Private Medical Practise in Portobello, London

Name of Company

The Portobello Clinic Private Medical Practice, trading as The Portobello Clinic.

Place of business

The offices of the Portobello Clinic situated at 12 Raddington Road, London, W10 5TG

Responsibility for work

The Practice tries to ensure that wherever possible medical care is conducted by staff with experience appropriate to the level of care required, and at the most appropriate fee level. We employ, in addition to medical practitioners, nurses qualified under the rules of the General Nursing Council, physiotherapists qualified under the rules of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, and a range of managers and assistants.

Registration

Registration falls into two main categories

1. Private General Practice Patients

a) Member

Members are registered patients of the private general practitioners of The Portobello Clinic who consider the practice their main primary care provider; in general such patients do not regularly utilise the services of an NHS general practitioner. Some patients are also registered with an NHS practice close to a second home, for emergency care when out of London. This group of patients (the members) is the core activity of the doctors of The Portobello Clinic. They are defined by payment of an annual membership fee.

We assume that patients who join as members are handing over their primary care exclusively to the practice. Therefore we would not routinely report to an NHS GP for example, unless patients specifically request that we do

b) Visitors

Visitors are using the services of the general practitioners of The Portobello Clinic as a consultancy. Typically this would be for a second opinion, or an appointment of convenience. The duty of primary care for these patients remains with their usual GP, and not ourselves. We would therefore routinely report back to the usual GP for any intervention, unless patients request that we do not. In such circumstances, we will give the patient a note of the consultation so that they can present this to their regular doctor should they need to.

2. Private Specialist / Therapist Outpatients

These patients are only using the services of the specialist consultants or other therapists of the Portobello Clinic. They do not use the services of the private general practice. Typically this would be for a private specialist appointment following referral from their own GP. The duty of primary care for these patients remains with their usual GP, and not the private general practice. We would therefore routinely report back to the usual GP for any intervention, unless patients request that we do not.

Fees and Payment

1. Unless an alternative fee arrangement has been agreed and confirmed in writing by the Manager, we charge on the basis of the time spent, or are likely to spend in dealing with care. This may include time spent considering and researching matters, making and receiving telephone calls, as well as briefing and discussing outcomes with relevant specialists. Our hourly rates may vary depending on the experience and seniority of the person handling your care.
2. Full details of the fee structure for both the private general practice and the specialist services are enclosed with the practice brochure, and are summarised here:

Telephone Advice

Telephone advice from a doctor is only offered to registered practice members. Members of staff may offer advice for example on the services we provide or general healthcare information, but any specific medical questions from non-members will require an appointment.

Telephone or e-mail advice is given at the discretion of the doctors. It is routinely given free of charge to members for follow-up advice subsequent to an appointment or an encounter. For new problems, patients will be routinely advised to make an appointment to see one of the doctors. In certain circumstances, the doctors may deem it appropriate to offer telephone or e-mail advice for new episodes, and these consultations will be chargeable depending on the amount of time spent and the actions taken in connection with the consultation. As a guide, the standard fee for such advice is �45.

Telephone advice is not offered to Visitors. The only exception to this is when a doctor is communicating results or other information by telephone as follow-up to a consultation. Such advice will only relate to that consultation. Any new enquiry will require an appointment.

Arrangements for payment of fees.

With the exception of minor surgical procedures, all fees will be paid at the time of the consultation or intervention. Receipts for such payments will be issued, and if a patient has insurance to cover medical care then such receipts can be used to claim reimbursement. We will do all that we can to support such claims if insurance organisations require forms completed, copies of referral letters, or other evidence.

We can invoice insurance companies direct for minor surgical procedures only.

Payments can be made in person at reception after appointments. We take all major credit and debit cards with the exception of American Express. We also accept cheques with guarantee card or cash. We also have facilities to hold payment details securely on file and ca process payments automatically following an appointment if desired.

Payment terms

In the event that fees are not paid at the time of consultation, either in person or automatically surcharges will be applied.

An immediate �50 surcharge will be added to any fees not settled on the day.

If payment is not received within 30 days of the appointment date, a further �50 surcharge will be added. A further �50 will be added after 60 days, and again after 90 days, at which point legal proceedings will commence.

Further treatments will only be offered at the discretion of the Manager and the Partners for any patients who have outstanding accounts.

We operate a strict credit control policy and overdue invoices will be subjected to recovery proceedings.

Regulation

We are required to comply with the principles and values on which good practice is founded, as laid down by the General Medical Council. Additionally we are subject to annual inspection by the Healthcare Commission. The medical Practitioners of the clinic are all subject to regular appraisal, and adherence to the process of continuing medical education under the auspices of the relevant Royal Colleges.

Communication and confidentiality

If patients have any preference as to the method of our communication, then please inform the manager of the clinic. Unless instructed to the contrary we may communicate via E-mail.

Please note the correspondence via E-mail carries inherent risk and we cannot guarantee confidentiality. As part of our security systems we routinely monitor all incoming and outgoing E-mails.

Information we exchange by E-mail is therefore sent at your own risk.

We have rigorous standards in the maintenance of confidentiality. We use an external agency for typing, but photocopying and the preparation of reports is carried out on the premises. We do not use patient's names in promotional literature.

Many patients prefer to conduct their medical care through the medium of telephone calls or E-mails. This represents a serious increase in risk, as anything other than face-to-face communication is known to increase error rate and risk.

Requests are frequently made for repeat prescriptions and the provision of other medications to be arranged via telephone, fax or E-mail. These methods do not have protected legal status, and objective research has shown that they are all liable to an increased level of error. The doctors at the clinic discourage the use of telephoned prescriptions for topping up routine supplies of medications. A �10 fee is applied to any prescription authorised over the telephone.

Data Protection Act 1998

We observe the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the data protection principles in relation to personal data. By agreeing to these terms you are agreeing to the processing of personal data to enable us to carry out work on your behalf.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you have a right to require details of your personal data held by us. A fee of �10 is payable. Requests must be made in writing to the Manager.

Complaints

We aim to offer all patients a friendly and efficient service and hope you will be pleased with the work that we do for you.

Should a patient be unhappy about any of the services or care that we have provided, a complaints procedure has been set up to ensure that all grievances are dealt with rapidly and efficiently for the benefit of all parties concerned. Complaints should be sent in writing to the Manager at the main surgery address, who will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 48 hours. After a thorough investigation, a meeting will then be arranged where the matter can be discussed openly, recorded and hopefully resolved.

Complaints Procedure

A complaint may be defined as a grievance raised by a dissatisfied user of the services offered and provided by the practice. Complaints may relate to the quality of care, professional competence, administrative and support services provided and may be of a clinical or non-clinical nature.

All suggestions for improvement of this practice are welcomed and the practice manager is available to receive your comments and to deal with any problems which may arise.

The doctors in this practice are also members of the Independent Doctors Forum. This offers access to an independent review of any complaints which cannot be resolved within the practice.

Details of the IDF review are available from:
Fiona Merrick
IDF Secretary
Tel: 0208 505 6995
Or visit www.independentdoctorsforum.net

Internal Complaints Procedure

There are two ways in which patients can register a complaint. In all cases the first point of contact should be the practice manager.

1. Informal discussion.

Patients are free to call the practice manager at any time to register a complaint or discuss any concerns that they have about their treatment. He will endeavour to rectify the situation to mutual satisfaction and the incident will be recorded in the practice complaints file.

Where informal complaints are made directly to other members of staff, they will similarly endeavour to resolve the situation in a mutually agreeable way. The member of staff will then report the incident to the practice manager, who will record it in the practice complaints file. Patients who feel the situation has not been resolved to their satisfaction should then refer the matter to the practice manager.

2. Formal complaint

If patients are unhappy with the outcome of an informal discussion, or from the outset would like their complaint investigated more fully, they can use the practice complaints procedure which is aimed at dealing with complaints quickly and in a friendly and non-threatening way.

• Patients wishing to use the practice complaints procedure should first arrange to speak with the practice manager.
• He will record full details of the complaint, and attempt to resolve in an appropriate manner.
• Should the complaint not be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, a formal investigation will be initiated.

At this stage patients are kindly requested to write with their complaint, and address it to the practice manager and include:

• a clear outline of the complaint
• the date and time of the incident
• the names of the people involved

The patient will receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours confirming receipt of the formal written complaint, and the confirming the facts of the matter (unless a full response can be sent within 5 working days). Patients who have not had a response within this timeframe should call the practice manager directly to ensure their complaint has been received.

Complaints about clinical matters will be investigated by the practice manager and the partners of the practice. Administrative complaints will normally be investigated by the practice manager. Every effort will be made to complete these investigations within one working week.

A full response in writing, setting out the conclusion of the investigation and action, if any, taken in respect of it, is to be made within 20 working days of receipt of the complaint, unless the investigation is still in progress, in which case a letter explaining the reasons for the delay, is to be sent to the complainant. Thereafter, the full response to the complaint is to be given to the complainant within 5 working days of a conclusion being reached in respect of the complaint.

Meetings between the parties concerned may need to take place to clarify the nature and detail of the complaint. Such meetings may extend and take place outside the time frame set out in the proceeding paragraph but such meetings must take place in privacy and at a mutually convenient time and conform to an agreed timetable. The nature and outcome of any such meetings and the discussions in those meetings should be recorded.

A register and the records of all complaints should be kept and stored and subject to regular audit but with regard for patient confidentiality. The register of complaints should include information on whether or not the complaint was upheld, the results of the investigation, the resolution of the complaint and the action taken.

In the event that this meeting fails to resolve the matter, or if the patient declines the invitation, patients will be referred to an independent authority, the Independent Doctors Forum, for further inquiry.

External Conciliation

External conciliation is offered to all patients in the event that internal investigation fails to achieve a resolution. In this event the practice manager will contact a member of the IDF Council.

Both parties will provide a short statement about the episode in question. It is recommended that any medical statement should be previously vetted by the appropriate medical indemnity organisation.

These statements will be forwarded to a conciliator.

The Conciliator will arrange to meet both parties at a mutually convenient time, when both parties will be able to put forward their argument. In the subsequent discussions, the experienced Conciliator will explore possible avenues to resolve the problem.

The Conciliator will issue a report to both parties and a copy will be sent to the IDF. It will include a summary of the following

• The material facts
• The apparent grounds of difference between the two parties
• Whether the complaint has been substantiated, upheld or rejected
• Proposals for resolving or addressing the complaint, including remedial action recommended.

Alternate Dispute Resolution

Though being encouraged by The Lord Chancellor and being increasingly used by the NHS Litigation Authority, the decision to use alternative dispute resolution techniques will be made by the medical indemnifiers. In this stage, professional mediators will be employed.

The procedures followed are at the discretion of the mediator. However, they usually follow this sequence

• The mediator opens proceedings by explaining his position
• Each party in turn is invited to make a brief opening statement without interruption from the other party.
• Each party is invited to comment briefly on the other's statements
• The mediator will allocate to each party a separate room to which they can retire and where confidential discussions can be made.
• The mediator will investigate aspects of the case with each party in confidence and explore possible areas of reconciliation. With the party's consent, he will convey any proposals to the other party for their consideration.
• If both sides agree to a set of proposals, they are brought together again in a plenary session to produce a formal binding agreement.

Duration: Probably 1, possibly 2, days.

Timetable: Within 6 weeks of notification of decision to proceed to ADR

The complaints procedure is reviewed at regular intervals and updated as required, both by the practice and by the Independent Doctors' Forum.

Acceptance

Your registration with the clinic will amount to your acceptance of these terms of business. In order to complete the process of registration, the relevant registration form must be completed and submitted to the Manager. Please sign and date the accompanying form and return it as soon as possible. Then we can be confident you understand the basis on which we will care for you.

Private General Practise

Patients who are registered as members are, following registration, under the full care of the private general practitioners at The Portobello Clinic.

Patients registered as visitors are using the services of the Portobello Clinic as a consultancy service and remain under the care of their regular GP