General Info

MEDICAL EDUCATION

Upwell Health Centre is an approved practice for the purposes of specialist GP training. We will frequently have a GP Registrar working here. These are doctors who have chosen to specialise in general practice and are spending some time with us prior to becoming in GPs themselves. The registrar will have his/her own surgeries and take a share of visits and on-call duties. You may be asked if your consultation with the doctor can be videotaped for teaching purposes. You are free to decline but remember anything you say will be kept confidential by any Doctor seeing the tape and that all your current GPs had to go through this training before they came here. If, after the consultation, you have changed your mind you may ask for the tape to be erased.

From time to time we have medical students from Cambridge University or student nurses visiting the practice. This is a very important part of their training and also keeps us up-to-date with new developments in medicine and nursing. If you object to a student being present during your consultation please let us know.

HUNTER-ROWE TRUST

Thanks to the generosity of our patients we administer a Registered Charitable Trust. Through this we can purchase expensive equipment and useful aids and appliances that our patients can borrow when necessary. Please ask at reception if you need to borrow any equipment. There will be a deposit for some of the larger items such as wheelchairs. Please remember that this equipment is only for short time loan and if you require an item such as a wheelchair for longer than a few weeks then please discuss this with us.

DISABLED PATIENTS

There is unobstructed access for disabled patients and wheelchairs are available at the main entrance. All parts of the building are accessible to wheelchairs and there is a specially adapted toilet for the use of people with disabilities.

Disabled patients may park outside the main entrance, other people are asked to use the car park provided.

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

We always try to give you the best services possible, but there may be times when you feel this has not happened.

If you have a complaint we hope you will allow us to look into and, if necessary, put right any problems you have identified or mistakes that have been made. The practice procedure is not able to deal with questions of legal liability or compensation

If you use this procedure it will not affect your right to complain to the Health Authority if you so wish. Please note that we have to respect our duty of confidentiality to patients and a patient's consent will be necessary if a complaint is not made in person.

If you wish to make a complaint, please phone, write or ask to speak to the Managing Partner, Mike Greenbank. He will take full details of your complaint and decide how best to undertake the investigation.

We think it is important to deal with complaints swiftly so you will normally be offered an appointment for a meeting to discuss matters within seven days. Occasionally, if we have to make a lot of enquiries, it might take a little longer, but we will keep you informed. You may bring a friend or relative with you to the meeting.

We will try to address your concerns fully, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be needed. We hope that, at the end of the meeting, you will feel satisfied that we have dealt with the matter thoroughly. However, if this is not possible and you wish to continue with your complaint, we will direct you to the appropriate authority who will be able to help you.

PATIENTS' COMMENTS

We welcome suggestions from our patients which can be made at reception or by letter. Periodically we produce a newsletter to keep you all up to date with what is going on at the health centre. Please feel free to write to the newsletter.

PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP

There is an active Patient Participation Group made up of representatives from all the villages who meet monthly with the practice to exchange views and discuss issues of mutual concern. Please see the practice notice board for details.


	Last Updated :


	25th Feb 2008


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