Practice Policies

General Practice Procedures

Missed appointments

Please ring and cancel your appointment if you cannot make it so that someone else can use this time.

If you are running late please call and let us know as soon as possible. If you are late for your appointment the doctor or nurse may not be able to see you.

Home visits

The Doctors can provide you with a much fuller service if you come to the surgery, and we urge you to do this if at all possible. However, if your illness means you are housebound and unable to travel, a Doctor may visit your home. Please phone before 10:30am to ask for a visit that day.

Results

We encourage patients to contact the surgery for test results after 2.30pm every day as this is when we are less busy.

Repeat Prescriptions

No prescription requests are dealt with over the phone

Please leave two working days before coming to collect

Either drop the repeat slip into the box on the wall as you come into the surgery or ask at reception.

To register for our online services, including repeat prescription requests, please bring in photo ID with proof of address.  

If you are already registered for online services please click here. 

Practice Policy Statements

Confidentiality

You can be assured that anything you discuss with any member of the surgery staff, whether doctor, nurse or receptionist, will remain confidential. Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone, including parents, other family members, care workers or teachers, without your permission. The only reason why we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect either you or someone else from serious harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you have any worries or queries about confidentiality, please ask a member of staff.

If you would like to discuss matters of a confidential nature, either with our receptionists or a member of the dispensary team, we have a quiet area available in reception for this purpose.

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you 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 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.

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.

Please also respect the confidentiality of others by standing well back from the reception desk.

Violent and aggressive behaviour Policy

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.

Disabled Access

Our surgery entrance is accessible for wheelchair or mobility scooter users. We have a disabled parking space next to the front door and a wheelchair is available for use in surgery.

If you are experiencing hearing difficulties when being called in to see the doctor or nurse, please do let us know in order for us to set up an alert on your medical records and personally collect you from the waiting room.

Alternatively, we do have the facility of a portable induction loop. If you would like to use this please ask at reception for assistance.

Breastfeeding

Is welcome in the surgery.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the premises including the car park. 

Equalities policy

We do not discriminate on the basis of Age, Disability, Gender reassignment, Marriage and civil partnership, Race,Religion or belief, Sex or Sexual orientation.

Meeting our patient's needs

We offer an individualised approach to care for our patients so encourage people to highlight where they have particular needs.

For example, guide dogs are welcome in the surgery and we provide hearing loops and access to an interpreter service via Bigword if required.

Please ask at reception if you require any help or would like to have a confidential discussion as we will do whatever we can to ensure that we meet your individual needs.

Chaperone Policy

This policy is designed to protect both patients and staff from abuse or allegations of abuse and to assist patients to make an informed choice about their examinations and consultations.

 We will always respect your privacy, dignity and your religious and cultural beliefs particularly when intimate examinations are advisable - these will only be carried out with your express agreement and you will be offered a chaperone to attend the examination if you so wish.

You should expect to be introduced to the chaperone but they are encouraged not to engage in further discussion unless directly asked. They will remain outside the curtain when undressing/dressing but stand by the head of the patient during any examination.

You may also request a chaperone when making the appointment or on arrival at the surgery (please let the receptionist know) or at any time during the consultation.

Please click the link to view our Chaperone Policy in full. Chaperone Policy  

Non NHS Services – Private Work Fees

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:

• Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
• Insurance claim forms
• Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Vaccination certificates

The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.

Privacy Policy

Please view our GDPR and Privacy page which includes the Practices Privacy Notices         

Grange Rd Surgery - GDPR and Privacy (grangeroadsurgery.co.uk)

Training

GPs in Training

Our practice is approved to train fully qualified doctors who wish to specialise in general practice. Our GP registrars and Foundation Year 2 doctors will have had 2-4 years of experience as a qualified hospital doctor working in various specialities. They consult patients on their own, under the mentorship of our trainers, Dr O’Neill and Dr Chimenti. Occasionally we ask permission to video a consultation. You will always be asked in advance and are given the option not to take part, and this will not affect your care in any way. No recording will be taken without your consent and the camera will be switched off on request. These videos are used only for educational purposes with the doctor doing the consultation and are destroyed after use.

Medical Students

Medical students are sometimes attached to the practice for a period of time as part of their training. If you do not wish a student to be present during your consultation, please inform the receptionist.

Complaints, comments and compliments

We are constantly striving to improve the service we offer and welcome all feedback, so please don't hesitate to get in touch or ask to speak to the practice manager. General feedback form

If you would like to make a formal complaint, please ask at Reception for a copy of our complaints procedure, together with a complaint form.  Complaint form

Making complaints or raising concerns about NHS services in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (BNSSG CCG) and NHS England have responsibility for commissioning (planning and paying for) the healthcare of the local population.  This means that depending on which service you are unhappy with, there are different organisations to address your complaints and concerns to.

NHS England has responsibility for primary care in North Somerset; GP practices, dental practices, opticians and pharmacies.  If you have a complaint or concerns about a GP practice, dental practice, optometry practice (optician) or pharmacy you need to contact either the individual practice or the NHS England Customer Contact Centre:

Grange Road Surgery:

Post: Grange Road Surgery, Grange Road, Bishopsworth, Bristol, BS13 8LD

Telephone: 01275 841630

Or

NHS England:

Post: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT

Telephone: 0300 311 22 33

Email: england.contactus@nhs.net

BNSSG CCG has responsibility for commissioning hospital, mental health, community, ambulance and GP out of hours services. 

People with a formal complaint about these services, the decision making processes used by BNSSG CCG or the outcomes of decisions, can also make a formal complaint to: can contact the CCG or the individual service provider (hospital etc):

Contact details for BNSSG CCG are on their website  https://bnssgccg.nhs.uk/contact-us/customer-services/

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can also raise issues to the service providers (hospitals etc) on your behalf or alternatively provide contact details of the service providers if you would prefer to communicate to them directly.

PALS, Suite 15, Corum 2, Corum Office Park, Crown Way, Warmley, BS30 8FJ

Telephone: 0117 900 2655 or 0800 073 0907

Email: bnssg.customerservice@nhs.net

In all complaint cases, the second stage of the NHS complaints process remains to make a request to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review the complaint. 

The Ombudsman will not investigate your complaint if you have not already complained to either the service provider (GP, hospital, mental health trust etc) or the commissioner (North Somerset CCG) first.

Infection Prevention and Control

Our Infection Control and Prevention lead nurse is Linda Steward

All GPs and staff at Grange Road surgery are committed to minimising the risk of infection and ensuring the safety of our patients.

Infection Control Audits

Audits are completed every six months and actions have been taken.

All rooms have daily cleaning schedules and every room is inspected weekly to ensure standards are being met. 

Risk Assessments for Infection Control have been completed.

Staff Training

All staff have received training in hand hygiene and infection prevention and control issues.

All our infection control Policies and Procedures are reviewed annually

If you have any comments or suggestions you would like to make about our Infection Control Programme please leave them in the Suggestion Box at reception.

Consent

Consent to treatment means a person must give permission before they receive any type of medical treatment, test or examination.

This must be done on the basis of an explanation by a clinician.

Consent from a patient is needed regardless of the procedure, whether it's a physical examination, organ donation or something else.

The principle of consent is an important part of medical ethics and international human rights law.

Defining Consent

For consent to be valid, it must be voluntary and informed, and the person consenting must have the capacity to make the decision.

The meaning of these terms are:

• voluntary – the decision to either consent or not to consent to treatment must be made by the person, and must not be influenced by pressure from medical staff, friends or family
• informed – the person must be given all of the information about what the treatment involves, including the benefits and risks, whether there are reasonable alternative treatments, and what will happen if treatment does not go ahead
• capacity – the person must be capable of giving consent, which means they understand the information given to them and can use it to make an informed decision

If an adult has the capacity to make a voluntary and informed decision to consent to or refuse a particular treatment, their decision must be respected.

This is still the case even if refusing treatment would result in their death, or the death of their unborn child.

If a person does not have the capacity to make a decision about their treatment and they have not appointed a lasting power of attorney (LPA), the healthcare professionals treating them can go ahead and give treatment if they believe it's in the person's best interests.

But clinicians must take reasonable steps to discuss the situation with the person's friends or relatives before making these decisions.