Cancellation can be made at any time for GP appointments at Elstree and Registration for Reset Your health program prior to the appointment for a full refund. 

However, any cancellation for Reset Your Clinic First appointment within 48hrs may incur a fee of £125. Our fees can be taken at the time of booking/consultation through Stripe payment processor. 

By making an online booking you will be agreeing to share your personal details with Stripe. Refunds from Stripe can take 7-10 working days to appear in your account. If you still have unpaid refunds after 10 days then you should contact us by emailing on info@drkapilchawla.co.uk All appointments made over the telephone (in case of non availability of internet services) will involve taking card details ( if not saved already) at the end of consultation. Once the consultation starts there will NOT be any refunds. Credit note/ refund may be issued in exceptional circumstances if the doctor considers that a consultation was not needed.

Dr Kapil Chawla is continually looking at the standard of care provided and listening to what his patients want. We review all the comments you make and we use that information to improve our services and facilities even further. Your opinions, feedback and comments are important to us.

 

IF YOU WANT TO COMPLAIN 

 

If you are unhappy with our service we want to know about it as soon as possible. We will then investigate the situation so that we can explain, apologise and take positive action where necessary. If you tell us as soon as the problem arises, it can often be sorted out straightaway. Just write to us, simply mentioning “I have a complaint” without any further details on info@drkapilchawla.co.uk. Dr Chawla will call you to personally hear from you about the complaint. If you are not completely satisfied you can put your comments in writing. We take all comments and complaints seriously. 

We always: 

• Pass on any praise to the people concerned 

• Handle complaints in complete confidence 

• Investigate impartially 

• Offer a clear and complete explanation 

 

THE PROCESS

 

Dr Chawla is responsible for the day-to-day running of the services and is in the best position to investigate any complaint thoroughly and promptly. Any complaint received will be dealt with as soon as they are received by a phone call. 

 

GETTING BACK TO YOU

 

If an investigation is needed and is still going on after 20 days, we will write to explain the delay. In very complex cases, which may take more time, we will send you regular progress reports. We may suggest meeting you to talk through your issues and attempt to resolve them. 

 

AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW 

 

If a patient is unable to reach a local resolution, they will be given details of the IDF who act as an intermediary. 

Failing a satisfactory response from the IDF, they may contact ISCAS (details available in Complaint Handling Procedure).

 

 

Complaints Procedure

 

 AIM 

 

Doctor Kapil Chawla is committed to delivering a high-quality service and will provide ohis patients and their families with excellent personal and professional care. 

However, there may be times when expectations are not met and they may be dissatisfied with the service that they have received. 

Our Complaints Procedure ensures that we respond to their concerns considerately, quickly and as effectively as possible. 

All comments and complaints are taken seriously regardless of their nature, medical or administrative. 

 

RATIONALE 

 

This policy outlines our Patient Complaints procedure and gives them advice about how to get a satisfactory response to their complaint. 

 

PROCEDURE 

 

Stage 1 

 

Response to your email “I have a Complaint” Dr Chawla would wish to hear directly from a patient regarding any matter that was unsatisfactory. 

If you have a complaint, simply email us at info@drkapilchawla.co.uk regarding the complaint. 

Every effort will be made to resolve your complaint immediately either at that time or an appointment will be made for a further discussion. 

However, if your concerns are not resolved to your satisfaction there follows guidance on making a written complaint. Should Dr Chawla not be available, his practice manager will give you a call to discuss the matter further. 

 

Written Complaint 

All written complaints should be addressed to Dr Chawla as “Written Complaint” on info@drkapilchawla.co.uk. 

 

The letter must include information regarding the following: 

1. Who or what has caused the concern. 

2. Where or when the event took place. 

3. What action, if any, has already been taken. 

4. What results the patient wants from the complaint. 

 

Dr Chawla will acknowledge receipt of your letter within 3 working days (unless able to provide a full written response within 5 days). 

Dr Chawla will investigate the complaint and will write to the patient with the outcome within 20 working days. 

If the investigation is still in progress after twenty days a letter will be sent to you explaining the delay and a full response made within five days of reaching a conclusion. 

In any event a holding letter will be sent every 20 days where an investigation is continuing. 

 

Stage 2 

 

Further Action: 

 

Should a patient be unhappy with the outcome and unable to reach a local resolution, they should contact: 

IDF CEO 

The Medical Society of London 

Lettsom House 11 Chandos 

St Marylebone 

London W1G 9EB 

 

 

The IDF Complaint Resolution Procedure will consider your complaint and will undertake a review of the documentation, any correspondence and the handling of the complaint at Stage 1. 

The Chief Executive Officer will write to you according to the IDF procedures and in any event within twenty days to either confirm the outcome at stage 1 or to offer an alternative resolution. 

At this time the IDF will advise you of your right to take the matter further to Independent Adjudication known as ISCAS and stage 3 in these procedures. 

Throughout the process all information, documents and records relevant to your complaint will be treated in the strictest confidence and no information will be divulged to any parties who are not involved in the IDF Complaint Resolution Procedure, unless required to do so by law. 

 

Stage 3 

 

This stage is only available to the complainants who remain dissatisfied once Stage 1 and Stage 2 are exhausted. 

A complainant should then request the Adjudication by writing to the 

Secretariat: Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS)

 Care of CEDR – Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution International Dispute Resolution Centre 

70 Fleet Street 

London EC4Y 1EU 

Tel: 0207 536 6091 

Email: info@iscas.org.uk 

 

This written request for adjudication must be made within 6 months of the final determination by the IDF at Stage 2. 

The complainant at Stage 3 should provide reasons to explain the dissatisfaction with the outcome of Stage 2.

The ISCAS Secretariat will seek confirmation from the IDF that Stage 2 has been completed. 

The ISCAS Secretariat will notify the IDF of a request for Stage 3 made directly within ten days. 

The Secretariat will then be the main contact for the complainant once Adjudication is started. 

A complainant accessing this service will be asked to consent to release of records from the practice and the IDF relevant to the complaint and a report will be made to the complainant, the practice and the IDF. 

Additional information for patients about ISCAS can be found at: http://www.iscas.org.uk/patients-complaints-process

Data Controller: Dr Kapil Chawla 

Data Protection Lead: Dr Kapil Chawla 

 

Fair Processing Notice 

This privacy notice explains why Dr Kapil Chawla collects information about you, how that information may be used and which organisations the information will be shared with to ensure you receive the best possible care. 

 

What Information Do We Collect? 

 

Your healthcare records contain information about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. NHS Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-in clinic, etc.). 

All your health records are kept confidential and secure, electronically in our software database, Heydoc/Semble and Meditech. 

 

Your healthcare record may include the following information:

 • Details about you, such as address and next of kin. 

• Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc. 

• Notes and reports about your health. 

• Your NHS Number/GP. 

• Details about your treatment and care. 

• Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays, etc. 

• Relevant information from other health professionals ( specialists and allied), relatives or those who care for you. 

• Details of your Private Healthcare Insurance Provider when appropriate. 

 

Why Do We Collect This Information? 

 

Your records are used to facilitate the best possible care for you. 

Information may also be used for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided. 

 

How Do We Maintain the Confidentiality of Your Records? 

 

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (which is overseen by the Information Commissioner’s Office), Human Rights Act, the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality, and the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security. Every member who works at Dr Kapil Chawla has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential. We maintain our duty of confidentiality to you at all times. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), or where the law requires information to be passed on. Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep this information confidential. 

 

Who are our Partners? 

 

We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations: 

• Consultants you may be referred to for additional treatment. 

• Emergency Health services

• Your Private Healthcare Insurer when you are making a claim and a report is requested.

• Third party professionals such as solicitors when you are involved in litigation regarding your health and only with your explicit signed consent.  

• Social Care Services.  Fire and Rescue Services. 

• Local Authorities. 

• Police and Judicial Services. 

• Education Services. 

• Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists. 

• Our Medical Software Provider Semble/Heydoc, Meditech and their partners such as Xero and Stripe. 

• Answer connect

• Signature Rx

 

 

You will be informed who your data will be shared with and in some cases asked for explicit consent for this to happen when this is required. We may also use external companies to process personal information, such as for archiving purposes. These companies are bound by contractual agreements to ensure information is kept confidential and secure. 

 

Access to Your Information 

 

You have a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to access/view what information the surgery holds about you, and to have it corrected should it be inaccurate. This is known as ‘the right of subject access’. 

If we do hold information about you we will: 

• give you a description of it; 

• tell you why we are holding it; 

• tell you who it could be disclosed to; 

• let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form. 

 

If you would like to make a ‘subject access request’ please contact dr Kapil Chawla or Practice Manager in writing. 

 

Change of Details 

 

It is important that you tell us if any of your details such as your name, address or telephone number have changed or if any of your details are incorrect in order for this to be amended immediately. 

 

Objections/Complaints 

 

Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the Practice, please contact the Data Protection Officer. 

 

If you are still unhappy following a review by Dr Kapil Chawla, you can then complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) via their website www.ico.gov.uk. 

If you are happy for your data to be extracted and used for the purposes described in this privacy notice then you do not need to do anything. 

If you have any concerns about how your data is shared then please contact info@drkapilchawla.co.uk. 

Information Commissioner’s Office 

Wycliffe House Water Lane 

Wilmslow

Cheshire 

SK9 5AF 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113 

Fax: 01625 524510 

This service should NOT be used in possible medical emergencies or situations that may require urgent medical attention. 

If you think that your or someone else’s situation is or might become an emergency, you should IMMEDIATELY STOP using this service and call 999/112. 

 

Examples are: Severe chest pain, Difficulty in breathing, Active or severe bleeding, Loss of consciousness, Slurred speech, Facial drooping, Inability to move an arm or leg, Acute confusional state, Fits/seizures, Major trauma, A rash that does not disappear under a glass tumbler being pressed against it, Possible stroke or Heart attack, Swallowing a foreign object such as a battery, Sudden loss of vision or hearing. The list is not exhaustive. 

 

Dr Kapil Chawla  & Associates - is offering a private fee paying GP service, longer GP appointments - Rest your Health program, Limited Out of Hours (OOH) pre booked remote (Telephone/Video) consultation and Home visiting GP service. 

There is no additional fee for the video consultation and patients can switch between them during the consultation. 

 

1. In accepting a consultation with a medical practitioner, you agree to pay for the practitioner’s time regardless of the outcome of the consultation (with or without a prescription). Any additional time, investigation or treatment is chargeable at additional cost. The fee for a phone/video consultation may be taken prior to commencement of the consultation. 

2. There are limitations to remote consultations including prescribing and the doctor may advise you that you need to be examined. The fee is non refundable. If you are advised to attend a face to face consultation about the same problem the next day following a phone or a video consultation, you will NOT be charged any additional consultation fee. However, you will incur the cost of a blood test, ECG or any other investigation/referral required. 

3. We can only consult with the patient themselves or the parent or legal guardian of a child under 16. We cannot conduct a consultation about a relative or friend without their permission although we can give general health advice. The person must be in the UK at the time of the consultation or normally reside in the UK. 

4. We reserve the right to refuse to conduct a telephone/video consultation or to terminate a consultation. 

5. Face to face and Phone/Video consultations can be booked anytime online or by emailing us or booking via the link .  Evening and OOHs GP appointments including Home visits will be offered at the discretion of the doctor with prior arrangement via emailing us.

6.Standard telephone/video consultation is for 15 minutes. If you have poor mobile reception in your area, then it is advisable to use landline. Video consultation is web based and will require an internet or a wi-fi connection in your area.

7.Telephone/Video Consultations must not be recorded without prior permission of the consulting doctor.

8.When a video appointment is confirmed we will send you an email with a link to access the service. Very occasionally, email systems can experience delays outside of our control. There may be a delay in receiving the video link if it’s decided during the telephone consultation to switch to video call.

9.Should a video consultation not be possible for any reason, the clinician will initiate or attempt to continue the consultation over the telephone. 

10.The clinician reserves the right to terminate the face to face, telephone/video consultation in the event of any inappropriate behaviour. 

11.Prescribing policy: The diagnosing clinician can offer you a private prescription where they feel that prescription medication could assist you in treating your symptoms. Electronic prescriptions (Signature Rx) will be issued and sent directly to the chemist/pharmacist. All medications dispensed on private prescriptions incur a cost (They are NOT free even for children, patients on benefits, over 60s, pregnant women and all other categories which are normally entitled as free on NHS prescription) payable to the pharmacist. CONTROLLED DRUG (CD) PRESCRIPTIONS WILL BE ISSUED ON AT THE CLINICIAN'S DISCRETION. Certain medications such as sedatives, hypnotics, tranquillisers, antipsychotics etc will be issued (both in terms of quantity and duration) at the sole discretion of the prescribing doctor. Please be aware that some medications cannot be prescribed remotely, and the clinician will advise you if they are unable to do so. In the absence of possession and knowledge of your medical records and follow-up care, the service is not suitable for issuing repeat prescriptions (except to cover the shortfall, to prevent running out of essential medications). If you are unable to satisfactorily answer the clinician’s questions, then they may not be able to raise a private prescription. 

12.Private prescriptions will only be issued if following conditions are met: At the sole discretion of the clinician, during a face to face, telephone, video consultation or during home visit, it is safe, clinically appropriate and in the best interest of the patient and complies with our prescribing policy. 

13.We can issue sick notes, CD prescriptions and referral to specialists, claim forms and insurance medicals arising out of the consultations done at Elstree Waterfront at the doctor's discretion only. We must possess your full medical records and these can be issued only during routine clinic timings from Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 2:00pm.

14.We cannot accept responsibility for unobtainable telephone numbers. 

15.All patient details and records are kept in the strictest of confidence and will be shared with HCA Elstree and with your preferred default NHS/Private GP where you might be registered to provide continuity of care during office hours. If you require your consultation to be shared with your NHS GP, then you must provide us with their/practice email address at the time of booking or end of consultation. If you require sharing this information to your NHS GP (or anyone else for which you have given consent) at a later date then you must contact our clinic at HCA Elstree during office hours by email only. There may be an administrative fee for this service.

16.We are obliged to share relevant information with relevant authorities such as police, social services etc about yourselves or your next of kin in case you are in a danger or danger to others, or when required to do so by a court order. 

17.Medical practitioners are responsible for their own clinical practice and for the advice, investigation and treatment that they provide. 

18.Medical practitioners are not available for patients’ well being outside of the service hours mentioned above. They should contact NHS 111 or 999/112 for emergencies. They should contact their respective NHS surgery.

19.Any disputes/queries will be dealt with by Dr Chawla. Please see our privacy policy and complaints procedure. 

20.All payments will be collected via online payment processor Stripe. Stripe is linked to our booking /consultation software provided by Heydoc/Semble. Heydoc/Semble is registered with the Care Quality Commission. Please see Heydoc/Semble GDPR, CQC reports here. Please see our refund/cancellation policy for further details. 

21.Payments received over the phone noted on the paper manually will be shredded securely, once they have been entered into our secure Stripe payment processor. You will be given an option for saving those details on our payment processor for future payments. 

22. Dr Chawla & Associates receive a commission on tests which contribute towards the interpretation fee and admin cost. We also receive commission for supplements from the wholesale supplier for bulk stocking and easy delivery to the patients. Due to an unprecedented request of supplements from clients via the supplier on the initial protocol recommended without a follow up review,  supplements are now stocked by the practice. This is to avoid unsupervised supplement intake by the patients and provide safe monitoring and review of the patients.

23. We reserve the right to change the hours of consultation and clinic timings at last minute without prior notice to the patients.