Noticeboard

We have taken steps to reduce risk of Coronavirus by reverting to telephone triage. This is to protect the most vulnerable of our patients as well as the staff. When you ring us, our staff will ask you some questions to determine your condition. Some of these questions may include if you have a temperature or a cough. These questions will help us to determine the best action to take but also helps protect our staff and other vulnerable patients.

Please DO NOT ATTEND THE SURGERY without a prior appointment.

When you do attend for either a GP or nurse appointment, we are also asking that once you have advised of your arrival you then return to your car and you will be called in. We have closed our waiting room, again in an effort to control the virus.

We would also advise that for the present time we are no longer completing private reports, HGV medicals, life insurance forms etc., and would suggest that you may wish to attend a private clinic for these.

Reminder - we have online ordering for your repeat medicines which is our preferred way for you to order - please ask at reception for your first time unique log in so you can bypass the phone system.

When the Surgery is closed, please contact the GP Out of hours for the Southern Trust area which is 028 3839 9201. For our patients living in the South Eastern Trust Area your number is 028 9260 2204

Reminder to all patients: Please allow 72hrs (that's three full working days ) for repeat prescriptions to be issued.

We want to empower our patients to enable them to care for themselves and their loved ones for minor ailments. The Self Care forum website is designed for patients to access information on managing their symptoms themselves and advising when to seek medical help.

WEBSITE: http://www.selfcareforum.org/ or scroll down for some more information on specific ailments

Here are links to some common ailments:

1 Sore throat how to treat your sore throat

2 Cough in adults how to manage your cough

3 Sinus infections how to manage a sinus infection yourself

4 Earache how to manage earache symptoms

5 Fever in children how to assess a child with a temperature

Practice Policies

At Ballyward Surgery we will ensure that patients are informed about how the information we hold is processed and shared. All information will be process lawfully and fairly, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (soon to be replaced by a new Data Protection Act) and General Data Protection Regulation which comes into effect on Friday 25th May 2018.

Please see Ballyward Surgery Privacy Notice for further details.

Ballyward Privacy Notice

Confidentiality & Medical Records

Locked blue folder The practice complies with data protection, the new GDPR and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Complaints

Customer service form 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, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

Violence Policy

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will 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 circumstances leading to it.