Practice Policies
Privacy Statement
See here.
Equality & Respect
We are committed to treating all patients in a courteous, consistent and professional manner. We aim to have a mutually fair and respectful relationship with our patients and to provide equality of service to all patients in an environment which is free from discrimination or harassment.
Unacceptable Behaviour
At our practice we operate a 'No Tolerance' policy regarding abusive or aggressive behaviour towards any member of our staff. We aim to provide a comprehensive and professional service in an efficient and pleasant manner to all our patients. We strive to provide a helpful and friendly environment. We would like to ask that patients co-operate with all our policies and treat our staff in a courteous manner. Safety is of paramount importance at our practice and, accordingly, any patient or visitor who is abusive or aggressive in a verbal or physical manner, will be asked to leave the premises immediately and will be removed from the patient list. We consider aggressive behaviour to include any personal, abusive or threatening comments, bad language, physical contact, aggressive gestures and theft or damage to property. We will not hesitate to contact the Gardaí.
Complaints Policy
We always try to give our patients the best care possible but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. If you have a complaint about your care we need to hear from you so that we can learn lessons, thereby continuously improving our care of patients. We have a written procedure in the Practice to ensure that we manage complaints in the most effective way, to the highest standard and we hope to the satisfaction of our patients.
If we have gotten something wrong, we will apologise and where possible we will try to put things right. We also aim to learn from our mistakes and use the information we gain to improve our services.
If you are disappointed with any aspects of our service, please see the below procedure. All complaints will be dealt with in a strictly confidential manner.
Sometimes, you might be concerned about matters that are not decided by us (external decisions made by the HSE) and we will then advise you about how to make your concerns known.
Complaints Procedure
Informal resolution
If possible, we believe it is best to deal with things as soon as possible and in the easiest and most direct way. If you have a complaint, raise it with the person you are dealing with. She or he will try to resolve it for you there and then. However, they may need time to look into it, and as such we will come back to you within 5 working days.
If there are any lessons to learn from addressing your complaint, the member of staff will draw them to our attention. If the member of staff can’t help, they will explain why and you can then submit your complaint formally for further investigation.
What we expect from you
In times of trouble or distress, some people may act out of character. There may have been upsetting or distressing circumstances leading up to a complaint. We do not view behaviour as unacceptable just because someone is forceful or determined.
We believe that all complainants have the right to be heard, understood and respected. However, we also consider that our staff have the same rights. We, therefore, expect you to be polite and courteous in your dealings with us. We will not tolerate aggressive or abusive behaviour, unreasonable demands or unreasonable persistence.
Comments & Suggestions
Your comments and suggestions are welcomed and valued. Some people feel shy or uncomfortable to raise an issue directly with us and you might prefer to fill in this comment form and give it to a member of staff (or simply put in an envelope and drop through the letterbox). All comments and suggestions are brought to the attention of our team and we try to make improvements accordingly.