Easy Read Privacy Notice

Employee Privacy Notice 2024

Patients Privacy Notice 2024

To see our Children’s Privacy Notice, please click here.

Please see our Privacy Notice – Data Protection here.

To see our Privacy Notice – Data Sharing please click here

To see our Easy Read Privacy Notice, please click here.

To view our Privacy Notice – General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) policy, please click here.

Confidentiality & Medical Records

We understand how important confidentiality is to our patients and we provide complete confidentiality between you and us at all times.

As a patient it is your right, with certain exceptions, to have all information regarding your personal health, whether kept on paper or on the computer, confidential ? and, to this end, all staff are required to sign a statement of confidentiality to ensure that the highest possible standards of confidentiality are maintained.

When you first register with a practice certain personal details, such as name, address and date of birth are passed to the Primary Care Trust and to the NHS Central Register. This enables your medical record to be located and passed to your new practice. Although the Primary Care Trust’s database holds information on childhood vaccinations and immunisations and cervical cytology no other clinical information is held either there or at the Central Register.

It is possible, however, that it may be necessary to share some information regarding your medical history with other health care professionals such as hospital consultants, to ensure you receive appropriate treatment. In addition there are certain statutory requirements that require a practice to pass on information to the authorities, for example notifications of birth or death, infectious diseases, gunshot wounds.

In other cases, such as releasing medical records to solicitors when dealing with complaints or legal claims, information is only released with your written authority to do so.

The Practice occasionally participates in Department of Health commissioned surveys to assess patient experiences of aspects of general practice care. The Practice undertakes an annual patient satisfaction survey.

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.

Data Protection

We need to hold personal information about you on our computer system and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe – keeping.

Please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.

Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with other s involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record is properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both a legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.

All information about you is held securely and a ppropriate safeguards are in place to prevent accidental loss.

In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues . In other circumstances you may be required to give written consent before information is released – such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.

To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone or fax unless we a re sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends, or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not leave messages with others.

You have a right to see your records if you wish.

Please ask at reception if you would like further details and our patient information leaflet. An appointment will be required. In some circumstances a fee may be payable.

To see our Collaborative organisations – shared care record policy, please click here.

To see our Privacy Notice – Shared Care Record, please click here.

As a patient, you can request access to your GP medical record at our practice.

You can read more about the types of information we hold about you here and learn about some of the abbreviations we use here.

To request online access to your medical records click here.

Named GP’s For All Patients

All patients are allocated a named accountable GP when you register with the practice.

Who is my named GP?

Simply ask at your next appointment or speak to Reception.

What does ‘accountable’ mean?

By having a named GP, we have a requirement to reassure you that you have one GP within the practice who is responsible for ensuring that care if carried out on your behalf.

What are the named GP’s responsibilities to people aged 75 and over?

If you are aged 75 or over, your named accountable GP is responsible for:

• working with relevant associated health and social care professionals to deliver a multi-disciplinary care package that meets the needs of you as the patient
• ensuring that you have access to a health check as set out in section 7.9 of the GMS Contract Regulations.

Does the requirement mean 24-hour responsibility for patients?

No. The named GP will not:

• take on vicarious responsibility for the work of other doctors or health professionals
• take on 24-hour responsibility for the patient, or have to change their working hours. The requirement does not imply personal availability for GPs throughout the working week
• be the only GP or Clinician who will provide care to that patient

Can I choose their own named GP?

In the first instance, patients are simply allocated a named GP. However, if you prefer a particular GP, reasonable efforts can be made to accommodate your preference, recognising that there are occasions when the practice may not feel the patient’s preference is suitable.

Do I have to see the named GP when I book an appointment with the practice?

No. Patients can and should feel free to choose to see any GP or nurse in the practice in line with current arrangements. However, some practices may see this change as a way to encourage and promote a greater degree of continuity of care for patients.

All patients registered with this practice have an allocated named GP at the point of registration. If you would like clarification of who your named GP is, please speak to reception.

Equality and Diversity Policy

The practice aims to provide a comprehensive and integrated service to patients who misuse drugs and alcohol. We provide advice, information and support. We have good links with clinical substances misuse teams and we can arrange and co-ordinate aftercare.