We strive to provide the best possible service to our patients but if you feel we have failed to deliver this service to you then we would like to hear about it.

Equally, if any of our staff have impressed you then we would love to hear about that too.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

Complaints

To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

If you would like to make a complaint you can discuss it with whomever you feel most comfortable or speak to our Practice Manager. All complaints will be forwarded to the Practice Manager.  These can be in writing, via email or verbally. Verbal complaints are treated no less seriously than those put in writing.

If you wish to email then please use the following address: blyths.meadow@nhs.net

If you require any assistance with making a complaint then please speak to a member of staff who will help you. You can of course complain on behalf of someone else but we would require the patients written consent to proceed.

We welcome feedback to help us improve our service so please do not be afraid to say how you feel, you will not be treated any differently and we would welcome the opportunity to put things right.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days. If at all possible we will resolve your complaint at this point but we may need to investigate further. You will be advised how long we expect this investigation to take and when we expect to get back to you, we will respond within the agreed timeframe and discuss the outcome fully with you.

If you are not happy with our response to your complaint then you can e-mail: Mid Essex Complaints team on: mseicb-me.complaints@nhs.net

If you feel the complaint still remains unresolved you may of course contact the Ombudsman who will make a decision on whether the practice needs to carry out further investigations. Complaints must be put in writing to them using the form available on their website: www.ombudsman.org.uk.

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.

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practitioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager 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.

GDPR updated 2023 Policy: GDPR Notice

Non-Attendance of Appointments at Blyth’s Meadow Surgery

There are increasing pressures upon all doctors and nurses to reduce waiting times and increase patient access.

Sadly the practice continues to experience missed appointments by patients who did not attend their booked appointments.

Are you aware that for every missed appointment this could have been offered to another patient and will cost the NHS around £100.00 per appointment.

If you are unable to make your appointment please cancel at the earliest opportunity. If patients continue to DNA their appointments may well be removed from the practice list.

To cancel your appointment please call 01376 552508.

• If you fail to attend your appointment without informing us we will contact you on each occasion and record this in you medical record.
• If you fail to attend 3 appointments in a 12 month period without a valid reason, you may be removed from the practice list and asked to find an alternative GP.

Our full DNA Policy can be viewed here.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Blyth’s Meadow Surgery in the financial year 31.3.2022 was £97,960 before Tax and National Insurance. This is for 5 full time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

However it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice, and should not be used to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

The practice is required by the Government under the terms of the latest GP contract to register all patients under Blyths Meadow Surgery.  The practice will then nominate a named accountable GP to each patient.

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 every registered provider must have a Statement of Purpose.

A Statement of Purpose is a document which includes a standard required set of information about a service. The Statement describes:

• Our aims and objectives in providing the services we do.
• The kind of services we provide.
• The health and care needs our service sets out to meet.
• Our contact details.
• Our service’s legal status, and any manager, including the ‘address for service’ for all registered persons.
• The place where our services are provided.

Our statement of purpose can be downloaded by clicking on the link below: CQC Statement of Purpose

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.

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.