Policies and Procedures - Fordhouses Medical Centre

Access to your Medical Records

All patients have the right to see what is kept on their medical record. If you want to view your record, please make a request with the medical secretary. You are also entitled to receive a copy of the information you have seen, please note that a small charge may be made for the administration and time involved.

Should your doctor decide that seeing your records might put your health at risk, you may only be shown part of your records or your request may be declined.

Sharing your medical record

In some instances, you may be receiving care from other people as well as the NHS. We may need to share some information about you with them, so that we can all work together for your benefit. Anyone who receives confidential information about you from us is under a legal duty of confidence. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, for example, when the health or safety of others is at risk, we will not disclose your information to third parties without your permission.

In certain circumstances we are required by law to report information, however our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strict confidence.

We will only give your relatives, friends and carers information if you want us to.

You may ask us to share your health record with agencies e.g. solicitors, insurance companies, we will only do this with your written consent, and you may ask to view this information before it is provided.

Computer Records and Confidentiality

The practice records the majority of the information it obtains about patients in a computerised record. The system used by the practice is part of the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

Access to patient identifiable information is strictly controlled by local and national confidentiality controls. Access is only allowed to people directly involved in their care. The practice takes confidentiality very seriously and maintains strict controls over access to information. Please contact the Practice Manager if you have any concerns over the management of your confidential information.

Confidentiality for those under 16

Teenagers are entitled to the same confidentiality as adults; this includes children over thirteen years of age providing the doctor or nurse feels they are capable of making decisions about their own health. All practice staff including receptionists following strict guidelines to ensure patient confidentiality.

CCTV Policy

We have installed a CCTV system in our Surgery. Here’s some more information about it.

Introduction

Closed circuit television (CCTV) is installed at the Practice premises for the purposes of staff, patient and premises security. Cameras are located at various places on the premises, and images from the cameras are recorded.

The use of CCTV falls within the scope of the Data Protection Act 1998 (“the 1998 Act”). This code of practice follows the recommendations issued by the Data Protection Commissioner in accordance with powers under Section 51 (3)(b) of the 1998 Act.

Why we have installed CCTV

Ensure the safety of patients, personnel and property
Reduce costs of vandalism
Reduce costs of theft or damage to expensive medical equipment and other valuable assets
Protect staff and patients by deterring and resolving disruptive and violent behaviour in waiting rooms and other public access zones
Reduce risk and cost of theft of drugs from surgery
Deter and protect against the threat of patient abductions or abuse

The Practice’s CCTV policy

CCTV is in place in the waiting room, corridor, reception, car park.
CCTV has been installed solely for the safety and security of our patients and staff.
Images are recorded 24 hours a day, seven days a week and stored on the hard drives of the recording devices. The recording devices are situated in locked rooms and only the manager and owners of the practice have access to the recordings. The manager regularly checks that the CCTV devices are working as intended.
The CCTV only records images and does not record audio.
All CCTV recordings are stored on our recording devices/ hard-drives for 30 days beforebeing deleted.

Comments & Complaints

Suggestions or Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. However, we’re 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. Simply contact the Practice Manager and she will set all the necessary wheels in motion. Further written information is available on the complaints procedure from reception.

Complaint Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this GP surgery, please let us know. This includes Primary Care Network staff working as part of our GP surgery. We operate a complaints procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly when they arise and with the person concerned. For example, by requesting a face-to-face meeting to discuss your concerns.

If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible. By making your complaint quickly, it is easier for us to establish what happened. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to the GP surgery team verbally or in writing to the Practice Manager. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the GP surgery to discuss your concerns. They will explain the complaints procedure to you and make sure your concerns are dealt with promptly. Please be as specific as possible about your complaint.

What we will do

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. We will aim to have investigated your complaint within ten working days of the date you raised it with us. We will then offer you an explanation or a meeting with the people involved, if you would like this. When we investigate your complaint, we will aim to:

Find out what happened and what went wrong.
Make it possible for you to discuss what happened with those concerned, if you would like this.
Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate.
Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We take medical confidentiality seriously. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Complaining to NHS England

We hope that you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure if you are unhappy. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our GP surgery.

However, if you feel you cannot raise the complaint with us directly, please contact NHS England. You can find more information on how to make a complaint at https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse/.

Unhappy with the outcome of your complaint?

If you are not happy with the way your complaint has been dealt with by the GP surgery and NHS England and would like to take the matter further, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. It is an independent service which is free for everyone to use.

To take your complaint to the Ombudsman, visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website or call 0345 015 4033

Need help making a complaint?

If you want help making a complaint, Healthwatch Hounslow can help you find independent NHS complaints advocacy services in your area.

Alternatively, POhWER is a charity that helps people to be involved in decisions being made about their care. Call POhWER’s support centre on 0300 456 2370 for advice.

COVID-19 Privacy Notice

Data & Information Sharing

The following is information from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) about how information about you helps us provide better care. A paper copy of this information is available as a leaflet from our reception.

A dedicated patient information line is available by telephoning 0300 456 3531. This line also offers translation and text phone services.

Introduction

Information about you and the care you receive is shared, in a secure system, by healthcare staff to support your treatment and care.

It is important that we, the NHS, can use this information to plan and improve services for all patients. We would like to link information from all the different places where you receive care, such as your GP, hospital and community service, to help us provide a full picture. This will allow us to compare the care you received in one area against the care you received in another, so we can see what has worked best.

Information such as your postcode and NHS number, but not your name, will be used to link your records in a secure system, so your identity is protected. Information which does not reveal your identity can then be used by others, such as researchers and those planning health services, to make sure we provide the best care possible for everyone.

How your information is used and shared is controlled by law and strict rules are in place to protect your privacy.

We need to make sure that you know this is happening and the choices you have.

Please take time to read the following information as you need to make a choice.

Benefits of sharing information

Sharing information can help improve understanding, locally and nationally, of the most important health needs and the quality of the treatment and care provided by local health services. It may also help researchers by supporting studies that identify patterns in diseases, responses to different treatments and potential solutions.

Information will also help to:

find more effective ways of preventing, treating and managing illnesses
guide local decisions about changes that are needed to respond to the needs of local patients
support public health by anticipating risks of particular diseases and conditions and help us to take action to prevent problems
improve the public’s understanding of the outcomes of care, giving them confidence in health and care services
guide decisions about how to manage NHS resources fairly so that they can best support the treatment and management of illness for the benefit of patients

What will we do with the information?

We will only use the minimum amount of information we need to help us improve patient care and the services we provide.

We have developed a thorough process that must be followed before any information can be shared. We sometimes release information to approved researchers, if this is allowed under the strict rules in place to protect your privacy. We are very careful with the information and we follow strict rules about how it is stored and used.

We will make sure that the way we use information is in line with the law, national guidance and best practice. Reports that we publish will never identify a particular person.

Do I have a choice?

Yes. You have the right to prevent confidential information about you from being shared or used for any purpose other than providing your care, except in special circumstances. If you do not want information that identifies you to be shared outside your GP practice, ask your practice to make a note of this in your medical record. This will prevent your confidential information being used other than where necessary by law (for example, if there is a public health emergency).

You will also be able to restrict the use of information held by other places you receive care, such as hospitals and community services. You should let your GP know if you want to restrict the use of this information.

Your choice will not affect the care you receive.

Do I need to do anything?

If you are happy for your information to be shared you do not need to do anything. There is no form to fill in and nothing to sign and you can change your mind at any time.

If you have concerns or are not happy for your information to be shared, speak to your GP practice.

Where can I get more information?

For more information, including a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs), please go to the website at www.nhs.uk/caredata.

You can also get further information from the website at www.hscic.gov.uk.

Or you can speak to staff at your GP practice.

Data Opt Outs – Data Sharing Preferences

This Practice is supporting vital health and care planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. For more information about this, please see the Practice’s Privacy Notice for General Practice Data for Planning and Research.

If you do not want your data to be shared with NHS Digital please register your Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice by 1st September 2021.

National Data Opt Outs – You can choose whether your confidential information is used for research and planning. To find out more, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

TYPE 1 – OPT OUT – MEDICAL RECORDS HELD AT YOUR GP PRACTICE

A Type 1 opt out has to be registered by your Practice; please let us know if you want to register a type 1 opt out
The opt out form is available here: TYPE 1 OPT OUT FORM

TYPE 2 – OPT OUT – INFORMATION HELD BY NHS DIGITAL

– Type 2 Opt Out or otherwise known as National Opt Out can be done without contacting your practice, at www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

For full details please read our Privacy Notice.

GDPR Privacy Policy August 2024 VER 3.2

Named GP

Passports

Countersignatures for Passport Applications

These are no longer done by the practice. They can be done by someone on the list below or someone of similar standing in the community who has know you for at least 2 years. The countersignatory must hold a British or Irish passport.

Click here to see who can countersign your application

First Passport Applications

We cannot provide proof of address for the passport office as we do not take any proof of address or other documentation when a patient is registered with the practice and therefore cannot confirm addresses.

There are many alternatives that can be used.

Practice Charter

You will be treated with respect and as a partner in your care. Being a partner means you have responsibilities too.

Patients’ Rights

We will:

Ensure our patients have 24-hour access to medical advice.
Aim for you to have access to a suitably qualified medical professional within 48 hours of your initial contact during surgery hours, or in an urgent case, the same day.
Work in partnership with you to achieve the best medical care possible.
Involve you and listen to your opinions in all aspects of your medical care.
The prevention of disease, illness and injury is a primary concern. The medical staff will advise and inform you of the steps you can take to promote good health and a healthy lifestyle.

Patients’ Responsibilities

In order for the Practice to run smoothly, there are things we need ask of our patients:

Appointments

Wherever possible, you book routine appointments, preferably by phone or before leaving the building if the doctor has requested to see you again.
You arrive on time for your appointment.
Please phone and cancel an appointment as far ahead as possible if you are unable to keep it.
You understand that although we offer appointments, we have no way of knowing whether it will be necessary to spend more than the allotted time with a patient and you may be kept waiting beyond your appointment time. We would normally expect to see you within 30 minutes of your appointment time.
Please bear in mind that the reception staff are carrying out our instructions. Bad language and abusive behaviour towards any member of the practice staff will not be accepted.
If you are being seen as an Emergency patient you will not be given an appointment time. You will normally be seen in the order of arrival and you may have to wait for a considerable time. Please ensure you follow any guidance given to you by the receptionist about when to arrive at the surgery.

Repeat Prescriptions

Please request repeat prescriptions well before you run out of medication.
Requests are to be made on the tear off slips provided with your computer produced prescription and not by phone. If you provide a stamped self-addressed envelope we will return your prescription to you.
Prescriptions can also be ordered online via this website.

Visits

Wherever possible you attend the surgery rather than request a visit.
Requests for visits should be made before 12 noon wherever possible, to enable the doctors to plan their rounds efficiently within the practice area.
Give the receptionist brief details of your medical condition (to help the doctors to prioritise visit requests) and your telephone number.

As patients, you are responsible for your own health and that of any dependents. It is important that you adhere to information and advice given to you by health professionals, and co-operate with the practice in endeavouring to keep you healthy.

Sign Language

NHS 111 offers a video relay service that allows you to make a video call to a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter. The BSL interpreter will call an NHS 111 adviser on your behalf and you’re then able to have a real-time conversation with the NHS 111 adviser, via the interpreter.

You will need a webcam, a modern computer and a good broadband connection to use this service. Visit NHS 111 BSL interpreter service for more details, including an online user guide.

Text alerts

Violence and Aggression