You can read more about our complaints procedure in our leaflet:

• The Limes Medical Centre – Complaints Procedure

If you would like to provide feedback online, you can do so by completing the Feedback and Complaints triage.

We do not respond to complaints posted on the NHS Choices website.

Infection Control Statement

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) makes sure hospitals, care homes, dental and GP surgeries, and all other care services in England provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care, and encourages them to make improvements where possible.

They do this by inspecting services and publishing the results on their website: www.cqc.org.uk

You can use the results to help you make better decisions about the care you, or someone you care for, receives.

Our CQC Inspection

Our practice is inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure we are meeting essential standards of quality and safety.

This link provides a summary of the results of the latest checks carried out by the CQC.

• The Limes Medical Practice

Help us to help you

We aim to provide the best possible service to our patients and hope you will feel that we achieve that aim.

The care of your health is a partnership between yourself and the primary health care team. The success of that partnership depends on an understanding of each other’s needs and co-operation between us.

Doctor’s Responsibilities

• You will be greeted courteously
• You have a right to confidentiality in line with our Confidentiality policy
• You have the right to see your medical records subject to the limitations of the law
• You will be seen the same day, if your problem is urgent
• You will be seen by your doctor whenever possible
• You will be informed if there will be a delay of more than 20 minutes for your appointment
• You will be referred to a consultant when your GP thinks it necessary
• You will be given the result of any test or investigation on request or at your next appointment. More information can be found on the Test Results page
• Your repeat prescription will be ready for collection two working days after your request. For more information, please view the Prescriptions page
• Your suggestions and comments about the services offered will be considered sympathetically and any complaint dealt with quickly. To make a complaint, or for more information on the process, please visit the Suggestions, Comments and Complaints page

Patient’s Responsibilities

• Please treat all surgery staff with the same respect – we are all just doing our job
• Do not ask for information about anyone other than yourself.
• Tell us of any change of name or address, so that our records are accurate. You can inform us of any changes to your details by completing the Change of Personal Details form
• Only request an urgent appointment if appropriate. Home visits should only be requested if you are too ill to attend the surgery and night visits should be for emergencies only – the doctor on-call will be at work as usual the next day. For more information, please view the Appointments page
• Please cancel your appointment if you are unable to attend. You can do this online.
• Please be punctual but be prepared to wait if your own consultation is delayed by an unexpected emergency
• Please allow sufficient time for your consultant’s letter of the results of any tests to reach us
• You will be advised of the usual length of time to wait
• Use the tear-off slip to request your repeat prescription whenever possible. Please attend for review when asked, before your next prescription is due
• Do let us know whenever you feel we have not met our responsibility to you
• We would, of course, be pleased to hear when you feel praise is due

• Privacy Notice: CCTV and Telephone Recording
• Practice Privacy Notice

The Freedom of Information Act creates a right of access to recorded information and obliges a public authority to:

• Have a publication scheme in place
• Allow public access to information held by public authorities.

The Act covers any recorded organisational information such as reports, policies or strategies, that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland. However, it does not cover personal information such as patient records, which are covered by the Data Protection Act.

Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces.

The Act is enforced by the Information Commissioner who regulates both the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act.

The surgery publication scheme

A publication scheme requires an authority to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The scheme lists information under seven broad classes, which are:

• Who we are and what we do
• What we spend and how we spend it
• What our priorities are and how we are doing it
• How we make decisions
• Our policies and procedures
• Lists and registers
• The services we offer

You can request our publication scheme leaflet at the surgery.

Who can request information?

Under the Act, any individual, anywhere in the world, is able to make a request to a practice for information. An applicant is entitled to be informed in writing, by the practice, whether the practice holds information of the description specified in the request and if that is the case, have the information communicated to him/her. An individual can request information, regardless of whether he/she is the subject of the information or affected by its use. 

How should requests be made?

Requests must:

• Be made in writing (this can be electronically e.g. email/fax)
• State the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence
• Describe the information requested

What cannot be requested?

Personal data about staff and patients covered under Data Protection Act.

For more information see these pages:

• Gov.UK – Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Information Commissioners Office – How to access information from a public body

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. You can contact us online by contacting the practice.

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.

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.

There is a 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 contacting the practice.

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 also opt-out online by contacting the practice.

More Information

For further information visit the “your health records” page on the NHS website.

We have allocated a named accountable GP for all of our registered patients. If you do not know who your named GP is, please ask a member of our reception team by contacting us. Unfortunately, we are unable to notify patients in writing of any change of GP due to the costs involved.