CircleBath
Patient policy

Pre-admission visit

If you would like to visit the hospital before your admission please feel free to call the hospital and our staff will be delighted to arrange a suitable time to meet you and show you around the hospital.

Please contact the Circle Bath Helpline on: 0808 188 1880

Our approach and your rights

Circle Bath places a high level of importance on effective communication with the patients who attend the hospital. Consultants will fully explain treatment options at the time of consultation.

Information leaflets covering all of the procedures and services offered by Circle Bath are also available in patient areas and on request from staff. These leaflets can be sent to your home address prior to admission to hospital if you prefer.

Patient consent

Every patient has the right to make his/her own decisions regarding medical treatment and care. In order to make decisions, the patient is entitled to have full information about the treatment options, identified risks and the intended outcome of any treatment / procedure. The consent may be written, verbal or non-verbal dependent on the requirement for consent. If you feel that you have had insufficient information regarding your treatment or procedure, please speak to a member of the nursing team.

Arrangements for respecting patients privacy & dignity

Please be assured that, under our Confidentiality Policy, your personal details will not be disclosed to any third party without your specific permission. (Except under legislative requirement)

Our policy on Confidentiality can be made available to you on request.

Chaperones

All patients have the right to request a chaperone to be present at any time during their stay or for any element of their treatment or consultation. For further information, please speak to a member of staff.

Patient access to medical records

Under the Access to Medical Records Act 1996 you have the right (with certain conditions) to view your medical records.

If you wish to view your medical records you should inform a member of the nursing staff who will make the necessary arrangements with the Nurse Lead.

Access to clinical records is provided in line with statutory requirements and policy as follows:

Access to Consultant Records

Permission of the Consultant must be obtained before access is permitted. Access to the patients medical record may be refused if the Consultant considers that;

1. To allow access would seriously harm the physical or mental well-being of the patient or any other individual.
2. Access would disclose information relating to or provided by another person who can be recognised from the information. This does not apply if the third party has given their permission.
3. The record was compiled before 1 November 1991 unless earlier information is required to make sense of a current entry.

If a Consultant refuses to allow a patient access to their medical records;

1. This will be clearly documented in the nursing records
2. The Consultant will inform the patient with an adequate explanation either verbally (preferably) or in writing

Access to Nursing / Hospital Records

1. Patients are allowed free access to their Nursing Records.
2. Any questions or issues relating to entries in the nursing records will be dealt with by a senior nurse

Data protection act 1998

The Data Protection Act 1998 put in place regulations regarding the processing of personal information and applies to both manual and computer records. Your signature on the Admission / Registration Form which you will be given on arrival will confirm that you have read and understood the Data Protection notice on the form. This notice explains that your consent to information, including medical details, about you being processed for the purpose of your treatment as a private patient and any settlement of related expenses.

In our continued commitment to maintaining high standards of care, your medical records may be audited. The information produced for audit purposes is anonymous and does not infringe on your rights under the Data Protection Act, 1998. If you wish to refuse permission for your medical records to be used for audit purposes, please let us know when you attend the hospital.

To obtain a copy of the personal data held under these terms of the Act, you will need to apply in writing to Simon Pejcic, Governance and Assurance Lead. Please be aware that a fee may be charged for this service.

Special requirements

We recognise that everyone has individual circumstances and needs and we use this as the basis for planning your care.

Allergies

Please make sure that a member of clinical staff is made aware of any known allergy you may have.

Blood transfusions

It may be necessary either during or after certain surgery that you may require a blood transfusion. If you have concerns regarding blood transfusions or would want to refuse a blood transfusion please discuss these concerns with your nurse or consultant, prior to your surgery, as it will not be possible to ascertain your consent whilst you are under any form of sedation or anaesthetic.

Living wills, advance directives and resuscitation procedure

We believe that patient's rights are central to decision making about resuscitation therefore please advise us if you have in place a living will or advance directive.

Emergency care

In the rare event of an emergency we can assure you that our emergency team are fully trained and competent in life support. The Resident Medical Officer is fully trained and competent in both adult and paediatric advanced life support. We undertake emergency scenario testing on a regular basis to ensure that our team remain skilled in the area of emergency care.

Child protection and the protection of vulnerable adults

The Nurse Lead has attended advanced training in Child Protection and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults and is responsible for awareness training within the hospital. All staff who may be involved in the care, treatment or come into contact with children, adolescents or vulnerable adults will undergo training on induction and thereafter annually as part of their mandatory training programme. Consultants are required to provide evidence that they have also attended training for Child Protection and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults, or to attend the hospital's training sessions in these areas.

The Nurse Lead is the named professional for Child Protection.

Where can I find the patient guide?

Welcome to our web-based Patient Guide. In here, you'll find everything you need to assist you on your journey through CircleBath as a patient.

It's divided into three sections.The first section gives you general information about the hospital and the people who work here. The second section takes you through what will happen during your stay. And the third contains statutory information such as our compliance with government standards and your rights as a patient.

Or of course you can download the Patient Guide as a PDF.

Statement of purpose

Click here to read our Statement of Purpose

Policy on safeguarding children

At CircleBath we take safeguarding children very seriously. For more information on our policy please click here.

Policy on mixed sex accommodation

To find out more about our policy on mixed sex accommodation please click here.

Infection, protection and control

To find out more about our policy on infection, protection and control please click here.

Quality Account

For more information on our Quality Account Report please click here