General

Where is the Bennion Centre?

Please visit the contact us section of the website for a map and address information.

English is not my first language will this be a problem?

We can offer information and an interpreting service in a number of different languages for those people whose first language is not English.

I am disabled, can this be accommodated?

If you have any special needs arising from a disability please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate you.

If you are blind, partially sighted, are deaf or have problems with reading, staff will be happy to give you information in a way which you find acceptable. Please ask staff for any help you need.

Will details of my condition and therapy be confidential?

All staff employed within the Trust are legally required to treat patient information in a confidential manner. This means that all healthcare notes are carefully stored and locked away. Similarly, electronic records held by the service for audit and research are only accessible to members of the team. Brief details concerning your referral will also be stored on the Trust’s electronic database. These details will not include any sensitive personal information that you disclose to us about yourself and such electronic records will be subject to the same rules of confidentiality that apply to your healthcare notes.

In order to maintain high standards of clinical practice each therapist’s practice is supervised. This means that the therapist’s clinical work is discussed with a supervisor. Similarly if more than one member of the team is involved in your care then some information will need to be shared amongst members of the service. In addition, it will be important for your general practitioner to be kept informed about significant aspects of your treatment. You have a right to enquire about any information that may be shared in this way.

There may be very rare occasions when we are legally required to pass on information to other agencies in order to avoid significant risk to the public or to ensure that a child is protected from harm or abuse. We would seek to discuss this with you beforehand but in such circumstances we are able to disclose information without your permission.

If you have any concerns please feel free to discuss them with the person you are seeing.

Can I see my health records?

You have a right to access all health records held about you. If you would like to look at your notes you should approach the therapist responsible for your care, your consultant psychiatrist, named nurse or advocate if you are an inpatient. They will advise you how to make a formal application.

If you make a formal application and arrange to read your records we can arrange for a member of staff to be there to answer any questions you may have and to help to explain any terms you may not understand.

If there are any factual mistakes in your records you may ask us to correct them. You have the right to challenge the contents of your records.

You also have the right to request copies of letters that are written about you. If you would like to know more about this please contact the service on 0116 225 2557.

How do I make a complaint?

If you are worried or unhappy about any aspect of your care you can discuss it with your therapist or a member of staff. Very often it is possible to sort out problems this way. If you are not happy with the outcome, your therapist can inform you about our Complaints Team or advise you about the formal complaints procedure. We guarantee your care will not suffer because you have complained. You can make a formal complaint by writing to:

Complaints Team, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust FREEPOST LPT PATIENT EXPERIENCE

If you have any questions about making complaint you can contact the Complaints Team directly. Telephone: 0116 295 0831 (Monday – Friday 9am-4.30pm) Email: [email protected] An online complaint form is also available via the trust website.

Out Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) provides confidential advice and support services to anyone who uses our service, their families and carers. They listen to any suggestions, concerns or complaints, provide information on our services and local support groups and advise people how they can get involved in helping us develop out services. You can contact the PALS team directly via Telephone: 0116 295 0830 (Monday- Friday 9am -4pm) Email: [email protected] Positive feedback can also be supplied online via the trust website

POhWER provides free independent advice on how to make a complaint about the NHS. They can be contacted on 0300 456 230 or visit www.pohwer.net.

If you have made a complaint and, after going through our complaints procedure, you are still not happy with the way we have dealt with it, you can ask the Health Ombudsman to look into your complaint. More information is available from: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP Complaints Helpline: 0345 015 4033 Email: [email protected] Visit: www.ombudsman.org.uk

I have a suggestion or want to provide feedback on the service, how can I do this?

We are always keen to improve the service we provide and would welcome any suggestions as to how we might do this. If you have any ideas you can tell a member of staff or put them in writing to:

Sandra Marshall, Team Manager, Leicestershire Adult Eating Disorders Service, The Bennion Centre, Groby Road, Leicester, LE3 9DZ