What a DNA is

A DNA appointment is when a patient does not turn up for appointments, and does not contact the surgery to cancel or change the appointment.

This creates a significant strain on the NHS.

We understand that there are situations that can make it impossible for you to cancel your appointment, for example being admitted to hospital.

Our DNA policy

1. If you fail to attend 2 or more appointments in the the previous month, you will get a warning letter.
2. If you’ve had a warning letter and you miss another appointment, you’ll get another letter. This will say that you can only book appointments on the day, and not in advance.
3. If you do not attend same day appointments, we will invite you to discuss a contract and an appointment plan. This will include you calling to confirm an appointment, if not it will be cancelled.

Warning letters last 12 months.

Cancelling appointments

To avoid DNA appointments, you can use the NHS app or online services to cancel your appointments.

You can also get a text reminder of your appointment, and you can reply to this to cancel if necessary. Please make sure we have the right mobile number for you.

Contact us

If you would like to discuss DNAs, please contact the surgery.

See our contact details

You can now see your test results and read notes from your appointments in your NHS account.

This will help you see your test results and read notes from your appointments.

What’s changed

You will now be able to see all the information within your health record automatically.

If you are over 16 and have an online NHS account, such as through the NHS App or NHS website, you can now see all your notes from your GP.

For most people, access will be automatic and you won’t need to do anything.

What health information you can see

You will be able to access:

• notes from GP appointments
• test results
• any letters saved on your records

This only applies to records from your GP, not from hospitals or other specialists.

Privacy advice

If you do not want to see your health record or if you have any concerns, please talk to your GP.

The NHS app and website are secure so no one is able to access your information except you.

If you do not have the NHS app or an online account

These changes only apply to people with the NHS app or an online NHS account.

If you do not want an online account, you can still access your health records by asking at reception.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (eg average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Sina Health Centre in the last financial year was £116,449 before tax and National Insurance.

This is for 3 full time GPs, and 1 locum GP who worked in the practice for more than six months.

Patients registered at the Surgery have a named, accountable doctor who is responsible for coordinating their care.

Your named doctor will be allocated to you by the practice.

You can still talk to or make appointments to see any of our doctors or nurses, not just your named GP.

If you have a preference and would like to request a particular doctor at the practice to be your named GP please talk to one of our receptionists.

See our practice staff

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this GP surgery, please let us know. This includes Primary Care Network staff working as part of our GP surgery. We operate a complaints procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly when they arise and with the person concerned. For example, by requesting a face-to-face meeting to discuss your concerns.

If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible. By making your complaint quickly, it is easier for us to establish what happened. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

• Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
• Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to the GP surgery team verbally or in writing to the Practice Manager. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the GP surgery to discuss your concerns. They will explain the complaints procedure to you and make sure your concerns are dealt with promptly. Please be as specific as possible about your complaint.

What we will do

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. We will aim to have investigated your complaint within ten working days of the date you raised it with us. We will then offer you an explanation or a meeting with the people involved, if you would like this. When we investigate your complaint, we will aim to:

• Find out what happened and what went wrong.
• Make it possible for you to discuss what happened with those concerned, if you would like this.
• Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate.
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We take medical confidentiality seriously. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Complaining to NHS England

We hope that you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure if you are unhappy. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our GP surgery.

However, if you feel you cannot raise the complaint with us directly, please contact NHS England. You can find more information on how to make a complaint at https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse/.

Unhappy with the outcome of your complaint?

If you are not happy with the way your complaint has been dealt with by the GP surgery and NHS England and would like to take the matter further, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. It is an independent service which is free for everyone to use.

To take your complaint to the Ombudsman, visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website or call 0345 015 4033