This policy will be made available on the practice website, in the waiting area and in the practice leaflet setting out:

• Opening hours and clinic times, including extended hours
• Types of appointment, e.g. urgent, on the day, face-to-face, telephone, online or video, in advance, arrive/sit and wait, long-term conditions, nurse procedures and clinics, immunisations, and travel etc.
• Appointment booking methods (telephone, online, in person)
• Practice protocol for answering telephone calls, e.g. within a certain time and information on call recording
• Home visit request guidance
• When and why a double appointment may be necessary
• How to cancel an appointment
• The statement on missed appointments at Raydocs
• Out of hours GP arrangements

4.2

Raydocs will identify and use the most safe and effective systems, processes and qualified skill mix for appointments that will sustainably meet Patient’s needs. Raydocs will respond to Patient demand, and will commit to keep Patient access under continuous review.

4.3

An appropriate number of clinical, associated healthcare professional, nurse and non-clinical practice staff will be on duty throughout operational times in order to provide optimum access face-to-face and via the telephone, and online to deal with appointments, workload and queries that arise from Patient access.

4.4

The Raydocs Annual Holiday policy sets out how much notice each member of the practice team (clinical and non-clinical) must give when requesting annual leave, how annual leave is requested and logged, how popular times are dealt with on an equal basis and how many practice team members of each type can be on leave simultaneously. All appointments system operation issues resulting from breaches in the annual leave policy of Raydocs will be resolved by Management.

4.5

Raydocs operates a telephone system that processes calls quickly and consistently at standard UK call rates, and has the appropriate number of staff to answer the telephone throughout the day, according to call volume and internal call answering targets, taking account of any delays (e.g. a cloud based telephone system that holds calls which are not detected or identified by call handlers).

4.6

Triage of telephone calls and online requests by clinical and non-clinical members of the practice team is carried out according to Raydocs protocol, without variation. There is training to support individual roles with regular monitoring, audit and review of this element of the Patient access system.

4.7

Members of staff who handle access request telephone calls must receive regular training in call handling skills to provide callers with a positive experience, avoiding them being put on hold or asked to call back. To protect Patient’s confidentiality and provide a high-quality Patient experience, appointment calls are answered and handled where they cannot be overheard by others i.e. not on the front reception desk or anywhere within range of the waiting room.

4.8

Raydocs will prioritise requests for home visits to assess whether it is clinically necessary and, if so, how quickly the Patient needs to be seen. To ensure consistent handling of visit requests that are safe for Patients, all clinical and non-clinical staff involved in the process are aware of their responsibilities through regular review of performance and training needs. Home visits are mostly made only to housebound or seriously unwell Patients in order to maximise available clinical time and to encourage Patients to use the appointment system responsibly and according to need. This is explained on Raydocs’s website, in practice literature and via other practice communication methods.

4.9

Online access to the booking and the cancellation of appointments is available for Patients with secure online access, set-up via the online access system of Raydocs or the NHS App. As a minimum, the proportion of online appointments offered complies with national and local requirements, with the online appointments ratio kept under regular review to meet the needs of the Patient profile.

4.10

To prevent appointments being missed, Raydocs will seek consent via the opt-in method to send SMS text reminders for appointments to Patients. Raydocs will provide an explanation about the information that will be sent by text and the security arrangements in place. Raydocs will confirm with the Patient their contact details to ensure the number intended to receive SMS text messages is up to date and correct. Text messaging is not used routinely for serious or important messages such as requests for urgent follow-up. SMS text message consent must be stored in the Patient’s medical records.

4.11

Raydocs records all missed appointments and follows up with Patients to ascertain the reason (if possible) to prevent any recurrence. If a Patient consistently misses appointments, and removal from the list becomes the last and only resort for Raydocs, the Patient will have received a recorded formal warning about this conduct at least once in the preceding twelve month period.

4.12

For the purposes of Patient safety and audit, notes, messages and any material Patient information (e.g. presented on loose sheets of paper) is scanned into the clinical system or the information added to the clinical system, for action, follow up or as a record that the information has been received whether or not an action of any kind was necessary.

4.13 Patient Choice

Patient choice may include the option for Raydocs Patients to see a GP or other clinician or be signposted to access a range of services. Patients have the option to request a named GP or clinician, but this may delay access to care and treatment. Raydocs should make Patients aware of this.

Wherever possible, Raydocs clinicians should advise Patients to re-book with the same member of staff for continuity of care. Although this may delay access, it improves outcomes and brings other benefits for both the Patient and clinician. Continuity of care provides the foundation for safe, efficient and coordinated care especially for those Patients with complex and multiple needs.

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.

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.

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.

Print our Complaints Form

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 1998 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.

Organisation Name: Raydoc’s
Location: 243 Wheeler St, B19 2ET
Infection Control Lead at the Organisation: Mary Mungovan
Date Infection Control Statement Produced: 10/03/22
Date of next review: 10/03/23

As a requirement of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice, on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance, it is required that an annual statement be produced regarding compliance with good practice on infection prevention and control. The annual statement will be made available for anyone that wishes to see it, including service users, their representatives, and regulatory authorities. It has been produced by Mary Mungovan and will be updated annually, or when current advice and guidelines change.

There have been no significant events reported regarding infection control issues in the period covered by this report we are still in Covid pandemic and have changed our ways of working according to latest guidelines. This cascaded to all members of staff by emails/practice team meetings on a regular basis or as changes announced.

We are still using PPE to see patients face to face. We will lateral flow when needed until recently we encouraged staff to check twice weekly and most staff have been vaccinated and if staff do test positive they are advised to stay at home until they test negative.

Audit Summary

This section should include a summary of audits undertaken at the service. The areas to cover include: The Audit was carried out on Saturday 19/02/22 by Mary Mungovan while most of the Clinical rooms were unoccupied.

Purpose of audit was to check cleanliness, tidiness, how the rooms are left at the end of a session.

All the clinical rooms were inspected all soap, towels and ppe in the rooms over both floors.
The fixtures and fittings are all in good order as we only moved in to building 12 months ago.

Issues found:

• Dannicentre’s not filled gloves boxes left on tables
• Some rooms were overloaded with coach rolls stored on floor
• Blue curtains need to be changed
• Desks generally cluttered/food in rooms
• Patient chairs placed near the door so difficult for staff member to leave to room in an emergency
• Used mask left on desk/used blood sugar strips left on work top along side used lancets
• Items used in examination are not in covered boxes

Describe the action taken following the audits and whether the audit actions are now closed or open and require further work to close:

• Spoke directly with the Management Team
• Email will be sent to all members of staff to show my findings.
• We have started systematically to tidy up the rooms ground floor has done by the Nursing team.
• First floor where the major problems were each Clinician will be asked to make the necessary changes in their area.
• Then I will do another inspection in 2/52 to review the situation.

Print a copy of our Infection Control Statement.

Our GP surgery is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and professional environment for both patients and staff. To ensure the highest standards of care and service, we have a strict Zero Tolerance Policy in place. This policy outlines unacceptable behaviour and the consequences of such actions to protect everyone within our surgery.

Aggressive or Violent Behaviour

Any form of physical violence, threatening behaviour, or verbal abuse towards our staff, patients, or visitors will not be tolerated. This includes shouting, swearing, or making offensive remarks.

Patients exhibiting aggressive or violent behaviour will be asked to leave the premises immediately. If required the Police will be called and informed. The patient will be removed from our practice list.

Harassment and Bullying

Harassment or any king of bullying directed towards staff or other patients, is strictly prohibited. This includes unwanted comments, gestures, or physical contact. This will include removal from the patient list.

Discriminatory Behaviour

Discrimination based on race, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic is not acceptable within our surgery and will result in removal from the practice list.

Failure to Adhere to Practice Policies

Refusal to comply with the surgery’s policies, including those related to appointment scheduling, confidentiality, and respect for staff, will be considered a breach of our Zero Tolerance Policy.

Repeated non-compliance may result in warnings and eventual removal from the practice list if the behaviour continues.

Consequences of Violating the Zero Tolerance Policy

1. Formal Warning
Depending on the severity of the incident, a patient may receive a formal warning, outlining the unacceptable behaviour and the potential consequences of any further violations.

2. Removal from the Patient List
Persistent or severe breaches of this policy will result in the patient being removed from our surgery’s patient list. In such cases, the patient will be informed in writing and given information on how to register with another GP.

3. Involvement of Authorities
In cases involving physical violence, threats, or criminal behaviour, the police will be contacted immediately, and legal action may be pursued.

Commitment to a Safe Environment

We are dedicated to ensuring that our GP surgery remains a welcoming and secure place for all.

Our Zero Tolerance Policy is in place to protect everyone’s right to safety and respect. By working together and upholding these standards, we can maintain a positive environment for both healthcare providers and patients.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.