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 PALS
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Please contact our Patient Liaison Advice Service (PALS) if you would like advice or support in any issue, or with the formal complaint procedure. The team will be happy to talk to you and to help. |
Your rights
Staying Informed
Your nurse or doctor will explain what is wrong with you, the different treatments for your condition and the benefits and risks of each. If you decide to go ahead with your treatment, you may be asked to sign a consent form. We will also keep any relative or friend you name informed about your condition.
Taking Part in Decisions
You can expect to be involved in all decisions about your treatment. This will include decisions as to whether it is appropriate to attempt to resuscitate you after heart or breathing failure. You may be asked to take part in medical research or medical student training, you do not have to agree to this.
Being Treated with Respect
We will respect your privacy and dignity, being sensitive to, and respecting, your religious, spiritual and cultural needs at all times. You will be treated fairly according to your healthcare needs, regardless of age, sex, disability or sexuality.
Your Health Records
We will respect your privacy and keep your health records secure. You can see your records if you ask.
The Right to access services within maximum waiting times
The plan of the organisation is to treat you within the 18 week pathway, dependent upon your choice, co-operation and clinical complexity of your pathway. If this is not possible the Trust will undertake all reasonable steps to offer a quicker appointment to start treatment with a clinically appropriate alternative provider if you request this; and provide you with a dedicated point of contact to approach if the maximum waiting time has been, or will be, breached if you wish to seek an alternative.
Patient Leaflet: You
and Your Health Record (195KB, pdf)
Implementation of the right to access services within maximum waiting times (
153KB, pdf)
See also: The
Freedom of Information Act
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Your responsibilities
Just as the Trust recognises that all patients have rights, it recognises that people using the Trust’s facilities have responsibilities, some of which are set out below.
The Trust expects patients to:
- Ask a member of the team caring for you to explain further if there is anything that you do not understand and/or are worried about.
- Advise your named nurse or sister/charge nurse if you have any special needs so that appropriate arrangements can be made
- Inform us of your GP’s name and if you change your GP
- Tell us if you know you are allergic to any treatments, medicines or foods
- Treat other patients and staff with politeness and consideration.
- Recognise that racial, sexual or other harassment of staff, other patients or visitors is not acceptable.
- Attend your hospital appointments on time or contact us in advance if you are unable to make them.
- Arrange your own transport home (unless the doctor feels that an ambulance service is required).
- Hand in any valuable items to your named nurse or the Sister in charge of the ward for placement in a safe place (the Trust cannot accept responsibility for any loss, or damage to personal property not handed in).
The Hillingdon Hospital and Mount Vernon hospital operates a ‘zero tolerance’ policy, which means any form of verbal or physical abuse may be reported to the police.
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Information and confidentiality
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As part of our commitment to patient care, The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has to record personal information about each patient. This ensures that you get the proper care and treatment. |
We may also hold information in order to monitor our services so we can improve them, to protect the health of the wider public, to assist us in making sure the NHS runs in an efficient manner and to train our staff.
How do we use your information?
Your information is obtained in absolute confidence by authorised staff. Your information may be kept manually in paper-based records or digitally on the Trust’s information system. It is likely that we may need to disclose this information to other parties caring for you to enable everyone to work together for your benefit. However we will not do this without your consent.
We may need to share your information with:
- Your GP
- Other hospitals and NHS organisations
- Other organisations (eg Social Services) directly involved in your health care
- The NHS Central Register for England & Wales, which contains basic personal details of all patients registered with a GP. This register does not contain clinical information
- Your information may also be used for Clinical Audit, which is an essential process to help us monitor and improve the quality of clinical care we provide, to ensure it is of the highest standard.
Legally, we are required to pass on some information; for example the notification of birth or the prevalence of certain infectious diseases such as meningitis, (but not AIDS) in the interest of public safety. We have a legal obligation and are committed not to disclose your information to anyone who is not permitted to have access and the sharing of some types of very sensitive personal information is strictly controlled by the Data Protection Act 1998.
See also: The NHS Care Record Guarantee for England
Access to your records
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you are entitled to have access to your records at anytime. All you need is to fill out an application form, provide us with proof of your identity, and pay a small fee. Please write to the address below. You can also write to the same address to discuss issues regarding the sharing of information and how you can consent or object to it.
Data Protection Officer
Care of the Medico-Legal Department
The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge,
Middlesex
UB8 3NN
See also: The
Freedom of Information Act
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