All Polices

Patient Social Media Guidance

At Imperial Medical Practice we have a Facebook page which provides a range of useful information for our patient population.

Imperial Medical Practice has a duty to maintain patient confidentiality and to safeguard vulnerable patients. You can help us to achieve this by adhering to the code of conduct outlined in this policy.

Patients at Imperial Medical Practice are expected to adhere to the following code of conduct at all times:

  • The organisation requires all users of portable devices to use them in a courteous and considerate manner, respecting their fellow patients. Portable devices are not to be used during consultations, except when agreed with your clinician.
  • Patients are not permitted to disclose any patient-identifiable information about other patients, unless they have the express consent of that patient.
  • Whilst not encouraged, patients may record their consultation but this should be agreed with your clinician. This recording will solely be for your own purpose.
  • Patients must not post any material that is inaccurate, fraudulent, harassing, embarrassing, obscene, defamatory or unlawful. Any such posts on the organisation Facebook page will be deleted and the post reported.
  • Patients are not permitted to take photographs in the waiting room or areas where other patients are present, nor are photographs of staff permitted to be taken.
  • Patients must not post comments on social media that identify any staff.
  • Patients are able to leave a review about Imperial Medical Practice. The page will enable the Practice Manager to respond appropriately.
  • Defamatory comments about our team are not to be shared on any social media platform. Legal advice will be sought and the appropriate action taken against any patient who posts defamatory comments.

Patient complaints on social media

  • We have a separate complaints policy which patients are to use should they wish to make a complaint. We will only respond to complaints made to the organisation in accordance with the organisation’s policy.

If a complaint is made on the organisation’s Imperial Medical Practice page, it will be deleted.

Training Practice

Our Practice is a recognised Training Practice and has a number of qualified ‘GP Trainers’ who participate in the training of doctors for work in General Practice.

We are proud to provide training for the next generation of doctor and nurses and are rated as “Excellent” by Health Education England as a provider of GP training. We have also been award the University of Exeter Medical School Award for Innovation and Excellence in medical student teaching.

You may at times be offered an appointment with a qualified doctor who is gaining experience in General Practice or asked if a student may be present while you consult with your own doctor.  You will be offered the opportunity to decline if you are not happy with this arrangement.

Dr Moffat and Dr Turner are our GP trainers and they also lead on Medical Student teaching within the Practice.

Staff Training

Occasionally (approx 3-4 times per year) between the hours of 1-6pm, we close the Practice to conduct staff training and our telephones may be switched over to the control team who will support you with any urgent needs. Our telephone system will always inform you of any planned closures and advise on appropriate signposting. We always ensure we advertise planned closures well in advance via our website and social media pages, and a sign on the entrance of the Practice. As always, if you have an emergency need then dial 999.

Protected Time for Learning and Team Development

Approximately three times a year the practice will hold a clinical teaching session which are called Quality Half Day. This protected time is used for various updates and training to take place. The practice employs locum GPs for this session to allow all our Practice GPs to attend and to minimise any disruption to patients care.

Emergency cover, as at weekends and evenings, is provided by NHS 111.

Updating your Medical Record

How we deal with inaccuracies in your Medical Records

If you would like to dispute the accuracy or have queries regarding the content of your medical records, you may object or opt to have certain entries deleted.

As a patient at the practice, you can apply your UK GDPR rights of:

  • Rectification (Article 16 UK GDPR)
  • Erasure (Article 17 UK GDPR)
  • Restriction of processing (Article 18 UK GDPR)
  • Data portability (Article 20 UK GDPR)
  • Right to object (Article 21 UK GDPR)

If you would like to request amendments to your records, please contact the Practice with your name, date of birth and queries/ objections with your medical records.

A member of the team will then contact you to investigate further, and the Practice will take necessary action with your records.

Zero Tolerance

We all have bad days, and when we feel ill we may feel ‘down’ and a little more irritable than normal.

All our staff are here to help you. Reception staff are following procedures that help the practice to function efficiently. Staff have the right to work in a safe and secure environment and we, as employers, have the legal responsibility to provide that safe and secure environment.

The practice will not tolerate:

  • Verbal abuse to staff which prevents them from doing their job or makes them feel unsafe.
  • Threats of violence or actual violence to a GP or a member of his or her staff.
  • The GPs have the right to remove from their list with immediate effect any patient who behaves in the above manner.