Our aim is to give you the highest possible standard of service, and we try to deal swiftly with any problem which may occur. If, however, you feel that you need to make a complaint about any aspects of your experience with us, please collect a Complaints Package from the receptionists or speak to the supervisor at Upavon Surgery.

The NHS operates a Zero Tolerance Policy with regard to violence and abuse and the Practice has the right to remove violent or abusive patients from their lists with immediate effect in order to safeguard staff, patients and other persons.

Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fears for a person's safety.

In this situation we are obliged to 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 the circumstances leading to it. The PCT is then responsible for providing further care for such patients.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act was passed on 30 November 2000. It gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, with full access granted in January 2005. The Act sets out exemptions to that right and places certain obligations on public authorities.

FOI replaced the Open Government Code of Practice, which has been in operation since 1994.

Data Protection and FOI – how do the two interact?

The Data Protection Act 1998 came into force on 1 March 2000. It provides living individuals with a right of access to personal information held about them. The right applies to all information held in computerised form and also to non-computerised information held in filing systems structured so that specific information about particular individuals can retrieved readily.

Individuals already have the right to access information about themselves (personal data), which is held on computer and in some paper files under the Data Protection Act 1998.

The right also applies to those archives that meet these criteria. However, the right is subject to exemptions, which will affect whether information is provided. Requests will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

The Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act are the responsibility of the Lord Chancellor’s Department. A few of its strategic objectives being:

• To improve people’s knowledge and understanding of their rights and responsibilities
• Seeking to encourage an increase in openness in the public sector
• Monitoring the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information
• Developing a data protection policy which properly balances personal information privacy with the need for public and private organisations to process personal information

Our surgeries have suitable access for disabled patients. There are designated disabled parking spaces in the car park

All the patient areas including the waiting room, the consulting rooms and the toilets, are all wheelchair accessible. If you require one, there is a wheelchair available at reception.