Practice Policies & Patient Information
Chaperone Policy
The Practice is committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times and the safety of everyone is of paramount importance. All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required.
This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present ie a trained member of staff. If you would like to see a copy of our Chaperone Policy or have any questions or comments regarding this please contact Reception in the first instance.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
To pursue a complaint please contact the complaints manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.
Confidentiality & Medical Records
The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:
- To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
- To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
- When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.
If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Access to Records
All patients have the right to access their medical records (subject to certain limitations). We are committed to ensuring your records remain confidential, therefore, no information will be discussed without a patient’s written authority unless we are legally obliged to do so.
The Practice Data Protection Registration number is Z7286219.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practitioners 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.
Data Choices
Your Data Matters to the NHS
Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
How Your Data is Used
Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.
Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.
You Have a Choice
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Will Choosing This Opt-out Affect Your Care and Treatment?
No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.
What do you Need to do?
If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.
To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.
GP Net Earnings
All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice are publicised and the required disclosure is shown here. 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.
For Example:
In a practice with 4 full time GPs, with a total net earnings of £480,000, the prescribed method would calculate an average earnings figure of £480,000 / 4 = £120,000pa.
If the same practice employed 2 full time and 4 part time GPs, the average earnings figure calculation would be £480,000 / 6 = £80,000pa.
The average pay for GPs working at this practice in the last financial year was £77,696 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 1 full time GP, 1 part time GP and 1 locum GP who worked in the practice for more than six months.
GPR
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 (ICO) must be notified within 72 hours of a data breach.
- Higher fines for data breaches – up to 20 million euros.
For further information, please see our GDPR Patient Leaflet.
Privacy Notices
In line with the new GDPR, the Practice has produced privacy notices.
Drs DP Diggle and RE Phillips Privacy Notice 2020.pdf
Patient Privacy Notice (children’s version)
Covid-19 Privacy Notice 2020
Sharing Patient Information With Other NHS Organisations
Our GP Practice uses a computer system called SystmOne that allows the sharing of your full electronic GP record across different NHS Care Services. You can choose to share or not to share your electronic GP record. More information is available in our patient information leaflet Record and Information Sharing Guide.
Patient Access Policy
The Practice has a publicly available Practice Access Policy which specifies how it provides its patients with access consistent with the CCG’s 24/7 generalist healthcare strategy. Patient Access Policy 2019
Privacy Notice
Summary Care Record
Your core Summary Care Record (SCR) is created when you register at a GP practice. If you do not express a preference, it is currently assumed that your consent is implied.
The SCR shares only your contact details, medications and allergies with other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
You can also choose to share a SCR with Additional Information. This shares the above plus a diagnosis list, care plans, end of life care and immunisations with other healthcare professionals. Sensitive data is excluded. A SCR with Additional Information will only be created for you if you explicitly choose this option.
Choosing to share a SCR with Additional Information is thought to be of great benefit if you are admitted to hospital.
You can opt out of sharing any of your information in a SCR. It will not affect your entitlement to care, but it could result in the delivery of your care being less efficient as other health professionals will not have access to these parts of your medical history.
Summary Care Record
There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). 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 complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.
More Information
For further information visit the NHS Care records website.
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons.
Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing from their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.