• How it works
• Guidelines

Guidelines

1. Always phone your GP’s surgery as soon as you are given the dates of any appointments. They will pass on your name and phone number to us.
2. You can take a maximum of two people with you, if you would like to do so. If have any other special requirements, please tell the co-ordinator.
3. We will let you know your driver’s name and phone number well before your appointment. (The latter for emergency use only to cancel at the last minute.)
4. Your driver will contact you no later than the night before your appointment and arrange your pick-up time. IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD FROM YOUR DRIVER BY 8PM THE NIGHT BEFORE A DRIVE PLEASE PHONE HIM/HER.
5. Please telephone the number on your appointment card and tell them you will be travelling with us and do not need patient transport. Sometimes they book it without telling people.
6. If your appointment time is changed or cancelled please contact your GP surgery, NOT A COORDINATOR, immediately and they will pass your details to us. IF THERE IS A LAST MINUTE PROBLEM PLEASE CONTACT YOUR DRIVER DIRECTLY.
7. We ask you to remember that all our drivers are volunteers. Please do not embarrass them by offering them money.
8. If you are kept in hospital and therefore not needing a lift home please ask the hospital staff to contact us.
9. If you are in hospital we can take visitors to see you on week days for up to 2 hours, preferably 2-4pm. We usually need 2 days notice to arrange this.
10. If you wish to make a donation please send it to Bonnybridge Health Centre, marked The Driving Force. If you prefer to hand it your driver; they will give you an envelope to put the donation in, please seal it, you will be given an acknowledgement with your name and address by the driver. The driver will hand it into the health centre and you will receive a letter of thanks and a receipt.
11. Please remember that our drivers have to be completely confidential about who they drive.
12. If we can help drive you in the future or you would like to use any of our other services just get in touch via your GP receptionist or via our website.
13. If you have a blue badge please bring it with you. If you use a wheel chair or walker please tell the driver when they phone you so he can make room for it.
14. If you experience any problems with our service, or have any complaint to make, please tell your driver or a coordinator or email us at bdthedrivingforce@gmail.com as soon as possible. We can then give you a copy of our complaints policy and deal with the issue. We want to make our service as good as possible.

You are welcome to look at our short video on YouTube.

Guidance for therapy sessions

The Driving Force strives to deliver the highest standard of service to all clients. These will be adhered to at all times by the therapist.

Confidentiality

All sessions will be conducted in confidence. This confidentiality will be maintained and applied to all records, except in the following instances:

• Where the client gives consent for the confidence to be broken.
• Where the therapist is compelled by a court action.
• Where information is ‘of such gravity that confidentiality cannot be maintained, e.g. where there is a possibility of ‘serious physical harm to self or others’ involved.

Sessions

• All sessions will be scheduled by Driving Force Co-ordinators and their length shall be dependent on treatment.
• The Driving Force and therapist will agree a provisional number and duration of any sessions after the first session.
• A telephone consultation will be required before the first scheduled appointment to decide what is suitable.
• It is expected that clients give a minimum of 24 hours notice if they are unable to keep an appointment. This is to ensure best use of therapist’s / hairdresser’s time.
• The therapist / hairdresser will strive to give a minimum of 24 hours’ notice of any cancelled sessions, whenever possible.
• Sessions will be reviewed regularly.

We have a data protection policy. The relevant information about your data is copied below. If you wish to see the whole policy it can be accessed on our website. If you wish we will provide you with a paper copy. We are required to get you sign and date this so that we can hold data on you, in order to provide you with our services.

Information held on clients

For clients the information stored is their postal address, contact phone number and email address if they wish to be contacted by email, along with details of their treatment dates. This allows us to arrange transport or therapies for them. It may be used to inform them about Driving Force developments. No medical information is stored.

Using the charity means you have cancer or receive dialysis. We know this is sensitive information; everyone who works with The Driving Force is very aware of this. We have very strict guidelines on confidentiality for all volunteers, this includes confidentiality concerning all medical information. Our driver guidelines cover social media and discussion between volunteers and their friends and family. No personal details should ever be disclosed.

We have a complaints policy. If you have a complaint about, or any issue with, The Driving Force please contact us at Bonnybridge Health Centre, Larbert Road, Bonnybridge FK4 1ED, by email at bdthedrivingforce@gmail.com or contact a member of the committee or a coordinator.

All data is held on password protected computers/laptops. Data will be held only while it is relevant and correct. Client’s names will be kept so we can audit the number of people we have helped. No data is passed to, or shared with, any other organisations. This is a charity service and we do not request money from our clients either for the service or by fundraising.