GUM clinics – Your Rights
You should expect the best treatment from GUM clinics. All of them follow guidelines about what should happen in the clinic.
You have the right to expect to:
- have your confidentiality and privacy respected
- know the name of the person treating you
- have explained to you what is being done to you and why
- be able to complain and get a reply to your complaint
- ask for a male (or female) doctor or nurse
- take someone with you when you’re seeing a doctor or being treated
- ask to be treated by a different member of staff
- go to another clinic for treatment (this might not be possible for HIV treatment)
- be treated without unnecessary pain
- be seen by a doctor within a reasonable time
- not to be pressured into taking an HIV test and
- be treated fairly whatever your race, HIV status, age, sexuality or what you do sexually.
Confidentiality
Any information a clinic has about you must stay confidential - by law.
Your medical records and test results should stay within the GUM department and not go to other parts of the hospital without your permission. Information about you should not be sent to your GP without your written permission (unless you were referred to the clinic in writing by your GP).
If you are unhappy with your clinic
Nine out of 10 gay men say they are happy with how they are treated at GUM clinics*. Clinic staff are trained professionals, but if you are unhappy about the service you get let the clinic know. Clinics can only improve if we tell them how they could be doing things better.
Making your comments or complaints known
- Before taking your complaint elsewhere, speak to a member of staff first (sooner, rather than leaving it too long).
- Ask to see the clinic’s complaints procedure.
- Some clinics have complaints phonelines or anonymous comments boxes.
- Put your complaint in a letter - the complaints procedure will tell you who to send it to. You should get an answer very quickly.
- You can make anonymous complaints, but a complaint can only be officially acted on if you put your name on it.
Complaints can really change things. For help with a complaint you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). Most hospitals have a PALS office.
You could also contact your local gay men's health project or THT Direct on 0808 802 1221.
* Findings from over 6,000 men questioned in the 2005 National Gay Men’s Sex Survey
This article was last reviewed on: 21/10/11
Date due for next review: 21/10/13
