Practice Policies & Patient Information

Chaperone Policy

There are occasions when patients need to be examined by a clinician which may involve intimate examinations. A chaperone provides a safeguard for patients during such an examination or consultation and protects against verbal, physical, sexual or other abuse for both patient and clinician. A clinician has the right to request a chaperone if they feel it necessary.

Elm Tree Surgery is committed to putting patients at ease wherever possible. If you wish a chaperone to be present during an examination please do not hesitate to ask a clinician or one of our receptionists. It may not be possible for such a person to be provided immediately and you may have to return for the examination to be carried out at a mutually convenient time.

Trust is important in the relationship between clinician and patient and we would at all times, wish you to feel able to ask for a chaperone. It is the policy of Elm Tree Surgery to respect the privacy, dignity, cultural and religious beliefs of our patients.

Comments / Suggestions

Complaints

Confidentiality & Medical Records

Everyone working for the Practice has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. All our staff have signed confidentiality agreements, which ensures that this is the case. The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you may need to be shared with others.

You may be receiving care from other people as well as from the Practice. So that we can all work together for your benefit, we may need to share some information about you. We only ever use or pass on information about you if people have a genuine need for it. Whenever we can, we shall remove details which identify you.

Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential. The main reasons for which your information may be needed are

Giving you health care and treatment
Looking after the health of the general public
Managing and planning practice services

For example:

Making sure our services can meet patient’s needs in the future.
Preparing statistics on performance and activity (steps will be taken to ensure you cannot be identified).
Investigating complaints or legal claims,
Research approved by the Ethics Committee (If any research would involve you personally, you will be contacted for your consent).

If you have any concerns or objections about other parties having access to your medical records please notify the practice. Your wishes will be respected.

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

GDPR

Privacy Notice – Direct Care

How Elm Tree Surgery uses your information to provide you with healthcare. This practice keeps medical records confidential and complies with the General Data Protection Regulation. We hold your medical record so that we can provide you with safe care and treatment.

We will also use your information so that this practice can check and review the quality of the care we provide. This helps us to improve our services to you.

We will share relevant information from your medical record with other health or social care staff or organisations when they provide you with care. For example, your GP will share information when they refer you to a specialist in a hospital. Or your GP will send details about your prescription to your chosen pharmacy.
For more information on how we share your information with organisations who are directly involved in your care can be found here: http://www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk/carerecords. Healthcare staff working in A&E and out of hours care will also have access to your information. For example, it is important that staff who are treating you in an emergency know if you have any allergic reactions. This will involve the use of your Summary Care Record or Emergency Care Summary / Individual Health Record. For more information see: https://digital.nhs.uk/summary-care-records or alternatively speak to your practice.
You have the right to object to information being shared for your own care. Please speak to the practice if you wish to object. You also have the right to have any mistakes or errors corrected.

Other Important Information About How Your Information is Used to Provide you With Healthcare

Registering for NHS Care

All patients who receive NHS care are registered on a national database.
This database holds your name, address, date of birth and NHS Number but it does not hold information about the care you receive.
The database is held by NHS Digital, a national organisation which has legal responsibilities to collect NHS data.
More information can be found at: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/looking-after-information/data-security-and-information-governance or the phone number for general enquires at NHS Digital is 0300 303 5678

Identifying Patients Who Might be at Risk of Certain Diseases

Your medical records will be searched by a computer programme so that we can identify patients who might be at high risk from certain diseases such as heart disease or unplanned admissions to hospital.
This means we can offer patients additional care or support as early as possible.
This process will involve linking information from your GP record with information from other health or social care services you have used.
Information which identifies you will only be seen by this practice.
More information can be found at: The Health Protection website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england or speak to the practice.

SafeGuarding

Sometimes we need to share information so that other people, including healthcare staff, children or others with safeguarding needs, are protected from risk of harm.
These circumstances are rare.
We do not need your consent or agreement to do this.
Please see our local policies for more information: https://www.stockton.gov.uk/adult-services/safeguarding-adults.

We are Required by Law to Provide you With the Following Information About how we Handle Your Information.

Data Controller contact details

Dr E Mansoor

Elm Tree Surgery, 22B Westbury Street, Thornaby ,TS17 6PG

Data Protection Officer (contact details)

Liane Cotterill

Senior Governance Manager & Data Protection Officer

Purpose of the processing

To give direct health or social care to individual patients.
For example, when a patient agrees to a referral for direct care, such as to a hospital, relevant information about the patient will be shared with the other healthcare staff to enable them to give appropriate advice, investigations, treatments and/or care.
To check and review the quality of care. (This is called audit and clinical governance).

Lawful Basis for processing

These purposes are supported under the following sections of the GDPR:

Article 6(1)(e) ‘…necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’; and

Article 9(2)(h) ‘necessary for the purposes of preventative or occupational medicine for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…”

Healthcare staff will also respect and comply with their obligations under the common law duty of confidence.

Recipient or Categories of Recipients of the processed data

The data will be shared with:

Healthcare professionals and staff in this surgery;
Local hospitals;
Out of hours services;
Diagnostic and treatment centres;
Or other organisations involved in the provision of direct care to individual patients.

DPO

Rights to Object

You have the right to object to information being shared between those who are providing you with direct care.
This may affect the care you receive – please speak to the practice.
You are not able to object to your name, address and other demographic information being sent to NHS Digital.
This is necessary if you wish to be registered to receive NHS care.
You are not able to object when information is legitimately shared for safeguarding reasons.
In appropriate circumstances it is a legal and professional requirement to share information for safeguarding reasons. This is to protect people from harm.
The information will be shared with the local safeguarding service

Right to Access and Correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected. Please speak to a member of staff or look at our ‘subject access request’ policy on the practice website – http://www.elmtreepractice.nhs.uk
We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention Period

GP medical records will be kept in line with the law and national guidance. Information on how long records are kept can be found at: https://digital.nhs.uk/article/1202/Records-Management-Code-of-Practice-for-Health-and-Social-Care-2016

or speak to the practice.

Right to Complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain follow this link https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

Data we get From Other Organisations

We receive information about your health from other organisations who are involved in providing you with health and social care. For example, if you go to hospital for treatment or an operation the hospital will send us a letter to let us know what happens. This means your GP medical record is kept up-to date when you receive care from other parts of the health service.

Medical Research & Quality of Care

How Your Information is Used for Medical Research and to Measure the Quality of Care.

Medical Research

Elm Tree Surgery shares information from medical records:

To support medical research when the law allows us to do so, for example to learn more about why people get ill and what treatments might work best;
We will also use your medical records to carry out research within the practice.

This is Important Because:

The use of information from GP medical records is very useful in developing new treatments and medicines;
Medical researchers use information from medical records to help answer important questions about illnesses and disease so that improvements can be made to the care and treatment patients receive.

We share information with the following medical research organisations with your explicit consent or when the law allows: National Diabetes Audit. You have the right to object to your identifiable information being used or shared for medical research purposes. Please speak to the practice if you wish to object

Checking the Quality of Care – National Clinical Audits

Elm Tree Surgery contributes to national clinical audits so that healthcare can be checked and reviewed.

Information from medical records can help doctors and other healthcare workers measure and check the quality of care which is provided to you.
The results of the checks or audits can show where hospitals are doing well and where they need to improve.
The results of the checks or audits are used to recommend improvements to patient care.
Data are sent to NHS Digital, a national body with legal responsibilities to collect data.
The data will include information about you, such as your NHS Number and date of birth and information about your health which is recorded in coded form – for example the code for diabetes or high blood pressure.
We will only share your information for national clinical audits or checking purposes when the law allows.
For more information about national clinical audits see the Healthcare Quality Improvements Partnership website: https://www.hqip.org.uk/ or phone 020 7997 7370.
You have the right to object to your identifiable information being shared for national clinical audits. Please contact the practice if you wish to object.

We are Required by Law to Provide you With the Following Information About how we Share Your Information for Medical Research Purposes.

Data Controller (contact details)

Dr E Mansoor

Elm Tree surgery, 22B Westbury Street, Thornaby, TS17 6PG

Data Protection Officer contact details

Liane Cotterill

Senior Governance Manager & Data Protection Officer

Purpose of the processing

Medical research and to check the quality of care which is given to patients (this is called national clinical audit).

Lawful Basis for processing

The following sections of the GDPR mean that we can use medical records for research and to check the quality of care (national clinical audits)

Article 6(1)(e) – ‘processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller’.

For medical research: there are two possible Article 9 conditions.

Article 9(2)(a) – ‘the data subject has given explicit consent…’

To check the quality of care (clinical audit):

Article 9(2)(h) – ‘processing is necessary for the purpose of preventative…medicine…the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…’

Recipient or Categories of Recipients of the processed data

For medical research the data will be shared with

The data will be shared with:

NHS Digital
Care Quality Commission
Our local health protection team or Public Health
With the court if ordered

For national clinical audits which check the quality of care the data will be shared with NHS Digital.

Rights to Object and the National Data opt-out

You have a right to object under the GDPR and the right to ‘opt-out’ under the national data opt-out model. The national data opt-out model provides an easy way for you to opt-out of:

Information that identifies you being used or shared for medical research purposes and quality checking or audit purposes.

Please contact the practice if you wish to opt-out.

To opt-out of your identifiable information being shared for medical research or to find out more about your opt-out choices please go to NHS Digital’s website: https://digital.nhs.uk

Right to Access and Correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected. Please speak to a member of staff or look at our ‘subject access request’ policy on the practice website – http://www.elmtreepractice.nhs.uk
We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention Period

Right to Complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain follow this link https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

Legal Requirements Share Data

How Your Information is Shared so That This Practice can Meet Legal Requirements

The law requires Elm Tree Surgery to share information from your medical records in certain circumstances. Information is shared so that the NHS or Public Health England can, for example:

Plan and manage services;
Check that the care being provided is safe;
Prevent infectious diseases from spreading.

We will share information with NHS Digital, the Care Quality Commission and local health protection team (or Public Health England) when the law requires us to do so. Please see below for more information. We must also share your information if a court of law orders us to do so.

NHS Digital

NHS Digital is a national body which has legal responsibilities to collect information about health and social care services.
It collects information from across the NHS in England and provides reports on how the NHS is performing. These reports help to plan and improve services to patients.
This practice must comply with the law and will send data to NHS Digital, for example, when it is told to do so by the Secretary of State for Health or NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
More information about NHS Digital and how it uses information can be found at: https://digital.nhs.uk/home

Care Quality Commission (CQC

The CQC regulates health and social care services to ensure that safe care is provided.
The law says that we must report certain serious events to the CQC, for example, when patient safety has been put at risk.

For more information about the CQC see: http://www.cqc.org.uk

Public Health

The law requires us to share data for public health reasons, for example to prevent the spread of infectious diseases or other diseases which threaten the health of the population.
We will report the relevant information to local health protection team or Public Health England.

For more information about Public Health England and disease reporting see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/notifiable-diseases-and-causative-organisms-how-to-report

We are Required by Law to Provide you With the Following Information About how we Handle Your Information and our Legal Obligations to Share Data.

Data Controller (contact details )

Dr E Mansoor

22B Westbury Street, thornaby, TS17 6PG

Data Protection Officer contact details

Liane Cotterill

Senior Governance Manager & Data Protection Officer

Purpose of the processing

Compliance with legal obligations or court order.

Lawful Basis for processing

The following sections of the GDPR mean that we can share information when the law tells us to.

Article 6(1)(c) – ‘processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject…’

Recipient or Categories of Recipients of the processed data

The data will be shared with NHS Digital.
The data will be shared with the Care Quality Commission.
The data will be shared with our local health protection team or Public Health England.
The data will be shared with the court if ordered.

Rights to Object and the National Data Opt-out

There are very limited rights to object when the law requires information to be shared but government policy allows some rights of objection as set out below.

NHS Digital

You have the right to object to information being shared with NHS Digital for reasons other than your own direct care.
This is called a ‘Type 1’ objection – you can ask your practice to apply this code to your record.
Please note: The ‘Type 1’ objection, however, will no longer be available after 2020.
This means you will not be able to object to your data being shared with NHS Digital when it is legally required under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

The national data op-out model provides you with an easy way of opting-out of identifiable data being used for health service planning and research purposes, including when it is shared by NHS Digital for these reasons.

To opt-out or to find out more about your opt-out choices please go to NHS Digital’s website:https://digital.nhs.uk

Public Health

Legally information must be shared under public health legislation. This means that you are unable to object.

Care Quality Commission

Legally information must be shared when the Care Quality Commission needs it for their regulatory functions. This means that you are unable to object.

Court Order

Your information must be shared if it ordered by a court. This means that you are unable to object.

Right to Access and Correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected. Please speak to a member of staff or look at our ‘subject access request’ policy on the practice website – http://www.elmtreepractice.nhs.uk
We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention Period

Right to Complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain follow this link https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

National Screening Programmes

The NHS provides national screening programmes so that certain diseases can be detected at an early stage.
These screening programmes include bowel cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, aortic aneurysms and a diabetic eye screening service.
The law allows us to share your contact information with Public Health England so that you can be invited to the relevant screening programme.
More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmes or speak to the practice.

We are Required by Law to Provide you With the Following Information About how we Handle Your Information in Relation to our Legal Obligations to Share data.

Data Controller (contact details)

Dr E Mansoor

22B Westbury Street, Thornaby, TS17 6PG

Data Protection Officer contact details

Awaiting name & contact from CCG

Purpose of the processing

The NHS provides several national health screening programmes to detect diseases or conditions early such as cervical and breast cancer, aortic aneurysm and diabetes.
The information is shared so that the correct people are invited for screening. This means those who are most at risk can be offered treatment.

Lawful Basis for processing

The following sections of the GDPR allow us to contact patients for screening.

Article 6(1)(e) – ‘processing is necessary…in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller…’’

Recipient or Categories of Recipients of the processed data

The data will be shared with :

NHS Digital

Care Quality Commission

Our Local Health Protection Team

Public Health

With the Court if Ordered

Rights to Object

For national screening programmes: you can opt so that you no longer receive an invitation to a screening programme.

See: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/opting-out-of-the-nhs-population-screening-programmes or speak to your practice nurse or GP

Right to Access and Correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected. Please speak to a member of staff or look at our ‘subject access request’ policy on the practice website – http://www.elmtreepractice.nhs

We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention Period

GP medical records will be kept in line with the law and national guidance.

Information on how long records can be kept can be found at: https://digital.nhs.uk/article/1202/Records-Management-Code-of-Practice-for-Health-and-Social-Care-2016 or speak to the practice.

Right to Complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain follow this link https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

Data we get From Other Organisations

Subject Access Request

This right, commonly referred to as subject access, is created by section 7 of the Data Protection Act. It is most often used by individuals who want to see a copy of the information an organisation holds about them. However, the right of access goes further than this, and an individual who makes a written request and pays a fee is entitled to be:

Told whether any personal data is being processed;
Given a description of the personal data, the reasons it is being processed, and whether it will be given to any other organisations or people;
Given a copy of the information comprising the data; and given details of the source of the data (where this is available).

An individual can also request information about the reasoning behind any automated decisions, such as a computer-generated decision to grant or deny credit, or an assessment of performance at work (except where this information is a trade secret). Other rights relating to these types of decisions are dealt with in more detail in automated decision taking.

In most cases you must respond to a subject access request promptly and in any event within 40 calendar days of receiving it. However, some types of personal data are exempt from the right of subject access and so cannot be obtained by making a subject access request. For more information, please see exemptions.

For further information please visit the Information Commissioners Office: https://ico.org.uk

GDPR Children

We keep records about you and your health so we can look after you.

Your name, where you live and how old you are
Who you live with and who looks after you
What care we have given you
Photographs we take of you
Results and scans of your body like X-Rays
We keep this information on: Computers and paper medical records.

We Always Keep Your Information Private

People in the practice who look after you can use your information to look after you. Sometimes we might need to share your records with other people who look after you, such as the hospital or another doctor or nurse. People who use your information cannot tell anyone about what you say to them, unless they are worried about your safety, or the safety of someone else.

Sometimes we need to use your information to help other people, to teach them or learn new things. We will remove your name, age and where you live so no one will know it’s about you. If you want to look at your records or if you have some questions about them, or don’t think they are correct, please ask a member of staff and we can help.

Ask your doctor or nurse any questions you want. You can also speak to the Data Protection Officer whose job it is to help us keep your information safe and private.

Great North Care Record

What is the Great North Care Record?

Great North Care Record gives the staff caring for you a more complete picture of your medical history. It does this by making information held about you in different places such as your GP practice or local hospital available to the staff who are looking after you. Being able to access this information helps make your care safer

How Does it Work?

Your GP, local hospital, social care, community or mental health team all hold different electronic records about you. This means your complete health and care record is like a jigsaw puzzle, with the pieces held in different places. This is probably why you have been asked the same questions over and again by different staff. We know it can be frustrating having to repeat the same information.

The Great North Care Record joins the pieces of the puzzle together and allows health and care professionals to see a more complete picture. Reducing the need for you to repeat information.

How Does This Help me?

Health and care staff have more time to provide you with better, safer careInformation about you is available quicklyYou will be asked to repeat less information

What Kind of Information is Made Available?

The type of information viewed includes details like:

Problems
Diagnosis
Procedures
Allergies
Vital signs
Medications
Lab Results
Immunisations
Radiology / scans
Clinical correspondence
Appointments
Physical examination
Family history
Visits
Social history
Microbiology

Cellular pathology

Are all NHS and Social Care Organisations in the North East and North Cumbria Able to Access my Information?

Staff working in hospitals, GPs, mental health, out of hours, ambulance and adult social care in our region are able to access the Great North Care Record.

How do I know my Records are Kept Safe?

By law, everyone working in, or on behalf of the NHS and social care, must respect your privacy and keep all information about you safe. The Great North Care Record uses a secure system that meets NHS and social care security standards. The system keeps an audit trail including the time and date when your record is accessed. If you have access to your patient record through a GP app you will be able to see this information. You can also contact our helpline and they can check. The laws on data protection are clear and we take them very seriously. Organisations who use the Great North Care Record are responsible for ensuring only the right people access your record and have strict policies and protocols in place to prevent inappropriate access.

Who can Amend or add Information to my Great North Care Record?

Great North Care Record provides ‘view only’ access to your medical record. There is no change to current practice. Your records can only be amended within local GP, social care or hospital systems. The Great North Care Record simply displays this information more widely across the health and social care system to staff who are caring for you.

Can anyone see my records?

No, your records are confidential. They can only be lawfully looked at by staff who are directly involved in your care. Doctors, nurses and other care staff rely on good communication with their patients – and with each other – to provide the best care possible. Your information isn’t available to anyone who doesn’t need it to provide treatment, care and support to you. Your details are kept safe and won’t be made public, passed on to a third party who is not directly involved in your care, used for advertising or sold

Can I Access my Medical Records?

Yes. The Data Protection Act 2018 allows you to find out what information is held about you, on computer and in certain manual records. This is known as ‘right of subject access’ and applies to your health and social care records. If you want to see or receive a copy of your records speak to a member of staff, or your care providers who will be able to help you. You can also access your GP record using a number of different apps, including the NHS App.

What can I do if I Have a Question or a Concern About the Great North Care Record?

Contact our helpline on: 0344 811 9587 or email: [email protected] for more information. The helpline is open Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

What if I don’t Want my Information to be Available on the Great North Care Record?

Using the Great North Care Record makes it easier for us to provide the best care and support for you and provides you with a better experience. Your record is automatically available for staff involved in your care to access. If you would prefer your record not to be made available please contact us on 0344 811 9587 or email [email protected], or visit our opt out page for more information.

Do Staff Have to ask my Permission to Look at my Records?

When the Great North Care Record was first introduced, staff were required to ask patients, where possible, for consent to access their record. Since the Great North Care Record began in 2016, changes to data protection regulations and legislation have meant that the approach to this has changed.

Under the new laws, data recorded about patients can lawfully be shared without the patient’s permission. We are required to be open and honest about how data is used and shared and provide an easy way for people to opt out if they would prefer.

There are also practical challenges with asking patient’s when they are receiving treatment. For many healthcare staff, they might want to review a patient’s history before they meet that patient – such as before an out-patient appointment. Having access to more information about them, helps them to be more informed and ask the right questions. This helps makes care safer. We wrote a blog in November 2019 which explains more about why we changed this policy.

How Have you Involved Patients in How the Great North Care Record has Been Developed?

We are committed to listening to the views of people living in our region. We commissioned two large pieces of research to understand how patients feel about their healthcare record being shared. One was a YouGov poll of 800 local people, the other was 25 focus groups held around the region to get into the details and hear about people’s ideas, concerns and issues. Both reports were commissioned and analysed independently by researchers at Teesside and Newcastle Universities.

How Will the Great North Care Record Develop in the Future?

We are building a Public Engagement Platform which will essentially be an app or website where patients can access their own Great North Care Record. Work on this will begin in 2020.

National Data Opt-Out

How the NHS and Care Services use Your Information:

Elm Tree Surgery is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public.

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment. The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance,

To Help With:

• Improving the quality and standards of care provided

• Research into the development of new treatments

• Preventing illness and diseases monitoring safety

• Planning services

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.

Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed. You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.

To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit – www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

On this Web Page you Will:

See what is meant by confidential patient information.
Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care.
Find out more about the benefits of sharing data.
Understand more about who uses the data.
Find out how your data is protected.
Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting.
Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone.
See the situations where the opt-out will not apply

You can also find out more about how patient information is used at:

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/information-about-patients/ (which covers health and care research); and
https://understandingpatientdata.org.uk/what-you-need-know (which covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards and how decisions are made)

You can change your mind about your choice at any time. Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes and data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement.

Health and care organisations have until 2020 to put systems and processes in place so they can be compliant with the national data opt-out and apply your choice to any confidential patient information they use or share for purposes beyond your individual care. Our organisation is not currently compliant with the national data opt-out policy.

A number of posts are circulating on social media about the national data opt-out, containing incorrect information. This page looks at these claims and gives you the facts you need to make your choice.

h ttps://digital.nhs.uk/services/national-data-opt-out/mythbusting-social-media-posts

Responsibilities

Our Responsibilities To You

Waiting Time: We run an appointment system in this practice. You will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse hopes to be able to see you. You should not wait more than 30 minutes in the waiting room without receiving an explanation for the delay.

Telephone: We will try to answer the telephone promptly and ensure that there is sufficient staff available to do this. You may experience delays at 8 am when the lines are extremely busy.

Respect: Patients will be treated as individuals and partners in their health care, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religious and cultural beliefs.

Health Records: Information contained in your health records is kept confidential at all times and only disclosed for purposes related to your health care (except when you have given permission).

Your Responsibilities To Us

Please let us know if you change your name, address or telephone number.
Please do everything you can to keep appointments. Tell us know as soon as possible if you cannot attend.
Please ask for home visits only when the patient is too ill to visit the surgery.
Please be courteous to our Reception and other Practice Staff, they are here to help you.
Please keep your telephone call brief and avoid calling at peak timings for non-urgent matters.

Remember, you are responsible for your own health and the health of your children. We will give you our professional help and advice, please act upon it.

Rights and Responsibilities

Patient Registration

We welcome new patients to the practice from those people who live within the practice area. New patients will be asked to complete a patient registration form and health questionnaire. A suitable form of identification is required; to prove who you are – this would normally be some form of photo identification, such as a passport or driving licence. Please provide as much detail as possible on the registration forms, as it may take a few weeks for your medical records to be received from your previous doctor.

Prompt Arrival

Please try to arrive for consultations a few minutes before your appointed time. If you arrive late you may find that you have missed your appointment and that you will have to make a new appointment for another day.

Cancelling Appointments

If you are unable to make your appointment, please ensure that you cancel it, preferably before 24 hours of the appointment times, in order that other patients may benefit from the freed slot.

Address Change

Please let us know if you change address or telephone; in an emergency this information can be vital. Alternatively, you can update your change of address details online via this website. If you move outside of our surgery area, it will be necessary for you to register with a doctor at another practice.

Mobile Phones

We allow mobile phones to be used within the surgery building, but please ensure you turn yours off before going into the doctor’s or nurse’s consulting room.

Bullying And Harassment/Zero Tolerance Policy

The practice wishes to ensure that the surgery is free from threats of violence and will not tolerate any bullying or harassment of a patient, visitor or member of staff, whether on site or at any other location. Such bullying and harassment will be considered an offence and will result in the patient being removed from our list and possible prosecution.

Complaints Procedure

We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. A complaints information leaflet is available from reception. Please write or speak to our practice manager if you have any constructive suggestions or concerns relating to the practice.

Summary Care Record

You may have been asked if you wish to share some of your medical deteails via the Summary Care Record. The Summary Care Record (SCR) is a Central NHS Computer System. It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why do I Need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed. This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who Can See it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I Know if I Have One?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by looking at our interactive map or by asking your GP

Do I Have to Have One?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to contact us. For further information visit the NHS Care records website or the HSCIC Website.

Teaching

Our practice is planning to be involved in medical training. Our registrars will be fully qualified medical doctors undergoing training before becoming a general practitioner. When booking an appointment you may be asked if you would consult with one of our registrars.

From time to time the doctors and registrar will need to videotape consultations but only with your permission before the consultation. We are also planning to be involved in the teaching of medical students. The students that come to our practice will be aware of the importance of confidentiality, however if you do not wish to be seen by a student this will not prejudice your care.

Zero Tolerance Policy

The practice fully supports the NHS Zero Tolerance Policy. The aim of this policy is to tackle the increasing problem of violence against staff working in the NHS and ensures that doctors and all other staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused.

We understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint. We ask you to treat your doctors and all other staff courteously and act reasonably.

All incidents will be followed up and you will be sent a formal warning after a second incident or removed from the practice list after a third incident if your behaviour has been unreasonable.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or verbal abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from The Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police will be contacted if an incident is taking place and the patient is posing a threat to staff or other patients.

Removal From the Practice List

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship. When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of The Practice, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the Police are involved.

Removing Other Members of the Household

In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household. The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family.

This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or other staff at risk.

GP Net Earnings
NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and the required disclosure is shown below. However it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice, and should not be used to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

The average pay for GPs working in the last financial year was £97,680 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 5 GPs and 2 Salaried Partners, with 0 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months