Membership Scheme Terms & Conditions
Updated January 2023
Opening hours
The GP practice is open from 9:00 – 17:30 Monday to Friday late night Thursday 19:30. Saturday 08:30 – 12:30
Membership
Members are patients who pay a monthly or annual subscription to the practice. Patients must complete an application form to apply to register to become a member of the practice. All applications are assessed by a GP to ensure fairness to all existing members and to not over-subscribe. If high numbers of applications are received, then we will suspend new application assessments until we have the capacity to take new members.
Private GP Clinic have the right to decline a membership application if they feel the patient has a complex medical history or condition that would be better managed by another healthcare professional.
Individual and family memberships are available. The subscription rates are reviewed annually, and members will be informed in writing of any changes before they become due for renewal. Membership subscriptions can be paid monthly or annually for a minimum term of one year. Monthly subscriptions are payable by online transfer only and annual subscriptions can be paid by debit or credit card or online transfer.
Members are entitled to unlimited GP and nurse appointments (subject to our fair usage policy), repeat prescriptions, NHS and private referrals, discounted rate on a range of blood tests and free travel advice. We cannot guarantee appointment availability, but we will make every effort to accommodate our members’ requirements.
Fair Usage Policy
Our fair usage policy is implemented on trust to ensure patients use our services within a reasonable and sensible limit. We believe this policy will encourage our patients to be considerate in their use of our services by ensuring that they do not book unnecessary appointments, turn up without an appointment, continually cancel appointments at the last minute, or not turn up for appointments which then stops other patients from being able to see a GP.
Termination
Members who decide to terminate their subscription following their first anniversary must inform the Clinic Manager, giving one month’s written notice. No refunds are given if members do not make use of our services in their subscription year. Other cancellations are looked at on a case-by-case basis but if 75% or more of the member’s subscription year has passed then no refund will be given.
Cancellation policy
We require 24 hours’ notice for the cancellation of an appointment – missed appointments or non-attendance are chargeable at our standard rate.
Travel services
All members must complete a travel assessment which can be emailed out or collected from the Practice. The form should be completed and returned at least 3 weeks before the intended date of travel. The form will be assessed by a nurse and/or GP and this may involve a telephone consultation with the member. All vaccinations are chargeable and those that have been specially ordered will need to be paid for in advance and are non-refundable.
Communication and confidentiality
Members should inform the GP or Clinic Manager of any preference in the way we communicate with them. We request that members do not email any medical information to the Practice to protect their medical safety and privacy.
Regulation
We are fully registered with the Care Quality Commission and accredited with UKAS
General Data Protection Regulation 2018
The practice adheres to the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) in relation to personal data.
Members agreeing to these terms are consenting to the processing of their personal data to allow us to carry out work on their behalf. Under the GDPR 2018, the member has the right to request details of all their personal data held by the practice.
Confidentiality and medical records
The practice may need to liaise with the member’s NHS GP, hospital consultant or other healthcare agencies. We will only share personal information with third parties with the knowledge and agreement of the member.
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) and Access to Health Records Act, members may request to see their medical records. All requests should be made through the Clinic Manager. The practice will not release information, without consent from the member, unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Complaints
Sometimes things go wrong, and a complaint arises. The practice has a complaints process, and we aim to resolve any issues as quickly and amicably as possible. Please contact the Clinic Manager for details of our complaints process.
Zero tolerance / harassment policy
The practice takes it very seriously if a member of staff or one of the doctors or nursing team is treated in an abusive or violent way or feels harassed in any way. The practice supports the government’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked, abused, or violated. To successfully provide these services a mutual respect between all the staff and patients must be in place. All our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. We would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time. The staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.
The practice has the right to terminate membership, with immediate effect, where a patient is deemed to have acted in an inappropriate manner towards any member of staff or if the doctor and patient relationship has irrevocably broken down.