Practice Policies

Privacy Statement

Equality & Respect

We are committed to treating all patients in a courteous, consistent and professional manner. We aim to have a mutually fair and respectful relationship with our patients and to provide equality of service to all patients in an environment which is free from discrimination or harassment.

Unacceptable Behaviour

At our practice we operate a 'No Tolerance' policy regarding abusive or aggressive behaviour towards any member of our staff. We aim to provide a comprehensive and professional service in an efficient and pleasant manner to all our patients. We strive to provide a helpful and friendly environment. We would like to ask that patients co-operate with all our policies and treat our staff in a courteous manner. Safety is of paramount importance at our practice and, accordingly, any patient or visitor who is abusive or aggressive in a verbal or physical manner, will be asked to leave the premises immediately and will be removed from the patient list. We consider aggressive behaviour to include any personal, abusive or threatening comments, bad language, physical contact, aggressive gestures and theft or damage to property. We will not hesitate to contact the Gardaí.

Complaints Policy

We always try to give our patients the best care possible but there may be times when you feel this has not happened. If you have a complaint about your care we need to hear from you so that we can learn lessons, thereby continuously improving our care of patients. We have a written procedure in the Practice to ensure that we manage complaints in the most effective way, to the highest standard and we hope to the satisfaction of our patients.

If we have gotten something wrong, we will apologise and where possible we will try to put things right. We also aim to learn from our mistakes and use the information we gain to improve our services.

If you are disappointed with any aspects of our service, please see the below procedure. All complaints will be dealt with in a strictly confidential manner.

Sometimes, you might be concerned about matters that are not decided by us (external decisions made by the HSE) and we will then advise you about how to make your concerns known.

Complaints Procedure

Informal resolution

If possible, we believe it is best to deal with things as soon as possible and in the easiest and most direct way. If you have a complaint, raise it with the person you are dealing with. She or he will try to resolve it for you there and then. However, they may need time to look into it, and as such we will come back to you within 5 working days.

If there are any lessons to learn from addressing your complaint, the member of staff will draw them to our attention. If the member of staff can’t help, they will explain why and you can then submit your complaint formally for further investigation.

Formal procedure:

Step 1

Complete this complaint form and submit it for attention of the Practice Manager. In the interest of fairness, we cannot investigate anonymous complaints.

We adhere to the strictest rules of medical confidentiality. Therefore if you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm their consent for you to deal with the complaint on their behalf and for us to release medical details to you.

Step 2

We will try to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible and will acknowledge it at the earliest possible opportunity and certainly within 5 working days. Our aim will be to have looked into the matter within 10 working days. You will receive a formal reply in writing or you may be invited to meet with us to attempt to resolve the complaint to your satisfaction.

If your complaint is such that it requires an investigation we will set one in progress and inform you of the process and who will carry it out and agree a timeline within which we will work. We will give you the opportunity to comment on the process and if a meeting is arranged you will be invited to bring a friend or relative with you. Our aim will be to try to adhere to a 30 day timeline and if there are reasons why it will take longer we will discuss with you.

Step 3

When looking into a complaint we attempt to:

Find out what happened and what went wrong and why
Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned
Ensure you receive an apology where this is appropriate
Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not arise again

We hope that we will be able to resolve your complaint quickly and to your satisfaction but if we believe we need assistance, for example mediation or other external assistance, we may arrange this in consultation with you.

Step 4
When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you. If your complaint is still not resolved to your satisfaction, there are several external options where you may bring your complaint, such as:

What we expect from you

In times of trouble or distress, some people may act out of character. There may have been upsetting or distressing circumstances leading up to a complaint. We do not view behaviour as unacceptable just because someone is forceful or determined.

We believe that all complainants have the right to be heard, understood and respected. However, we also consider that our staff have the same rights. We, therefore, expect you to be polite and courteous in your dealings with us. We will not tolerate aggressive or abusive behaviour, unreasonable demands or unreasonable persistence.

Comments & Suggestions

Your comments and suggestions are welcomed and valued. Some people feel shy or uncomfortable to raise an issue directly with us and you might prefer to fill in this comment form and give it to a member of staff (or simply put in an envelope and drop through the letterbox). All comments and suggestions are brought to the attention of our team and we try to make improvements accordingly.

Patient Privacy Notice and Consent

Why do we collect your information?

To provide you with safe medical care, Lir Medical must collect and use personal information about you. This includes:

Identity and contact details: name, address, date of birth, phone number, email address (and PPSN where needed)
Health information: symptoms, medical history, medications, allergies, test results, diagnoses, referrals, vaccinations, and treatments
Relevant background information (only where it helps your care): e.g., occupation, family circumstances, nationality, religion, living situation, or other factors that may affect your health

We record only information that is relevant and necessary for your care.

1. Who controls your data

Data Controller: Lir Medical, Dr John Bannon
Contact: Mullingar Healthcare Complex, Austin Friar Street, Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

Phone: 0449305964, website – www.lirmedical.ie

2. Legal basis for using your data

We do not normally rely on “consent” to keep and use your medical record for routine GP care. We process your data because it is necessary for:

providing medical diagnosis and healthcare
practice administration required to deliver care (appointments, prescriptions, correspondence, etc.)
legal obligations where they apply (e.g., certain notifiable diseases)

This includes processing of special category data (health data) as required to provide healthcare services

Confidentiality and staff access

Your information is accessed only by:

clinical staff involved in your care, and
administrative staff where necessary for care and normal practice operations.

Administrative access may include:

appointment management and recalls
issuing/re-issuing prescriptions
processing correspondence (hospital letters), filing relevant information
downloading and saving lab results into your record
preparing referrals/letters and similar care-related correspondence

All staff are bound by strict confidentiality obligations.

4. Sharing information outside the practice

We share information only when necessary and appropriate, for example, with:

hospitals/consultants and other healthcare providers involved in your care
laboratories/diagnostic services
other GP practices when you transfer or are referred
other services involved in your care where clinically required

When sharing for treatment, we normally share only what is needed for that purpose, not your entire record unless clinically necessary.

Legal disclosures

In limited situations, the law may require or permit disclosure (for example, certain infectious/notifiable diseases, court orders, safeguarding concerns, or serious risk).

5. Our systems: online booking, SMS, and online requests

We use secure clinical and practice systems (including Clanwilliam Health) to manage your care, including:

SMS messaging (e.g., appointment reminders, practice messages, and other care-related communications)
Online appointment booking
Online prescription requests

These services may involve trusted service providers (data processors) who act on our instructions under contract and must protect your information.

Important: SMS and email are convenient, but they can occasionally be delayed, misdirected, or accessed by someone with access to your phone/email. Please tell us if you prefer not to receive communications by SMS/email, or if you want to change your contact preferences.

6. Keeping your contact details up to date

You are responsible for telling us as soon as possible if your mobile number or email address changes.

If you do not update your details, we may be unable to contact you or send reminders/messages correctly, and we cannot guarantee delivery or receipt of communications sent to the contact details you previously provided.

7. How long we keep your information

We keep medical records for as long as necessary to provide care and to meet our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations. Retention depends on the type of record and individual circumstances.

8. Your rights

You have rights under data protection law, including the right to:

access your data
correct inaccurate data
restrict or object to certain processing (in specific circumstances)
data portability (in certain circumstances)
complain to the Data Protection Commission (DPC)

9. Consent – where we need your permission

We will release information to insurance companies, solicitors, employers, banks, or other third parties only:

at your express request, and/or
with your explicit consent, unless legally required otherwise.

You can withdraw consent for these third-party disclosures at any time before the disclosure takes place.