Our commitment to you…

We offer:

  •  Committed doctors, nurses and staff whose priority it is to provide high quality care and to treat you with courtesy and respect
  • Opening hours from 8.30am – 6.30pm Monday to Friday, and some evening surgeries after 6.30pm
  • Appointment choices, bookable up to 6 weeks ahead.  Appointments can be booked online (please ask for details), or by phone
  • Opportunity to talk directly to a doctor or nurse on the phone for advice
  • A range of clinics and services to help you stay healthy
  • Honesty and openness if things go wrong. 

 What we ask from you: 

  • Request an urgent appointment only if your problem is genuinely urgent
  • Arrive for your appointments on time, and let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel  
  • Keep us informed of any change of address and contact telephone numbers
  • Treat doctors and staff with courtesy and respect
  • Tell us if you are unhappy with anything

Comments, Complaints or Concerns

We welcome your feedback, both positive and negative because it helps us to continue to improve our services.

We commit to being open and honest and to investigate any complaint made to us.  Click here for our policies on Being Open and Complaints and Compliments.

If you have any concerns or want to make any comments or complaints please ask to speak to our Practice Manager or her deputy.

Practice Complaints Procedure

How to Complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like to know as soon as possible - ideally, within a matter of days  - as this will enable us to establish what happened more easily.

Complaints should be addressed in person, or in writing, to the Practice Manager or to a doctor. He/she will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly. It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about the detail of your complaint.

What we will do

We will acknowledge your complaint in writing within 3 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days of the date you raised it with us. We will then be in a position to offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved. When we investigate your complaint, we aim to:

  • find out what happened and what went wrong
  • enable you to discuss the problem with those concerned if you would like this
  • make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
  • identify what we need to do to make sure the problem does not arise again.
Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note: we keep strictly to the rules of confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know you have his/her agreement to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (eg because of illness) of providing this.

Complaining to the Primary Care Trust

We hope, if you have a problem, that you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure. We believe that this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our practice. However, this does not affect your right to approach the Local PCT if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. You should contact:

Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS)

NHS Bedfordshire
Gilbert Hitchcock House
21 Kimbolton Road
Bedford MK40 2AW

 

Confidentiality

All our staff are bound by the rules of confidentiality and the Data Protection Act. Please do not request any information relating to another patient without written authorisation for us to release the information. If you have any questions about this standing instruction to all staff, please ask to speak to the Practice Manager.  
 
All our patient records are now computerised. This is password protected and accessible only to staff for the purpose of patient care and administration. 
 
No information will be released about you to any outside source without your written authorisation.

Since 2010 the NHS has operated the “summary care record” which is a way of sharing basic information about patients across the NHS in England.  This means that if you have an accident or become ill anywhere in England the clinicians treating you will have access to limited but important information about you, such as current medications, allergies and any bad reactions you have experienced medicines.  Specifically authorised NHS staff are the only people able to access this information, and there are strict safeguards to protect your information. If a healthcare professional needs to see your summary care record your permission will be sought first, unless you are unable to give consent (eg if unconscious).  You do have the right to withhold permission for a summary care record, and forms are available at the surgery for this purpose.

 

Health and Safety

The practice aims to provide safe and healthy premises for the benefit of staff, patients and visitors. We ask you to behave in a responsible and reasonable manner whilst on the premises. Equipment in any area of the building must not be touched or used without instruction or supervision from staff.