Transparency
Our policies
How we look after your information, how to raise a concern, and what you can expect from us. If anything here is unclear, please ask — we are happy to talk it through.
Policy 01
Practice privacy notice
Kilmessan General Practice is the data controller for the personal information we hold about you. It is not possible to provide medical care without collecting and processing personal data, and we take that responsibility seriously. This notice explains what we collect, why, and what your rights are under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Acts.
What we collect
- Your name, date of birth, address, contact details and PPS number
- Medical Card or GP Visit Card details, where applicable
- Your medical history, symptoms, examinations, diagnoses and treatment
- Results of tests and investigations we arrange
- Letters and reports from hospitals, consultants and other health professionals
- Details of your next of kin and emergency contact
- Notes of consultations, including telephone consultations
Why we hold it, and our lawful basis
We process your data in order to provide you with medical care. Under GDPR our lawful basis is Article 6(1)(e) — a task carried out in the public interest — together with Article 9(2)(h), processing necessary for the provision of health care and medical diagnosis. Where we rely on your consent — for example to send you SMS reminders or to request your records from a previous GP — you can withdraw that consent at any time.
Who we share it with
We share only what is necessary, and only with:
- Hospitals, consultants and other clinicians involved in your care, when we refer you
- The out-of-hours GP co-operative (NEDOC), so that a doctor seeing you at night has your relevant history
- The HSE and the Primary Care Reimbursement Service, for Medical Card and scheme claims
- National screening programmes such as CervicalCheck and BreastCheck
- Your pharmacy, for prescriptions
- Third parties such as insurers or employers — only with your explicit written consent
We are also required by law to notify certain infectious diseases to public health authorities, and to disclose information where a court orders it or where there is a serious risk to you or to someone else.
How long we keep it
Medical records are retained in line with Medical Council guidance and Irish professional standards — generally for at least eight years after the last contact for adults, and for children until they reach the age of 25 (or 26 if treatment ended at 17). Records are stored securely on an access-controlled clinical system with encrypted backups.
Website and cookies
This website does not set advertising or tracking cookies, and does not use third-party analytics. Forms you submit are sent by email to the practice; the content of a form is only ever used to deal with your enquiry or registration. Please do not use the website's forms to send urgent clinical information — phone the surgery instead.
Policy 02
Your data protection rights
Under GDPR you have the right to:
- Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Rectify information that is inaccurate or incomplete
- Restrict or object to certain processing
- Data portability — receive your data in a transferable format
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent
- Complain to the Data Protection Commission
Making a subject access request
Write to the practice, or email kilmessangp@gmail.com, stating clearly that you are making a subject access request. We will ask you to confirm your identity, and we will respond within one month. There is normally no charge.
Occasionally we may withhold part of a record — for example, information that would identify a third party, or where release would be likely to cause serious harm. If we do, we will tell you and explain why.
The Data Protection Commission
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you may complain to the Data Protection Commission, 21 Fitzwilliam Square South, Dublin 2, D02 RD28 — dataprotection.ie. We would ask that you raise it with us first, so that we have the chance to put it right.
Policy 03
Chaperone policy
Some examinations are intimate or may feel uncomfortable. You are entitled to have a chaperone present for any examination, at any time, and you never need to give a reason.
- Simply tell reception when you book, or tell the doctor at the time
- A member of practice staff will act as chaperone, or you may bring someone of your own
- The doctor may also offer a chaperone, which you are free to decline
- The presence or refusal of a chaperone is recorded in your notes
- Children and patients under 16 must attend with a parent or guardian
Please give us notice where you can
If you ask for a chaperone at short notice and no suitable member of staff is available, we may have to rearrange the examination for another day. Telling us when you book means we can have someone ready.
Policy 04
Comments & complaints
We make every effort to give the best service we can, but occasionally things go wrong. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your care, please tell us. Most concerns are best sorted out quickly and directly, and we would far rather hear about a problem than have you leave dissatisfied.
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Talk to us
Speak to reception or ask to speak with Dr Mirza. Many issues can be resolved on the spot once we understand what happened.
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Put it in writing
If you would prefer, write to the practice or email kilmessangp@gmail.com. Please include your name, date of birth, contact details and what you would like us to do.
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We acknowledge it
We aim to acknowledge every written complaint within five working days and to give a full response within thirty days. If it will take longer, we will tell you why.
Policy 05
Cancellations & missed appointments
An appointment you cannot use is an appointment somebody else could have had. Every missed slot is roughly fifteen minutes of care lost to the community.
- Please give at least two hours' notice if you cannot attend
- Ring 089 483 7929 or email the surgery to cancel
- Appointments missed without notice may be charged at the standard consultation fee
- Repeatedly missed appointments may, after discussion, mean we ask you to register elsewhere
We understand that things happen — illness, transport, childcare. If you have missed an appointment because of circumstances outside your control, tell us and we will waive the charge.
Policy 06
Accessibility
At the surgery
- Step-free entrance from street level
- Accessible consulting room on the ground floor
- Longer appointments available on request
- Interpreters can be arranged — please ask when you book
On this website
- Built to meet WCAG 2.1 AA colour contrast
- Fully keyboard navigable, with a skip link
- Works with screen readers and at 200% zoom
- Respects your reduced-motion setting
- No pop-ups, auto-playing media or tracking
If you have difficulty using this site or accessing the surgery, please tell us on 089 483 7929 and we will find another way to help.
Policy 07
Respect & safety
Our team will always treat you with courtesy and respect, whatever the circumstances, and we ask for the same in return. Aggressive, threatening or abusive behaviour towards staff or other patients is not tolerated, and may result in removal from the practice list and referral to An Garda Síochána.
This policy exists to protect everyone in the building, including you. If you are angry or upset about something that has happened here, please tell us — see our complaints procedure.
Questions about any of this?
We are happy to explain anything on this page in plain language.