local and National Options

The data held in your GP medical records is shared with other healthcare professionals for the purposes of your individual care. It can also be shared with other organisations to support health and care planning and research.

If you do not want your personally identifiable patient data to be shared outside of your GP practice for purposes except your own care, you can register an opt-out with your GP practice. This is known as a Type 1 Opt-out.

You may also wish to register a National Data Opt-out which is not done at GP practice level; for this, you must contact NHS Digital – more information about the National Data Opt-out is here: https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/ or phone 0300 303 5678.

You can use the form below to:

•       Register a Type 1 Opt-out, for yourself or for a dependent (if you are the parent or legal guardian of the patient) (to Opt-out).
•       Withdraw an existing Type 1 Opt-out, for yourself or a dependent (if you are the parent or legal guardian of the patient) if you have changed your preference (Opt-in).

This decision will not affect individual care and you can change your choice at any time, using this form. This form, once completed, should be sent to your GP practice by email or post. 

Risk Stratification

Risk stratification data tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person’s risk of suffering a condition, preventing an unplanned or (re)admission and identifying a need for preventive intervention. Information about you is collected from several sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP Practice. The identifying parts of your data are removed, analysis of your data is undertaken, and a risk score is then determined.

This is then provided back to your GP as data controller in an identifiable form. Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. If necessary, your GP may be able to offer you additional services.

Please note that you have the right to opt out of your data being used in this way in most circumstances, please contact the practice for further information about opt out.

Individual Risk Management at a GP practice level however is deemed to be part of your individual healthcare and is covered by our legal powers above.

You Have a Choice

The government has announced that the General Practice Data for Planning and Research programme will be delayed until 4 key areas are strengthened:

• The ability for patients to opt-out or back in to sharing their GP data with NHS Digital, with data being deleted even if it has been uploaded.
• NHS Digital’s backlog of opt-outs cleared.
• A Trusted Research Environment is available where approved researchers can work securely on de-identified patient data which does not leave the environment.
• A campaign has increased public awareness of the programme, explaining how data is used and patient choices.

Three changes are being made to the opt-out system so that patients can change their opt-out status at any time:

• Patients DO NOT need to register a Type 1 opt-out by 1st September to ensure their GP data  will not be uploaded.
• NHS Digital will create the technical means to allow GP data that has previously been uploaded to the system is the GDPR collection, to be deleted when someone registers a Type 1 opt-out.
• The plan to retire Type 1 opt-outs will be deferred for at least 12 months whilst they get the new arrangements up and running and will not be implemented without consultation with the RCGP, the BMA and the National Data Guardian.

Update 26th July 2021

Our responsibility to you

Names: People involved in your care will give you their names and ensure that you know how to contact them. The surgery will be well signposted and names will be indicated on the surgery doors.

Waiting Time: We run an appointment system, and in most cases you will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse hopes to be able to contact or see you. You should not have to wait more than 30 minutes after this time without receiving an explanation for the delay.

Access: We are committed to providing excellent access to our patient services and to providing the opportunity to:

• Register with the practice and access services without fear of discrimination
• Consult with a Practice Nurse / Health Care Assistant within one working da
• Consult with a GP within two working day
• Request an assessment the same day if the patient determines this is clinically indicate
• Directly book appointments with the Practice Nurses, Health Care Assistants, and attached Midwife
• Book appointments more than two working days in advance
• See a practitioner of the your choice, normally within seven working day
• Request a home visit (subject to clinical need)

Telephone: We will try to answer the phone promptly and ensure there are sufficient staff to do this. You may be able to speak to a doctor by telephone, but it is likely that the doctor will be asked to call you back.

Respect: Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their healthcare, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious and cultural beliefs.

Information: We will give you full information about the services we offer. Every effort will be made to ensure you receive the information which directly affects your health and the care being offered.

Health Records: These will be kept confidential at all times, and you have the right to see them, subject to limitations in the law.

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who can see it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I know if I have one?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by looking at our interactive map or by asking your GP

Do I have to have one?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.

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