Practice Policies & Patient Information
Access to medical records
Patients can access their medical records by filling in a patient consent form, which will be reviewed by the GPs & Senior medical Secretary.
Please note, you can now have online access to your medical records. Please speak to Reception staff for details.
You have the right to see your health records written after 1st November 1991, subject to any limitations in the law.
Chaperones
All patients may have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure.
This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, for example a trained member of staff.
If you wish to have a chaperone, please tell us when you book your appointment so that arrangements can be made, and your appointment is not delayed in any way.
Where this is not possible, we will try to provide a formal chaperone.
However occasionally it may be necessary to re-schedule your appointment.
Compliments and Complaints
We have a Practice based Complaints Procedure. If the patients are not happy with any service, which we offer, they can write to the Practice Manager who will then deal with the complaint promptly.
Any Compliments or comments from patients are also welcome.
Patient Complaint Services:
NHS England (London)
Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: england.contactus@nhs.net
Confidentiality
We are registered under the Data Protection Act and have robust systems in place to protect your confidentiality. Personal health information is used to monitor the practices screening activities.
Occasionally, anonymised health information is sent to NHS England to monitor quality standards and for post-payment verification purposes.
GDPR
What is GDPR?
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulations and is a new piece of legislation that will supersede the Data Protection Act. It will not only apply to the UK and EU; it covers anywhere in the world in which data about EU citizens is processed.
The GDPR is similar to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 (which the practice already complies with), but strengthens many of the DPA’s principles. The main changes are:
- Practices must comply with subject access requests
- Where we need your consent to process data, this consent must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous
- There are new, special protections for patient data
- The Information Commissioner’s Office must be notified within 72 hours of a data breach
- Higher fines for data breaches – up to 20 million euros
What is ‘patient data’?
Patient data is information that relates to a single person, such as his/her diagnosis, name, age, earlier medical history etc.
What is consent?
Consent is permission from a patient – an individual’s consent is defined as “any freely given specific and informed indication of his wishes by which the data subject signifies his agreement to personal data relating to him being processed.”
The changes in GDPR mean that we must get explicit permission from patients when using their data. This is to protect your right to privacy, and we may ask you to provide consent to do certain things, like contact you or record certain information about you for your clinical records.
Individuals also have the right to withdraw their consent at any time.
Privacy Information
How we use your medical records
Important information for patients:
- This practice handles medical records in-line with laws on data protection and confidentiality.
- We share medical records with those who are involved in providing you with care and treatment including services that send out invitations for national screening programmes such as smear tests, children immunisations, breast and bowel screening, etc.
- In some circumstances we will also share medical records for medical research, for example to find out more about why people get ill, only with informed patient consent.
- We share information when the law requires us to do so, for example, to prevent infectious diseases from spreading or to check the care being provided to you is safe.
- You have the right to be given a copy of your medical record.
- You have the right to object to your medical records being shared with those who provide you with care.
- You have the right to object to your information being used for medical research and to plan health services.
- You have the right to have any mistakes corrected and to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Please see the practice privacy notice on the website or speak to a member of staff for more information about your rights.
For more information ask at reception for a leaflet.
Help us to help you
You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times irrespective of your ethnic origin, religious belief, personal attributes or the nature of your health problems. In return we ask you to appreciate that we are all trying to satisfy the needs of all our patients and need your co-operation to achieve this.
Medical staff will advise you of the treatment they think appropriate which you may discuss if you wish. No care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.
Important – Notify us of any changes of name, address & telephone numbers. Please note that if you move out of our practice area, it will be necessary for you to register with another GP locally.
It is our job to give you treatment and advice. In the interest of your health it is important for you to understand all the information. Please ask if you are unsure of anything.
If a doctor agrees that a routine referral is necessary, this will be completed and sent within one week. Urgent referrals will be made within 24 hours.
Keep it or cancel it
If you have made an appointment to see any member of the health care team and you no longer require it, please inform us immediately.
Infection Control
Named GP
All patients at the surgery have a named, accountable doctor who is responsible for coordinating their care.
Your named doctor will be allocated to you by the practice. You can still talk to or make appointments to see any of our doctors or nurses, not just your named GP.
If you have a preference and would like to request a particular doctor at the practice to be your named GP, please talk to one of our receptionists.
Patient rights and responsibilities
We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. It is your responsibility to keep your appointments, inform us of your past illnesses, medication, hospital admissions and any other relevant details.
Zero tolerance
We take seriously any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients. If a patient is violent or abusive, they will be warned to stop their behaviour. If they persist, we may exercise our right to take action to have them removed, immediately, if necessary, from our list of patients.