Patient Information
Patient Survey
We would like to thank all our patients who completed the questionnaires for our 2009 patient survey.
We were delighted with the results from the survey, and once again they showed consistently high satisfaction ratings across all areas of the service we provide. We will not become complacent though, and are continually looking at ways to improve our systems and procedures to ensure they remain of a high quality.
We really do take on board any feedback we receive from patients, and welcome any comments and suggestions that would help us to help you. Please complete our online feedback form, or the Comments and Suggestions box available in both surgeries.
New Patients
About The Practice page outlines more information for new patients including how to register with us. Please note we operate a list size system to ensure we can continue to offer a high quality service.
Our Practice Information Leaflet gives you all the information that you require about the services provided by our Primary Health Care Team. The information it contains is also available on this website.
Practice Newsletter
We produce a regular newsletter to keep patients up to date with what has been happening in the practice, and provide information on changes made to improve our services to our patients. We are always interested in feedback from patients and welcome any comments or suggestions on any aspect of the service we provide.
You can read our latest newsletter (Spring 2011).
The Practice Charter
You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times. You will receive the most appropriate care, given by suitably qualified people, and no care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.
In return we would ask you to treat all doctors and staff with courtesy and respect. We would also ask that you try to follow the medical advice offered, and take any medication as advised.
For further information view a copy of our 'Patients' Rights and Responsibilities' leaflet.
Practice Discrimination Policy
We are committed to a policy of equality in the provision of our services and our aim is to ensure that no patient, or any other person wishing to access and make use of our services, receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race (includes colour, nationality, ethnic and national origins), sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, or of other conditions not justified in law.
Medical Records and Confidentiality
As a patient of this practice your medical records are confidential, and are accessible only to the members of the Primary Health Care Team involved in your care. All our staff are trained to respect their duty of confidentiality to us, and have this written into their Contracts of Employment. We keep paper and electronic records securely to prevent unauthorised access or misuse. Whenever practicable we remove references to personal details such as your name and address, and often restrict this further to reduce the chances of anyone identifying a record as relating to you.
As a teaching/training practice there may be occasions when other healthcare professionals - such as audit/research assistants - require access to your medical records as part of approved research projects, or medical visitors who require access to ensure high standards of care are being maintained by the practice. You should be reassured that all persons who have access to your medical records are bound by the same rules of absolute confidentiality as members of the Primary Health Care Team.
Find our more information view 'Your Medical Records and Confidentiality' leaflet.
Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) provides individuals with a right of access to recorded information held by Scotland's public authorities. For further information please see our page about Freedom of Information, which includes a link to our publication scheme.
GP Registrar
We are a GP training practice, and will normally have a Registrar attached to the practice. The Registrar will have already spent a considerable time working in hospital medicine before spending a year with us to gain experience in general practice. Part of this training requires video consultation, and from time to time we may ask patients to help us with this valuable aspect of the training year. This would, of course, only be done with your written agreement. The recordings are only used for teaching and training purposes, and confidentiality will always be maintained.
Medical students
We are sometimes involved with the education and training of medical and nursing students. We would be grateful if you could accept them as part of the practice. You will always be asked if you wish the student to be present during your consultation, and we will always respect your decision.
Comments, Suggestions and Complaints
The doctors and staff at Perth & Scone Medical Group strive to give our patients the highest possible standard of care, and to act quickly if problems arise. If you have any comments, suggestions or complaints on any aspect of the service we provide, please bring this to our attention as soon as possible to allow us the opportunity to address your concerns and, if necessary, conduct a full investigation.
In the first instance we would ask that you contact the Practice Manager or one of the doctors, either in writing or in person, who will be only too happy to discuss the matter with you.
Further information can be found in the Practice Complaints Leaflet (155K).
Travel Immunisations
Any patient wishing travel advice or immunisations should ensure that they complete a travel questionnaire and return this to the practice before arranging a travel clinic appointment. This should be done at least 8 weeks prior to your date of travel. This will allow the Practice Nurse the opportunity to check what immunisations are required for the country you are travelling to, as well as look back your records for any previous immunisations.
Most travel advice and immunisations attract only a prescription charge (if applicable) for our registered patients. There are four immunisations which are chargeable: Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies, Tick Borne Encephalitis and Yellow Fever and these costs will vary depending on the dispensing charge. Please note that the practice will charge per course and further details are available from reception.
Taymount Surgery is a designated Yellow Fever Centre.
The travel questionnaire can be completed online or you can print a PDF copy and hand it in to reception.
Change of Personal Details
If you change your name, address or telephone number, please notify us immediately either via our online form or by phone so that we can amend your records. If you change address and move outwith the practice area, we will have to ask you to register with another practice nearer to your new home.
Private Services
Perth & Scone Medical Group have a contract with NHS Tayside to provide General Medical Services to their patients under the National Health Service.
Certain services provided by your doctor - e.g. private certificates, employment medicals, insurance claims, holiday cancellation certificates - are not covered by the NHS, and the receptionist will advise you when a fee is payable. We ask that the patients complete all the appropriate details before handing any form in to the reception, and allow 7 working days before collection.
Children's Consent to Treatment
The Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991 provides that a person under the age of 16 years shall have legal capacity to consent on his or her own behalf to any surgical, medical or dental procedure or treatment, including psychological or psychiatric examination where, in the opinion of an attending qualified medical practitioner, he or she is capable of understanding the nature and possible consequences of the procedure or treatment.
Perth & Scone Medical Group is committed to ensuring that a competent person of any age has the right to determine their own health care treatment without recourse to the views and wishes of their parents. We recognise that confidentiality is a right valued by young people and our health care team is fully committed to respecting that right.
Removal of Patients from our List
Perth & Scone Medical Group is committed to removing patients from the practice list only in exceptional circumstances, for example when the patient's behaviour has led to a complete breakdown in the relationship between the practice and the patient.
If a decision is taken to remove a patient from the list, they will be formally advised by letter giving the reasons for the decision to remove. The patient will then be officially notified by Practitioner Services in Aberdeen of their date of removal from our list and given information on how to register with another doctor.
We have a zero tolerance policy towards threatening or abusive behaviour and in these cases this may result in immediate removal from the list. Patients who also fail to attend for their booked appointments without notifying the practice may also find they are removed from the list.
Emergency Care Summary & Electronic Health Record
If you require urgent medical care when the practice is closed it is important that some information is available to help doctors and nurses treating you. A summary of basic information about your health is copied from your medical records and stored electronically using the highest standards of security so that it is available as quickly as possible when needed.
Emergency Care Summary
If you become ill when your doctor's surgery is closed you, or the person phoning on your behalf, may be asked by doctors and staff at NHS 24, A & E Departments, or other Out of Hours Medical Centres whether they can access certain information in your patient record such as:
- Your name
- Your date of birth
- The name of your GP surgery
- An identifying number called a CHI number
- Information about medicines prescribed by your GP
- Any bad reactions you have had to medicines that your GP knows about
NHS Tayside Electronic Health Record
Within NHS Tayside further information such as important illnesses, operations, allergies, height, weight and recent blood pressure measurements is also available to medical staff who may be dealing with you out of hours, or if you are receiving care in an NHS Tayside hospital.
Only NHS staff directly involved in your medical care will be allowed to look at either your Emergency Care Summary or Electronic Health Record. They will not be able to see your full patient record.
If you do not want the above doctors and other staff to have access to this information please let the practice know.
More information is contained in the leaflets "Your Emergency Care Summary: What Does it Mean for You?" and "NHS Tayside Electronic Health Record".