This Protocol is designed to assist staff with an understanding of their role of chaperone and associated responsibilities.

Introduction

This policy is designed to protect both patients and staff from abuse or allegations of abuse and to assist patients to make an informed choice about their examinations and consultations.

The Practice is committed to providing a safe and comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times. The safety of everyone is of paramount importance.

Definition of a Formal Chaperone

In clinical medicine, a formal chaperone is a person who serves as a witness for both a patient and a medical practitioner as a safeguard for both parties during a medical examination or procedure and is a witness to continuing consent of the procedure. Family members or friend may be present but they cannot act as a formal chaperone.

Why are Chaperones needed

There are two considerations involved in having a chaperone to assist during intimate examinations; namely for the comfort of the patient and the protection of the doctor/nurse from allegations of impropriety.

Intimate Examination

Examples of an intimate examination include examinations of the breasts, genitalia and the rectum but it also extends to any examination where it is necessary to touch or be close to the patient for example conducting eye examinations in dimmed lighting, taking the blood pressure or palpating the apex beat.

The Rights of the Patient

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. Patients have the right to decline the offer of a chaperone. However, the clinician may feel that it would be wise to have a chaperone present for their mutual protection for example, an intimate examination on a young adult of the opposite gender. If the patient continues to decline the doctor will need to decide whether or not they are happy to proceed in the absence of a chaperone. This will be a decision based on both clinical need and the requirement for protection against any potential allegations of improper conduct.

Appropriately Trained Chaperone

An appropriately trained chaperone is defined as a member of staff who has completed training and who has been assessed as competent by a member of the Practice clinical team.  All clinical staff who act as a chaperone have a documented Disclosure and Barring Service check kept on record.

Reception/Admin staff are not routinely DBS checked. They are suitably trained so they develop the competencies required. The surgery has an appropriate risk assessment in place providing a clear rationale as to why. Staff who are not DBS checked, are at no time left alone with a patient and do not look after a child while the patient is being examined.

Consultations Involving Intimate Examinations – If an intimate examination is required, the clinician will:

• Establish there is a need for an intimate examination and discuss this with the patient
• Give the patient the opportunity to ask questions
• Obtain and record the patient’s consent
• Offer a chaperone to all patients for intimate examinations (or examinations which may be construed as such) -Documentation should reflect this.  It should document who provided the chaperoning and also say what part of the consultation they were present for.

Guidelines:

Clinicians (male and female) should consider whether an intimate or personal examination of the patient (either male or female) is justified, or whether the nature of the consultation poses a risk of misunderstanding.

• The clinician should give the patient a clear explanation of what the examination will involve and what the chaperone will be doing and where they will be in the room.
• Always adopt a professional and considerate manner – be careful with humour as a way of relaxing a nervous situation as it can easily be misinterpreted.
• Always ensure that the patient is provided with adequate privacy to undress and dress.
• Ensure that a suitable sign is clearly on display in each consulting or treatment room offering the chaperone service if required.

This should remove the potential for misunderstanding.   However, there will still be times when either the clinician, or the patient, feels uncomfortable, and it would be appropriate to consider using a chaperone.   Patients who request a chaperone should never be examined without a chaperone being present

The Patient can expect the Chaperone to be:

• Available if requested
• Sensitive and respect the patient’s dignity and confidentiality
• Reassure the patient if they show signs of distress or discomfort
• Be familiar with the procedure involved in a routine intimate examination.
• Stay for the whole examination and be able to see what the doctor is doing, if practical
• Be prepared to raise any concerns if they are concerned about the doctor’s behaviour or actions.

The Position of the Chaperone

The positioning of the chaperone will depend on several factors for example the nature of the examination and whether or not the chaperone has to help the clinician with the procedure.

When a Chaperone is not available

There may be occasions when a chaperone is unavailable (for example on a home visit or when no trained chaperone of the appropriate sex is in the building). In such circumstances the doctor will assess the circumstances and decide if it is appropriate to go ahead.  If necessary, the consultation / examination should be rearranged for the patient to a mutually convenient time when a chaperone can be present.

Patients should raise any concerns/make any complaint via the practice’s usual comments/complaints procedure.

Read Codes to be recorded by staff when Chaperoning

Staff must record in the patient record that they have acted as Chaperone and use an appropriate code from the list below:

What Is A Privacy Notice And Why Does It Apply To Me?

A Privacy Notice tells people how organisations use information that they hold about them. The UK General Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 20180, says that we need to provide you with this Privacy Notice and let you know:

• What information we hold about you
• How we keep this very important information safe and secure and where we keep it
• How we use your information
• Who we share your information with
• What your rights are
• When the law gives us permission to use your information

Why Does The Law Give You Permission To Use My Information?

The law gives us permission to use your information in situations where we need it to take care of you. Because information about your health is very personal, sensitive and private to you, the law is very strict about how we use it.

So, before we can use your information in the ways we have set out in this Privacy Notice, we have to have a good reason in law, which is called a ‘lawful basis’.  Not only do we have to do that, but we also have to show that your information falls into a special group or category, because it is very sensitive. By doing this the law makes sure we only use your information to look after you and that we do not use it for any other reason.

If you would like more information about this please ask to speak to our Data Controller in the first instance, mentioned in this Privacy Notice who will explain this in more detail.

About Us

We, at Hanscombe House Surgery, 52A St Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG14 1JA, are responsible for collecting, storing and handling your information when you register with us as a patient. Because we do this, the law says we are Data Controllers.

What Information Do You Hold About Me?

We hold information about you such as:

• Your name
• Address
• Mobile number
• Information about your parent(s) or person with parental responsibility
• All your health records
• Appointment records
• Visits to see your GP
• Treatments you have had
• Medicines prescribed for you and any other information to help us look after you

How Do You Keep It Safe?

• The law says that we must do all we can to keep your information private, safe and secure.
• We use secure computer systems and we make sure that any written information held about you is under lock and key and kept in a safe place. This includes taking great care with any passwords we use which we change on a regular basis. We also train our staff to respect your privacy and deal with your information in a manner that makes sure it is always kept and dealt with in a safe way.

What Do You Do With My Information?

• We only usually use your information to help us care for you. That means we might need to share your information with other people who are concerned and involved with looking after your health.
• We might need to share your information with the police, courts, social services, solicitors and other people who have a right to your information, but we always make sure that they have a legal right to see it (or have a copy of it) before we provide it to them.
• We might share information with National Health Service Digital (NHSD) for purposes of national analyses but in a way that does not identify you if it is for non-health care purposes.

Who Else Will See My Information?

• We only usually use your information to help us care for you. That means we might need to share your information with other people who are concerned and involved with looking after your health.
• We might need to share your information with the police, courts, social services, solicitors and other people who have a right to your information, but we always make sure that they have a legal right to see it (or have a copy of it) before we provide it to them.
• We might share information with National Health Service Digital (NHSD) for purposes of national analyses but in a way that does not identify you if it is for non-health care purposes.

What Are My Rights?

• If you want to see what information we hold about you then you have a right to see it and you can ask for it.
• To ask for your information you will usually need to put your request in writing and tell us what information you want us to give you. Subject Access Requests can be done verbally.
• We usually need to answer you within one month. Your parent(s) or adult with parental responsibility can help you with is if you need help.
• Usually, we will give this to you free of charge.
• If you think there are any errors in the information we hold about you then you can ask us to correct it but the law says we can’t remove any of the information we hold about you even if you ask us to. This is because we need this information to take care of you.
• You have a right to ask us not to share your information.
• If you would like to talk to us about not sharing your information, even if this means you don’t want us to share your information with your parent(s) or adult with parental responsibility, please let us know. We will be happy to help.

Can I Access My Information Online?

• Subject to your age, you may be able to access your information online.
• Please ask our receptionist who will put you in touch with your GP.
• Your GP will discuss this with you and explain how to register.

What If I Have A Question?

• A member of our staff/receptionist will be happy to talk to you about any questions you may have, and we will do our best to help you. Our receptionist may put you in touch with our Data Controller or her nominated representative who will listen to your concerns and give you the advice you need.
• Our Data Controller, Janine Ellis, can be contacted at Hanscombe House Surgery by post (address on page 1), by email at [email protected] or by leaving a message with our receptionist on 01992 582025.
• In the event that your question or concern is not resolved by our named Data Controller, then please contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) at HBL ICT (Herts, Beds & Luton ICT Services), hosted by Hertfordshire & West Essex Integrated Care Systems (HWEIS) East & North Herts Clinical Commissioning Group (ENHCCG) at [email protected]

What If I Have A Serious Complaint About How You Look After My Information?

• We will always do our best to look after your information and to answer your questions.
• If you are still not happy with something we have done with your information you can speak to our DPO.
• If our DPO has not been able to help you or if you prefer not to speak to our DPO then you have a right to pass your complaint to an organisation called the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who will look into what has gone wrong. For more information visit https://ico.org.uk

Updates To This Privacy Notice

• The law says we must keep all information we provide in this Privacy Notice up to date.
• This Privacy Notice was last updated on 26^th August 2022 and will be reviewed annually.

The practice complies with the Data Protection Act.  All information about patients is confidential: from the most sensitive diagnosis, to the fact of having visited the surgery or being registered at the Practice. All patients can expect that their personal information will not be disclosed without their permission except in the most exceptional of circumstances, when somebody is at grave risk of serious harm.

All members of the primary health care team (from reception to doctors) in the course of their duties will have access to your medical records. They all adhere to the highest standards of maintaining confidentiality.

As our reception area is a little public, if you wish to discuss something of a confidential nature please mention it to one of the receptionists who will make arrangements for you to have the necessary privacy.

Under 16s

The duty of confidentiality owed to a person under 16 is as great as the duty owed to any other person. Young people aged under 16 years can choose to see health professionals, without informing their parents or carers. If a GP considers that the young person is competent to make decisions about their health, then the GP can give advice, prescribe and treat the young person without seeking further consent.

However, in terms of good practice, health professionals will encourage young people to discuss issues with a parent or carer. As with older people, sometimes the law requires us to report information to appropriate authorities in order to protect young people or members of the public.

Useful Websites

• Confidentiality NHS Code of Practice
• Confidentiality and Mental Health
• Confidentiality Guidance

The Freedom of Information Act creates a right of access to recorded information and obliges a public authority to:

• Have a publication scheme in place
• Allow public access to information held by public authorities.

The Act covers any recorded organisational information such as reports, policies or strategies, that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland, however it does not cover personal information such as patient records which are covered by the Data Protection Act.

Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces.

The Act is enforced by the Information Commissioner who regulates both the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act.

The Surgery publication scheme

A publication scheme requires an authority to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The scheme lists information under seven broad classes, which are:

• who we are and what we do
• what we spend and how we spend it
• what our priorities are and how we are doing it
• how we make decisions
• our policies and procedures
• lists and registers
• the services we offer

You can request our publication scheme leaflet at the surgery.

Who can request information?

Under the Act, any individual, anywhere in the world, is able to make a request to a practice for information. An applicant is entitled to be informed in writing, by the practice, whether the practice holds information of the description specified in the request and if that is the case, have the information communicated to him. An individual can request information, regardless of whether he/she is the subject of the information or affected by its use. 

How should requests be made?

Requests must:

• be made in writing (this can be electronically e.g. email)
• state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence
• describe the information requested.

What cannot be requested?

Personal data about staff and patients covered under Data Protection Act.

For more information see these websites:

• Legislation GOV.UK
• Information Commissioners Office

NHS England requires that the net earnings of the Doctors engaged in the practice is published and the required disclosure is shown below.

The average pay, before tax and national insurance for GP’s working in Hanscombe House Surgery in the last financial year was £56,639. This is for 4 full-time GP’s, 1 part-time GP and 2 Locum GP’s.

We aim to keep our surgery clean and tidy and offer a safe environment to our patients and staff and endeavour to keep it clean and well maintained at all times.

Our GPs and nursing staff follow our Infection Control Policy to ensure the care we deliver and the equipment we use is safe.

We take additional measures to ensure we maintain the highest standards:

• Carry out an annual infection control audit to make sure our infection control procedures are working.
• Provide annual staff updates and training on cleanliness and infection control
• Review our policies and procedures to make sure they are adequate and meet national guidance.
• Maintain the premises and equipment to a high standard within the available financial resources and ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to reduce or remove all infection risk.
• Use washable or disposable materials for items such as couch rolls, modesty curtains, floor coverings, towels etc., and ensure that these are laundered, cleaned or changed frequently to minimise risk of infection.
• Make Alcohol Hand Rub Gel available throughout the building

The people caring for you need access to your health and care record in order to make the best decisions about your diagnosis and treatment. For this to happen more quickly and to improve the care you receive, a new process has been put in place. With your permission, My Care Record will provide health and care professionals directly involved in your care, access to the most up-to-date information about you. To find out more please go to www.mycarerecord.org.uk

​Fair Processing Notice

How we use your information

What is My Care Record?

In west Essex and Hertfordshire, providers of health and social care services are working more closely together to better co-ordinate the delivery of care to people supported by local commissioners.

My Care Record is a programme which allows people to give health and care professionals their permission to access their medical records during their treatment.

The people caring for you need to access about your health and care record in order to make the best decisions about your diagnosis and treatment. This could include GPs, hospital-based clinicians, nurses, health visitors and social workers.

To enable this to happen more quickly and to improve the care you receive, a new process has been put in place. This will allow your information to be accessed by different health and care organisations, using existing computer systems.

Your record will only be accessed by health and care professionals involved in your care.

Information will only be accessed with your permission – where applicable – and while you are receiving direct treatment by a health and care professional.

Information accessed through My Care Record is treated to the same security standards as all confidential information.

What information will be made available?

The record accessed is your health and care record. Examples of information that will be available include:

• Name, address, NHS Number and phone number
• Medications
• Test results and investigations
• Correspondence
• Clinical history
• Emergency department treatment
• Future and past appointments
• Health plans and alerts
• Mental health alerts and diagnoses
• Social care lead co-ordinator and your care plan.

How is this information used?

The information available in the record from your care provider is in a chronological order so that your care provider can see a relevant history of your care. They will always update their own care record with any new information. This helps them to make better decisions about your care. Access is only with your explicit permission.

The organisations that could be involved in the service are:

• GP practices in west Essex and Hertfordshire
• Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust
• Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (EPUT)
• Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
• Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
• East of England Ambulance
• IC24 (111 provider)
• Out of hours providers (such as PELC, HUC)
• Essex County Council and their care providers (such as Essex Cares)
• Hertfordshire County Council
• Other local hospitals (such as Addenbrooke’s, Whipps Cross, Broomfield, East and North Hertfordshire and West Hertfordshire Trusts)

You can tell your care provider if you don’t want them to make your information available by completing a form available on www.mycarerecord.org.uk or by asking your care provider for one. Your record will be edited and no information will be available to access.

Access to your information

My Care Record is simply a reflection of your individual records held by the organisations above and therefore you should contact them directly if you wish to have a copy of the information held about you. The contact details for each organisation’s Data Protection Officer or Team is below.

Contact details for data protection officers

• West Essex CCG on behalf of My Care Record
  Building 3, Spencer Close, St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping, CM16 6TN
  Tel: 01992 566140
  Email: [email protected]
• Princess Alexandra Hospital
  Medical Records Manager, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QX
  Tel: 01279 827341
  Email: [email protected]
• Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (EPUT)
  Access to Records team, Mental Health Unit, Basildon Hospital, Nethermayne, Basildon, Essex, SS15 6NL
  Tel: 01268 246873 / 246889
• Essex Social Care
  Transparency Team, Essex County Council, PO Box 11, County Hall, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH
• Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
  Access to records, Hertfordshire community NHS Trust, Unit 1a, Howard Court, 14 Tewin Road, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1BW
• Hertfordshire Social Care
  Data Protection Team, Hertfordshire County Council, CHO150, County Hall, Pegs Lane,
  Hertford, SG13 8DF
• Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
  Records and Access to Information Team, Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,
  99 Waverley Road, St Albans, AL3 5TL
  Tel: 01727 804707 / 804228

Please contact your own General Practice directly for a copy of your GP record.

For further information on My Care Record please visit www.mycarerecord.org.uk.

We have allocated a Named Accountable GP for all of our registered patients. If you do not know who your named GP is, please ask a member of our reception team.

Unfortunately, we are unable to notify patients in writing of any changes of GP due to the costs involved.

What is non-NHS work and why is there a fee?

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951 and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged.

Sometimes the charge is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, providing copies of health records or producing medical reports for insurance companies, solicitors or employers.

The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients but not non-NHS work. It is important to understand that many GPs are not employed by the NHS; they are self-employed and they have to cover their costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc. – in the same way as any small business.

In recent years, however, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to ensure that information provided to them is true and accurate.

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their own NHS patients are:

• accident/sickness certificates for insurance purposes
• school fee and holiday insurance certificates
• reports for health clubs to certify that patients are fit to exercise
• private prescriptions for travel purposes

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:

• life assurance and income protection reports for insurance companies
• reports for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in connection with
• disability living allowance and attendance allowance
• medical reports for local authorities in connection with adoption and fostering
• copies of records for solicitors

Do GPs have to do non-NHS work for their patients?

With certain limited exceptions, for example a GP confirming that one of their patients is not fit for jury service, GPs do not have to carry out non-NHS work on behalf of their patients. Whilst GPs will always attempt to assist their patients with the completion of forms, they are not required to do such non-NHS work.

Is it true that the BMA sets fees for non-NHS work?

The British Medical Association (BMA) suggest fees that GPs may charge their patients for non-NHS work (i.e. work not covered under their contract with the NHS) in order to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, the fees suggested by them are intended for guidance only; they are not recommendations and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates they suggest.

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?

Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of his or her patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time. Our GPs do non-NHS work out of NHS time at evenings or weekends so that NHS patient care does suffer.

I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s ENTIRE medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the Police.

If you are a new patient we may not have your medical records so the doctor must wait for these before completing the form.

What will I be charged?

It is recommended that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and what the fee will be. It is up to individual doctors to decide how much they will charge. Please contact reception for our list of Private Fees.

What can I do to help?

• Not all documents need a signature by a doctor, for example passport applications. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge. Read the information that comes with these types of forms carefully before requesting your GP to complete them.
• Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight: urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this may cost more. Usually non-NHS work will take 2 weeks.

New contractual requirements came into force from 1 April 2014 requiring that GP Practices should make available a statement of intent in relation to the following IT developments:

• Summary Care Record (SCR)
• GP to GP Record Transfers
• Patient Online Access to Their GP Record
• Data for commissioning and other secondary care purposes

The same contractual obligations require that we have a statement of intent regarding these developments in place and publicised by 30 September 2014.

Please find below details of the practices stance with regards to these points.

Summary Care Record (SCR)

NHS England require practices to enable successful automated uploads of any changes to patient’s summary information, at least on a daily basis, to the summary care record (SCR) or have published plans in place to achieve this by 31st of March 2015.

Having your Summary Care Record (SCR) available will help anyone treating you without your full medical record. They will have access to information about any medication you may be taking and any drugs that you have a recorded allergy or sensitivity to.

Of course, if you do not want your medical records to be available in this way then you will need to let us know so that we can update your record. You can do this via the opt out form.
The practice confirms that your SCR is automatically updated on at least a daily basis to ensure that your information is as up to date as it can possibly be.

GP to GP Record Transfers

NHS England require practices to utilise the GP2GP facility for the transfer of patient records between practices, when a patient registers or de-registers (not for temporary registration).
It is very important that you are registered with a doctor at all times. If you leave your GP and register with a new GP, your medical records will be removed from your previous doctor and forwarded on to your new GP via NHS England. It can take your paper records up to two weeks to reach your new surgery.

With GP to GP record transfers your electronic record is transferred to your new practice much sooner.

The practice confirms that GP to GP transfers are already active and we send and receive patient records via this system.

Patient Online Access to Their GP Record

NHS England require practices to promote and offer the facility to enable patients online access to appointments, prescriptions, allergies and adverse reactions or have published plans in place to achieve this by 31st of March 2015.

We currently offer the facility for booking and cancelling appointments and also for ordering your repeat prescriptions and viewing a summary of your medical records on-line. If you do not already have a user name and password for this system – please register your interest with our reception staff.

Data for commissioning and other secondary care purposes

It is already a requirement of the Health and Social Care Act that practices must meet the reasonable data requirements of commissioners and other health and social care organisations through appropriate and safe data sharing for secondary uses, as specified in the technical specification for care data.

At our practice we have specific arrangements in place to allow patients to “opt out” of care.data which allows for the removal of data from the practice. Please see the page about care data on our website

The Practice confirm these arrangements are in place and that we undertake annual training and audits to ensure that all our data is handled correctly and safely via the Information Governance Toolkit.

We welcome all comments on the services provided by the Practice.

We are continually looking to turn our patients’ feedback into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families.

We would like to hear from you if you have a suggestion on how we can do things better to improve our patients’ experiences. We’d also like to hear from you if you are pleased with the service you received.

Complaints Policy

We’ll let the staff involved know and share the good practice across our teams.

You may write to us or contact us by phone.

About your Summary Care Record

Your Summary Care Record contains important information about any medicines you are taking, any allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have previously experienced.

Allowing authorised healthcare staff to have access to this information will improve decision making by doctors and other healthcare professionals and has prevented mistakes being made when patients are being cared for in an emergency or when their GP practice is closed.

Your Summary Care Record also includes your name, address, date of birth and your unique NHS Number to help identify you correctly.

You may want to add other details about your care to your Summary Care Record. This will only happen if both you and your GP agree to do this. You should discuss your wishes with your GP practice.

Healthcare staff will have access to this information, so that they can provide safer care, whenever or wherever you need it, anywhere in England.

FAQs

Who can see my Summary Care Record?

Healthcare staff who have access to your Summary Care Record:

• need to be directly involved in caring for you
• need to have an NHS Smartcard with a chip and passcode
• will only see the information they need to do their job and
• will have their details recorded every time they look at your record

Healthcare staff will ask for your permission every time they need to look at your Summary Care Record. If they cannot ask you (for example if you are unconscious or otherwise unable to communicate), healthcare staff may look at your record without asking you, because they consider that this is in your best interest.

If they have to do this, this decision will be recorded and checked to ensure that the access was appropriate.

What are my choices?

You have the choice of what information you would like to share and with whom. Authorised healthcare staff can only view your SCR with your permission. The information shared will solely be used for the benefit of your care.

Your options are outlined below:

• Express consent for medication, allergies and adverse reactions only. You wish to share information about medication, allergies and adverse reactions only.
• Express consent for medication, allergies, adverse reactions and additional information. You wish to share information about medication, allergies and adverse reactions and further medical information that includes: Your significant illnesses and health problems, operations and vaccinations you have had in the past, how you would like to be treated (such as where you would prefer to receive care), what support you might need and who should be contacted for more information about you.
• Express dissent for Summary Care Record (opt out). Select this option, if you DO NOT want any information shared with other healthcare professionals involved in your care.

Please note that it is not compulsory for you to complete a consent form. If you choose not to complete a form, a Summary Care Record containing information about your medication, allergies and adverse reactions and additional further medical information will be created for you.

If you choose to opt out of having a Summary Care Record and do not want a SCR, you need to let your GP practice know by completing a Summary Care Record choice form.

If you are unsure if you have already opted out, you should talk to the staff the practice. You can change your mind at any time by simply informing your GP practice and either filling in a Summary Care Record choice form. or asking your GP practice to create a Summary Care Record for you.

The sharing of this additional information during the pandemic period will assist healthcare professionals involved in your direct care and has been directed via the Control of Patient Information (COPI) Covid-19 – Notice under Regulation 3(4) of the Health Service Control of Patient Information Regulations 2002.

Children and the Summary Care Record

If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16, you should make this information available to them and support the child to come to a decision as to whether to have a Summary Care Record or not.

If you believe that your child should opt-out of having a Summary Care Record, we strongly recommend that you discuss this with your child’s GP. This will allow your child’s GP to highlight the consequences of opting-out, prior to you finalising your decision.

Where can I get more information?

For more information about Summary Care Records you can

• talk to the staff at your GP practice
• phone the Health and Social Care Information Centre on 0300 303 5678

Read the Summary Care Record patient information

Patient’s Rights

We are committed to giving you the best possible service. This will be achieved by working together. Help us to help you. You have a right to, and the practice will try to ensure that:

• You will be treated with courtesy and respect
• You will be treated as a partner in the care and attention that you receive
• All aspects of your visit will be dealt with in privacy and confidence
• You will be seen by a doctor of your choice subject to availability
• In an emergency, out of normal opening hours, if you telephone the practice you will be given the number to receive assistance, which will require no more than one further call
• You can bring someone with you, however you may be asked to be seen on your own during the consultation
• Repeat prescriptions will normally be available for collection within two working days of your request
• Information about our services on offer will be made available to you by way of posters, notice boards and newsletters
• You have the right to see your medical records or have a copy subject to certain laws.

Patient’s Responsibilities

With these rights come responsibilities and for patients we would respectfully request that you:

• Treat practice staff and doctors with the same consideration and courtesy that you would like yourself. Remember that they are trying to help you
• Please ensure that you order your repeat medication in plenty of time allowing 48 working hours.
• Please ensure that you have a basic first aid kit at home and initiate minor illness and self-care for you and your family.
• Please attend any specialist appointments that have been arranged for you or cancel them if your condition has resolved or you no longer wish to attend
• Please follow up any test or investigations done for you with the person who has requested the investigation
• Attend appointments on time and check in with Reception
• Patients who are more than 10 minutes late for their appointment may not be seen.
• If you are unable to make your appointment or no longer need it, please give the practice adequate notice that you wish to cancel. Appointments are heavily in demand and missed appointments waste time and delay more urgent patients receiving the treatment they need
• An appointment is for one person only. Where another family member needs to be seen or discussed, another appointment should be made
• Patients should make every effort to present at the surgery to ensure the best use of nursing and medical time. Home visits should be medically justifiable and not requested for social convenience
• Please inform us when you move home, change your name or telephone number, so that we can keep our records correct and up to date
• Read the practice leaflets and other information that we give you. They are there to help you use our services. If you do not understand their content please tell us
• Let us have your views. Your ideas and suggestions whether complimentary or critical are important in helping us to provide a first class, safe, friendly service in pleasant surroundings.

NHS Constitution

The NHS Constitution establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. For more information see these websites:

• UK – The NHS Constitution for England
• NHS Constitution

The practice fully supports the NHS Zero Tolerance Policy. The aim of this policy is to tackle the increasing problem of violence against staff working in the NHS and ensures that doctors and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused.

We understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint. We ask you to treat your doctors and their staff courteously and act reasonably.

All incidents will be followed up and you will be sent a single formal warning. Should another incident occur this may impact on doctor and patient relationship and result in your removal from our practice list.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or verbal abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police will be contacted if an incident is taking place and the patient is posing a threat to staff or other patients.

Removal from the Practice List

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship. When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of The Surgery, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the Police are involved.

Removing other members of the household

In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household. The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family. This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.