Information Sharing

Today, electronic records are kept in all the places where you receive healthcare. These NHS Care Services can usually only share information from your records by letter email, fax or phone. At times, this can slow down your treatment and mean information is hard to access.

Our practice uses a computer system that allows the sharing of full electronic records across different NHS Care Services. We are telling you about this as a patient at ­­­­­­­­­­­this practice as you have a choice to make about how your practice shares information about your care from your electronic patient record. This is not about your Summary Care Record (SCR), it is asking your sharing preferences regarding your full electronic GP record.

You can choose to share or not to share your electronic GP record with other NHS Care Services.

Our computer system has two settings to allow you to control how your medical information is shared:

  • Sharing Out – This controls whether your full GP electronic patient record can be shared with other NHS Care Services where you are treated.
  • Sharing In – This controls whether you agree for this practice to view information you’ve agreed to share at other NHS Care Services.

The next time you come to the surgery please ask for a form to record your preference (if you haven’t done so already) and we’ll update your record.  Or you can access the form by clicking on this link below.

Information Sharing Form

Care Quality Commission

CQC overall rating
Good

7 February 2020
See the report

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 of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.

Patient Access Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

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 practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

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.

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.

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 anonymous 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.

Patience Lane Staff Confidentiality Policy

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.

 

The average GP earnings for the last financial year was £34,000 before tax and national insurance.  This is for 1 full time GP and 1 locum GP who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.

 

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice are publicised and the required disclosure shown above.  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.

Named Accountable GP

All our patients have been allocated Dr Gutta as their named, accountable GP.