GREYFRIARS MEDICAL CENTRE

ADMINISTRATION

ADMINISTRATION / RECEPTION STAFF

We employ a Practice Manager, Assistant Manager, Senior Receptionist, Reception staff and a full complement of Administration staff.  Please remember that our receptionists have a very difficult and demanding job.  If you do seem to be kept waiting or appear to be asked one or two personal questions we know you will understand that the receptionists are carrying out instructions to help the Practice run smoothly.  You may be asked for some general details concerning your symptoms when requesting an urgent appointment or a home visit but this is done only to offer you appropriate service or to help the doctor to plan his visits according to the urgency of the requests.

ACCESS FOR DISABLED PEOPLE

A small number of parking spaces for disabled people are available in close proximity to the Practice.  There are steps leading up to the front door of the Practice.  There is also a disabled parking space with an entrance to the rear of the building from street level to all clinical areas via a lift with an intercom link for visitors to request that the Receptionist open the door to the lift.  Access to the parking space is through George Street Mews, the small road under the arch opposite the road down to the swimming pool.

MEDICAL RECORDS

We are registered under the Data Protection Act.  Clinical information as well as registration details are recorded to assist us in providing you with quality medical care.  Greyfriars is a "paperless" Practice.  Our computer systems have been upgraded such that all clinical notes, including laboratory results and letters from hospital, are instantly available to the doctor or nurse on their computer screen.  This has greatly improved the efficiency of record keeping and retrieval.

In order to maintain accurate records we ask you to tell us of any change in your particulars: name, address or telephone number etc.  If you move outside the practice area, please do not assume that we can continue to care for you.

THE PRACTICE CHARTER

Our Practice aims to provide you with the best possible treatment and advice at all times and to help you to keep healthy.  We are committed to ensuring high standards of care for you and your family and we seek your support in working together.

Our commitment to our patients is to:

• treat you as an individual, with courtesy and respect at all times;
• offer quickly the most appropriate care, given by suitably qualified people who will explain your condition and treatment programme to you in a simple and understandable way;
• ensure the premises are clean, comfortable and accessible and the appointment times are flexible to meet your needs;
• offer you a consultation for a non-urgent appointment within a reasonable timescale depending on clinical priority;
• for urgent cases, offer you an appointment on the same day though this may not be with the doctor of your choice;
• provide home visits, to the genuinely housebound or seriously ill, although the visiting doctor may not be the doctor of your choice - prior to making a home visit, we may wish to seek from you brief clinical details of your condition - this will enable the doctor to assess your need;
• endeavour to provide repeat prescriptions within two working days, subject to clinical need;
• inform you when you arrive at the Surgery of any expected delays beyond your appointment time;
• give you access to your health records, in accordance with current legislation and treat all information / personal details in the strictest confidence.

In return for the above and to enable us to provide the best possible service, we ask you to:

• tell us if you are worried or unsure of any aspect of your condition or treatment;
• arrive in good time for an appointment and if you have to cancel an appointment, please do so well in advance;
• endeavour to contact us prior to 10.00am if seeking a home visit or, if at night, only when you are too ill to attend the Surgery the following day;
• request your repeat prescriptions well in advance;
• treat the Practice team with courtesy and respect at all times;
• follow all advice and complete any course of medication your Doctor offers you;
• advise us promptly of any changes to your name and address.

Points to remember

The "on-call" Doctor at night is often required to work the next day - please only call them out if your condition is urgent.  A GP has a right to remove patients from his/her list and may do so if:

• a patient moves outside the Practice area;
• if a patient repeatedly fails to attend booked appointments without notiying us to cancel;
• the GP considers that there has been an irreversible breakdown in relationship with the patient.  We only remove patients from our list in extreme cases.

ZERO TOLERANCE

Greyfriars Medical Centre endorses the Scottish Executive's policy on zero tolerance regarding violent or abusive behaviour.  The doctors and our staff deserve to be able to provide a service to our patients without fear of abuse.  Any violence, abuse or aggression will result in that patient being removed from our list.  The police will also be informed of any violent incidents.  

COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS

We welcome any comments or complaints which you may wish to make about the Practice.  We hope to use this feedback to help us improve the quality of the service which we provide.  In general we prefer written comments since this allows a fuller consideration of the problem.  Forms are available from Reception for any comments or complaints which you may like to make, or alternatively, you can write in confidence to our Practice Manager or any of the Doctors.  All comments and complaints will be acknowledged and you will be informed of what action is being taken.