Confidentiality & Medical Records
The practice complies with data protection 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).
- 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.
How we use your medical records
Accessing your medical records
GDPR
Processing your personal information comes with significant responsibilities on our part, and we want you to know that we take those responsibilities very seriously.
From Friday 25th May 2018, The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will replace current data protection laws in the European Union.
Please note we are no longer able to release medical information to family members or friends without signed consent from the patient. On the consent form, you are asked to nominate someone to collect your medical information on your behalf. Please inform the nominee that they may be asked for photo ID on arrival.
Equality and 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.
Comments and Suggestions
We value feedback from our patients and welcome your comments and suggestions. Please put these in writing and mark for the attention of our Practice Manager, Della Kenny.
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 Garda.
Complaints Procedure
We endeavour to give you the best service possible at all times, however there may be occasions when you wish to express dissatisfaction. We operate a complaints procedure to deal with you complaints.
If you have a complaint we would encourage you to tell the member of staff wo you are dealing with, either face to face or by telephone. If you cannot reach an agreement or find it hard to approach a member of staff and wish your complaint to be dealth with more formally, then ask to speak to our business manager or one of the Practice Managers:
Business Manager
- Carmel Loughlin, Castlederg Group Surgery, 13A Lower Strabane Road, Castlederg, Co. Tyrone
Practice Managers
- Mrs Susan Young, Castlederg Group Surgery, 13A Lower Strabane Road, Castlederg, Co. Tyrone
- Mrs Michelle McNulty, Newtownstewart Medical Centre, 5 Millbrook Street, Newtownstewart, Co. Tyrone
- Mrs Fiona Colreavy, Ederney Surgery, Erne Drive, Ederney, Co. Fermanagh.
In the case of a written complaint, it will be acknowledge within 3 working days of receipt, and after investigation we will write to you within 10 days advising of our findings and any changes which have been made to avoid a recurrence of the problem. Please note that under the HSC Complaints Procedure (April 2009) anonymised copies of all written complaints and their respectie responses are required to be forwarded copied to the Health & Social Care Board, 12-22 Linenhall Street, Belfast, BT2 8BS for monitoring purposes.
Timescales
Complaints should be made within 6 months of the event or within months after becoming aware of the cause for complaint, but no longer than 12 months after the event.
Health & Social Care Board
Some people with complaints about family practitioner services may not wish to approach the Practice directly. If this is the case, please contact the Board Complaints Officer for advice and assistance. The Board can act as an 'honest broker' or intermediatry between you and the Practice to hopefully resolve your complaint at Practice-level. Address your complain to:
Mr Michael Cruikshanks
Deputy Complaints Manager
Corporate Services
12-22 Linenhall Street
Belfast BT2 8BS
Tel: 028 95363266
complaints.hscb@hscni.net
Patient and Client Council
You can be support throughout the complaints process by the Patient & Client Council (PCC), which can act as an advocate for you. The PCC can be contacted at complaints.pcc@hscni.net or on Freephone: 0800 917 0222.
NI Public Services Ombudsman
If your complaint cannot be resolved at Practice-leve, you retain the right to approach the NI Public Services Ombudsman, 33 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT1 6HN (tel: 0800 34 34 24) or nipso@nipso.org.uk
If you choose to do so, this should be within 6 months of receiving the final response from the Practice.
Reviewed January 2026