Disabled Access 

The Curlew Practice is located on the ground floor of the health centre and provides suitable access for the disabled. 

Comments & Complaints  

To make a comment or complaint on the provisions of service, please write to the Practice Manager at the address overleaf.  A reply where appropriate will be made within two weeks.  A full description of patient’s rights and responsibilities is
available on request.  We use personal health Information in accordance with the Data Protection Act and take great care to protect patient confidentiality. 

If you wish to complain about primary care medical services you can email to:

england.contactus@nhs.net

or telephone 0300 311 2233

or write to:

NHS England

PO Box 16738

Redditch, B97 9PT

Website: www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)

The NHS employs over a million staff in thousands of locations. It is a large and complex organisation providing a broad range of services. It is not surprising that sometimes you or a loved one may feel bewildered or concerned when using the NHS. And this can be at times when you are feeling at your most vulnerable and anxious.

So, what should you do if you want on the spot help when using the health service? The NHS expects all members of staff to listen and respond to you to the best of their ability. But sometimes, you may wish to talk to someone employed especially to help you. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, known as PALS, has been introduced to ensure that the NHS listens to patients, their relatives, carers and friends, and answers their questions and resolves their concerns as quickly as possible.

PALS also helps the NHS to improve services by listening to what matters to patients and their loved ones and making changes, when appropriate.

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What does PALS do?

In particular, PALS will:

• Provide you with information about the NHS and help you with any other health-related enquiry
• Help resolve concerns or problems when you are using the NHS
• Provide information about the NHS complaints procedure and how to get independent help if you decide you may want to make a complaint
• Provide you with information and help introduce you to agencies and support groups outside the NHS
• Inform you about how you can get more involved in your own healthcare and the NHS locally
• Improve the NHS by listening to your concerns, suggestions and experiences and ensuring that people who design and manage services are aware of the issues you raise
• Provide an early warning system for NHS Trusts and monitoring bodies by identifying problems or gaps in services and reporting them.

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Find out more

If you would like more information about PALS, the functions it is intended to provide and the standards it should strive to achieve , follow this link.

Violence & Abuse 

We have a zero tolerance policy to physical and verbal abuse.  Immediate action will be taken which generally includes removal from our list of patients. 

Confidentiaity

The practice complies with the Data Protection Act and Access to Health Records legislation.  Patient identifiable data will only 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 access 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 Authority and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

Reception and administrative 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 clinicians and other medical staff.

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Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act became law on 30th November 2000.  The curlew Practice conforms to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and have produced a publication scheme in accordance with the Act.  A copy of the Act is available from the Freedom of Information Act website: www.foi.nhs.uk