Our Policies

The Practice is registered and complies with the GDPR. Any request for access to notes by a patient, patient’s representative, or outside body will be dealt with in accordance with the Act. Requests for information should be made by downloading and completing the access request form Access to medical records.  No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Candidates applying for work privacy notice

We aim to give a friendly and professional service to everyone who attends our practice. However, if, for any reason, our service should fall below our patients’ satisfaction, we take all complaints very seriously. If you would like to make a complaint regarding the surgery or the services we offer, please contact the Practice Manager, either by telephone or in writing, who will make every effort to respond to your concerns as soon as possible. All complaints will be treated as confidential.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website contains detailed information on raising a complaint about any aspect of the NHS in England.

The Practice complies with Data Protection legislation and we make every effort to preserve patient confidentiality. We will ask you for personal information to ensure that you receive appropriate care and treatment. For the practice to function effectively it is sometimes necessary for medical information about you to be shared between members of the practice team. It will only be shared with others to provide further medical treatment for you, e.g. from hospital services, or to enable you to access other services.

Care of our patients sometimes requires the doctor, nurse, or another health professional to carry out intimate examinations or procedures.  Some people may find the thought of undergoing this type of examination distressing. However, we want to reassure you that we respect your comfort, dignity, and privacy and we will arrange the examination so that these are maintained.  We will offer you a chaperone (a number of our surgery team have received training for this role).  You may also ask for a chaperone to be present during your consultation - however, this may require you to return on a separate occasion if a member of staff training in chaperoning is not available.

We will provide care, now and in the future, to all our patients without discrimination irrespective of the patient’s age, sex, race, beliefs, or extra needs.  We expect that patients will show no discrimination towards other surgery users, members of the practice team, or our colleagues in the NHS.

At Revel Surgery, we endeavor to provide first-class service at all times. However, at times we acknowledge things may go wrong and our service may fall below our expected levels.

In order to comply with Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulations 2014), we pledge to:-

• Have a culture of openness and honesty at all levels
• Inform patients in a timely manner when safety incidents have occurred which may affect them
• Provide a written and truthful account of the incident, explaining any investigations and inquiries made
• Provide a written apology
• Provide support if you are affected directly by an incident

The Freedom of Information Act gives the general right of access to all types of recorded information held by the Practice. The intention of the Act is to encourage a spirit of openness and transparency in the NHS and the whole public sector. Our organisation aims to fully support this. The public has had full access rights since January 2005. This means that some information may be made routinely and freely available. This is subject to some exemptions to protect patient rights to confidentiality. Any individual or organisation can make a request for information. The applicant does not have to explain why this information is requested. The Act gives the right to: Be told if the information exists; Receive information ideally in the format requested (for example as a copy or summary of the applicant's record).  If you require any further information, please ask at reception.

 The average pay for GPs working in The Revel Surgery in the last financial year was £52,823 before tax and national insurance. This is for 0 full time GPs, 9 part time GPs and 0 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.                  

All patients are allocated a named GP who is responsible for their overall care at the practice.  The named GP is shown on the white copy of your prescription slip.  Alternatively, a member of the practice team will be able to let you know who your GP is.  Should you have a preference for your named GP, please contact Reception who will endeavor to accommodate your request.  You are free to see any GP you choose and if you require a GP appointment urgently and your named GP is not available you may be offered the next available appointment.

We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. It is your responsibility to keep your appointments, inform us of your past illnesses, medication, hospital admissions, and any other relevant details. 

The Revel Surgery has a legal duty to explain how we use any personal information we collect about you, as a registered patient, at the practice. Staff at this practice maintain records about your health and the treatment you receive in electronic and paper format.   

For full information on how we share your information please refer to our Practice Privacy Notice

Childrens Privacy Notice

Our staff are here to help you and will always try to be as polite as possible, even during difficult times.

The NHS operates a Zero Tolerance Policy against shouting, swearing, aggressive or threatening behavior which will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Patients and members of the public who are abusive or threatening towards our staff may be asked to leave. It may sometimes be necessary for the Police to be called.  In this situation, we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.

Fear of Flying

After careful consideration, we will no longer prescribe benzodiazepines or sedatives (such as diazepam) for patients experiencing fear of flying. Many other GP practices have adopted similar policies.

Patients sometimes request diazepam to help manage a fear of flying or to aid sleep during flights.

Initially introduced in the 1960s, benzodiazepines – such as Diazepam were considered revolutionary. However, over time it became increasingly clear that they have significant drawbacks. Short-term effects include memory impairment, reduced coordination, decreased concentration, and slower reaction times. Long-term use can lead to addiction, with withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, hallucinations, agitation, and confusion. There are also long-term risks, including impacts on cognition and balance. Unfortunately, benzodiazepines have become widely misused and are now a common drug of abuse.

Because of these issues, the use of benzodiazepines has been increasingly restricted worldwide since the 1980s and 1990s—particularly in the UK.

In the UK, Diazepam is classified as a Class C / Schedule IV controlled drug.

The following guide outlines why this medication is no longer prescribed by our practice for flying-related anxiety:

Why Diazepam Is Not Prescribed for Flying Anxiety

Safety Risk in Emergencies: Benzodiazepines cause delayed reaction times and slower thinking. In the event of an in-flight emergency, this could impair your ability to respond appropriately, putting your safety—and that of others—at risk.
Increased Risk of Blood Clots: Although Diazepam may help you fall asleep during a flight, it induces non-REM sleep, which reduces natural movement. This immobility increases the risk of blood clots (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT), particularly on flights longer than four hours. Such clots can be life-threatening.
Paradoxical Reactions: While Diazepam is usually sedating, a small percentage of individuals experience the opposite effect: agitation, aggression, or disinhibition. These behaviours could endanger yourself and others, and may lead to legal consequences.
Increased Risks with Alcohol: The combination of benzodiazepines and alcohol magnifies all the risks outlined above.
Guideline Restrictions: The British National Formulary (BNF) contraindicates the use of Diazepam for treating phobic states and discourages its use for short-term, mild anxiety. Prescribing against these guidelines may expose your doctor to legal liability.
NICE Guidance: According to NICE guidelines, medications should not be used for mild, self-limiting mental health disorders. In more significant anxiety-related conditions, benzodiazepines, sedating antihistamines, or antipsychotics are also not recommended.
Legal Risks Abroad: In some countries, including parts of the Middle East, it is illegal to import benzodiazepines. They may be confiscated, and you could face legal repercussions.
Workplace Drug Testing: Diazepam remains in your system for an extended period. If your employment involves drug testing, you could fail a test after taking it.
Link to Dementia: Long-term benzodiazepine use has been associated with an increased risk of developing dementia.

Alternative Support

Given the above concerns, we will no longer prescribe Diazepam for flight anxiety. Instead, we recommend either self-referral to NHS Talking Therapies (https://notts-talk.co.uk/getting-support/), Hypnotherapy or the following aviation industry-approved flight anxiety courses, which are widely accessible:

EasyJet Fearless Flyer: https://fearlessflyer.easyjet.com
Tel: 0203 813 1644
British Airways Flying with Confidence: https://flyingwithconfidence.com
Tel: 01252 793250

Please note: Flight anxiety is not covered under General Medical Services as defined by the NHS GP contract. Therefore, we are not obligated to prescribe medication for this condition.

Medical Procedures

The Revel Surgery has also decided not to prescribe diazepam or any sedative for medical procedures, including MRI scans and dental treatments.

Some patients have previously received prescriptions for sedatives like diazepam to manage anxiety or claustrophobia during these procedures. However, this practice is no longer considered safe, for the following reasons:

Responsibility: GPs typically do not request MRI scans—these are usually ordered by hospital teams. If anxiety prevents you from attending your scan, please speak to the requesting department, not your GP practice.
Inappropriate Sedation: GPs are not trained to administer procedural sedation. Administering too little sedation may be ineffective; too much may dangerously depress breathing or consciousness and lead to cancellation of the procedure. Safe sedation requires monitoring, which we cannot provide in general practice.
Paradoxical Effects: Diazepam can occasionally cause agitation rather than sedation, increasing risk during procedures.
Delays in Procedure Timing: Hospital procedures and scans are often delayed. The sedation should be provided by the clinical team conducting the scan to ensure effectiveness at the correct time.
Radiology Safety Guidelines: The Royal College of Radiologists has strict protocols on sedating patients for CT and MRI scans. Prescribing a sedative without on-site monitoring is considered unsafe. If complications arise and the radiology team is unaware of a sedative you’ve taken, this could be extremely dangerous.
Surgeon or Dentist Responsibility: If sedation is needed for dental treatment or operations (e.g., cataract surgery), it is the responsibility of the treating clinician to provide it. We do not prescribe sedatives for these purposes.

If you are concerned about undergoing a scan or procedure due to anxiety or claustrophobia, please contact the requesting department or radiology service directly.