Fair Use Policy

Introduction

The following fair use policy has been designed by Seaford Medical Practice team to support fair use and access to the surgery patient online portal. The purpose of this policy is to limit the usage of one user over another at Peak Times so that the performance is not affected for the rest of our patient group.

  • We are committed to ensuring equitable access to our practice team in order to deliver the best possible service we can for you.
  • To help us and all patients at the surgery, we would like to kindly remind you that patients should use Accurx Triage in a fair, consistent and timely manner.
  • In order to ensure every patient has a fair chance of requesting appointments via Accurx Triage, we will limit patient use to two non-urgent/ routine requests per week. We kindly request that you do not exceed this quota.
  • Inconsiderate or unfair use of Accurx Triage may mean that another patient who wants to access their GP or other healthcare professional via Accurx Triage are unable to do so due to limited availability.
  • If patients request constantly above the fair use policy advice, their use will be reviewed and discussed with the patient.
  • Examples of unfair use of the Accurx Triage service may include, but are not limited to:
    • Significant deviation from average use of the GP surgery e.g. submitting unreasonable numbers of online consultations.
    • Any form of abuse or harassment of our staff.
  • Where a patient’s behaviour falls outside of that which is normally considered reasonable (e.g. breaches the Unacceptable behaviour and/or the NHS Zero Tolerance Policy) and leads to an irretrievable breakdown of the doctor-patient relationship, in a minority of cases this may also lead to the consideration of removal from the practice list itself.

Our Commitment to You

  • We will treat all patients equally with dignity and respect, without exclusion.
  • We aim to provide a personal, friendly and confidential service to our patients.
  • We aim to respond to the majority of online consultations within 2 weeks from the following day after the request has been submitted.
  • We aim to keep patients informed of our services, their rights and any other information which directly affects health treatment.
  • We will offer access to our services in line with the patients’ assessed need. This might be in the form of a Face-to-Face consultation, Telephone consultation or Text exchange with our Doctors and /or allied health professionals. Please note we are a Training Practice and support doctors who are within the final years of their GP Training.
  • We will monitor and improve our systems to ensure we operate as efficiently as possible within the resources available to us.
  • We operate a practice complaints procedure which may be used in confidence.
  • We welcome and consider all feedback from our patients.

Help us to Help You

  • Please only submit one online consultation for the issue you require help with but include as much information as possible in your request – submitting the same request repeatedly or chasing an answer within a short time frame will not necessarily result in a faster response.
  • Please include photos of rashes or skin changes that do not fall in any sensitive area with your request to help us resolve your query quicker.
  • You can use Accurx Triage for non-urgent/routine appointments during our core opening hours 8am – 6.30pm.
  • Use our service responsibly and do not expect immediate treatment for non-urgent / routine conditions.
  • If your request is urgent (requires a response within 3 days) please do not use the Accurx Triage. In this instance you can contact the practice via the telephone or come in person to the surgery.
  • Bear with us if there is a delay – this may be due to another patient needing additional time or an emergency. We will try and keep you informed of anticipated delays.
  • Please keep appointments made with us or cancel in plenty of time, as if you don’t need the appointment anymore it can be offered to another person.
  • Consider other avenues of help for minor conditions – self-care, pharmacy first, NHS111 etc. where appropriate.
  • Utilise the services of other professionals in the practice – the GP is not necessarily always the most appropriate person to see.
  • Allow sufficient time for processing of repeat prescription requests and please do not pressure staff to process sooner than the standard 48-hour timeline.
  • Keep us informed of any name, address and telephone number changes.
  • Treat us with respect. We will not tolerate verbal or physical abuse.

Irretrievable break down of the doctor – patient relationship

Occasionally, patients may persistently act inconsiderately, and their behaviour may fall outside of which is normally considered to be reasonable. In such circumstances there may be a complete breakdown in the doctor – patient relationship.

If this situation occurs, we will take the following steps:

Steps we will take with the Patients

  • Inform the patient, personally, over the phone or in writing, that there is a problem.
  • Explain the nature of the problem to patient.
  • Obtain the patients perspective and interpretation of the situation
  • Obtain advice of the British Medical Association if necessary.

Steps we will take within the Practice

  • Inform all appropriate members of the practice about the problem.
  • The patient and possible reasons for the patient’s behaviour (e.g. disagreeableness, cultural differences, mental illness, and personality disorder) will be discussed at a Practice Meeting.

Steps we will take if discussion fails to resolve the problem

  • Inform the Patient registration Department through PSCE online by completing the request for removal from the practice list with the reason for removal.
  • Where appropriate, inform the patient in writing of the decision and the reason for removal from the list
  • Explain to the patient that he or she will not be left without a GP.
  • Give the patient information on how to begin the process of registering with another GP.

Seaford Medical Practices continues to ensure that we provide accessible, safe and high-quality services to all our patients.

We will therefore continue to monitor the Accurx Triage platform patient demand and adjust its availability to match our capacity to provide a safe service to our patients. In extreme circumstances, we may have to limit/ restrict access to this portal, when the demand outstrips our capacity for urgent request.  However, when the Accurx Triage platform is unavailable, patients will still be able to call us/ come in person to the surgery and send in non-urgent/routine request.

Related Seaford Medical Practice Policy

To be reviewed September 2026