Policies
Policies
Clinical Policies
Test Results
Any abnormal test results will be communicated to the patient via phone call. Normal results are usually not communicated by phone.
Information will not be given to any other person unless we have your prior permission.
Prescription policy
You can request a repeat prescription by leaving a message with one of our receptionists. This request will then be passed to one of the doctors to review and then email your prescription directly to your nominated pharmacy. Hospital scripts for transfer onto Medical Card scripts can be dropped into the reception for review also.
If it is deemed inappropriate to provide a prescription without prior medical review, the patient will be contacted or informed.
Please allow a 48 hour turnaround time for repeat prescriptions.
Hospital Scripts for transfer will also be sent to your nominated pharmacy.
Prescriptions can also be printed and collected at reception. They must be collected by the patient themselves. If this is not possible a nominated person or pharmacy is permitted to collect a prescription on behalf of a patient with their written permission. (Permission forms available at reception)
Practice Policies
Privacy Policy
This Practice wants to ensure the highest standard of medical care for our patients. We understand that a General Practice is a trusted community governed by an ethic of privacy and confidentiality. Our approach is consistent with the Medical Council guidelines and the privacy principles of the Data Protection Regulations. It is not possible to undertake medical care without collecting and processing personal data and data concerning health. In fact, to do so would be in breach of the Medical Council’s ‘Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Doctors’. This leaflet is about advising you of our policies and practices on dealing with your medical information.
Complaints Proceedure
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, let us know so that we can deal with it and resolve it , if it is within our control and ability. You can email us or telephone reception to let us know so that we can deal with your concerns appropriately.
Anonymous Complaints
In the interest of fairness we cannot investigate anonymous complaints.
Vexatious Complaints
If following investigation a complaint is found to be frivolous or vexatious, we will not pursue the complaint any further. If a complaint is found to be vexatious or malicious, there will be no record of the complaint in the file of the staff member / service about which the complaint was made. Before the complaint is deemed vexatious the member of staff who receives it must bring it to the attention of the designated person in the Practice.
Procedure
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first. Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be within 12 months of the incident. Set out as clearly as you can what the problem is or was. If you are a patient here you can complain about your own care but it is not possible to complain about someone else’s treatment unless you have their written authority. You can email us or Post or hand same in to the Practice Manager/Practice Principal. We will acknowledge same on receipt and review it and contact you within 10 days of receipt.
When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you. If your complaint is still not resolved to your satisfaction, there are several external options where you may bring your complaint:
HSE
Email: yoursay@hse.ie Website: www.hse.ie
Infoline: 1850-24-1850 Address: Oak House, Millenium Park, Naas, Co. Kildare.
OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN
Email: info@ombudsman.ie Website: www.ombudsman.ie
Tel: 01 639 5600 Address: 18 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2
OMBUDSMAN FOR CHILDREN
Email: oco@oco.ie Website: www.oco.ie
Infoline: 1800 20 20 40 Address: Millenium House, 52-56 Great Strand Street, Dublin 1.
MEDICAL COUNCIL
Email: info@mcirl.ie Website: www.medicalcouncil.ie
Tel: 01 4983100 Address: Kingram House, Kingram Place, Dublin 2
NURSING AND MIDWIFERY BOARD OF IRELAND (NMBI)
Email: complaints@nmbi.ie Website: www.nmbi.ie
Tel: 01 6398500 Address: 18-20 Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, County Dublin
THE DATA PROTECTION COMMISSIONER
Tel: 0578 684 800 Website: www.dataprotection.ie
Address: Data Protection Commission, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28, Ireland
~ REMEMBER ~
Your opinion matters and your feedback is welcome and helpful.
Teaching Practice
This practice has for many years been involved in the education of medical students and GP trainees. At various times throughout the year students will visit the practice as part of their curriculum.
Patients will always be informed of a student’s presence; their full permission will be obtained beforehand and all students adhere to the principle of full confidentiality that underpins the doctor patient relationship.
Zero Tolerance
This practice considers aggressive behaviour to be any personal, abusive or threatening comments, bad language, physical contact and aggressive gestures. We operate a ‘zero tolerance policy’ with respect to the protection of all staff.
This means that no abuse of doctors or staff is acceptable whether verbal or physical and any patient will be removed from the patient register with immediate effect.
Chaperone policy
Mullingar Medical Centre is committed to providing all patients with a safe, comfortable environment. If you would like a chaperone present during your consultation, please advise the Receptionist when booking your appointment.
You may also ask for a chaperone on arrival for an appointment, although the practice cannot guarantee a chaperone being available at short notice
Confidentiality
Your medical records are held in the strictest confidence.
It is practice policy and a legal requirement that all staff maintain confidentiality of patient records. View the Practice Privacy Statement here
Comments
Any constructive comments on our practice are always welcome. Please contact any of the doctors or practice manager.
Our Website
Each time any visitor uses the Mullingar Medical Centre website, we may collect one or both of two different types of information.
Non-individual specific statistics
The first type of information is statistical and analytical information collected on a non-individual specific basis about visitors to the our website. We gather general information about how many visitors use the website, how many visitors return to the website, what pages they visit etc. This information lets us monitor traffic on the website so that we can manage its capacity, efficiency, design and content. It helps us to understand website traffic patterns and to know, for example, which parts of the website are the most popular / useful.
Personal information
The second type is information which is personal or particular to a specific visitor. This information is collected by specific request so you will be fully aware when you are providing this information to us. This might arise when you book an appointment online.
Security of information transmitted to our website
Mullingar Medical Centre cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our website. Transmission of your personal information is at your own risk. Once we receive your personal information, we will use appropriate security measures to seek to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure.
External websites
Our website may contain links to and from other websites. Those websites have their own privacy policies and Mullingar Medical Centre does not accept any responsibility or liability for those policies. You are advised to check those policies before you submit any personal information to those websites.