Policies and Information

Introduction

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and Access to Health Records Act 1990, patients (data subjects) have the right to access their data and any supplementary information held by Blackheath PMS; this is commonly known as a data subject access request (DSAR). Data subjects have a right to receive:

• Confirmation that their data is being processed
• Access to their personal data
• Access to any other supplementary information held about them

Options for access

Practices are obliged to allow patients access to their health record online. This service will enable the patient to view coded information held in their health record. Prior to accessing this information, you will have to visit the practice and undertake an identity check before being granted access to your records.

In addition, you can make a request to be provided with copies of your health record. To do so, you must submit a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) form, a paper copy of which is available from reception. Patients do not have to pay a fee for copies of their records.

Time frame

Once the DSAR form is submitted, Blackheath PMS will aim to process the request within 21 days, however, this may not always be possible. The maximum time permitted to process DSARs is one calendar month.

Exemptions

There may be occasions when the data controller will withhold information kept in the health record, particularly if the disclosure of such information is likely to cause undue stress or harm to you or any other person.

Data controller

At Blackheath PMS the data controller is Dr N Ratnarajan and should you have any questions relating to accessing your medical records, please ask to discuss this with the named data controller.

What we Expect From our Patients

• Whenever you attend the surgery, please check in with reception staff.
• Please try to arrive on time and note that your appointment will be cancelled if you are more than 10 minutes late.
• At the time of booking your appointment, please inform the reception staff of any special needs, e.g. need for an interpreter, chaperone or an extended appointment.
• You will always be seen by a GP on the day you request an appointment if your need is medically urgent.
• If you are not called for your appointment within 15 minutes of your appointment time, please tell the receptionist.
• If you cannot attend a booked appointment – or no longer need it – please notify the surgery in order to avoid wasting valuable appointment time. You can do so online by completing the Cancel an Appointment form.
• If you are not clear on the instructions you have been given by the GP or another staff member, please ask for clarification before leaving the surgery.
• Please respect other patient’s need for a calm atmosphere in the waiting area and try to keep your children under control where possible.
• Please do not use your mobile phone.
• Always give 48 hours notice of repeat medication requests.
• Please do not come to the GP with a long list of concerns. The doctor has time to discuss one concern at a time.
• Patients are reminded that physical threats/abuse, verbal abuse or racial abuse are unacceptable and will generally result in immediate removal from the GP’s list. Please view our Zero Tolerance policy page for more details.
• If you have a problem or concern, or would just like to chat about the service provided by your practice, ask to speak to the practice manager. She will be pleased to make an appointment to see you.

What we offer our Patients

• We will provide access to appointments and ensure emergencies can be accommodated.
• We will ensure the patient receives any assistance necessary during their appointment, e.g. services of an interpreter, chaperone etc.
• We will try and ensure that patients are seen as close to their allocated appointment time as possible.
• If the surgery is running late, we will advise the patient at the time of checking or on the notice board of any delay in their appointment.
• We will always treat patients in a friendly, unhurried and respectful way.
• We will provide a comfortable, clean and safe surgery.
• We will explain to the patient if a practice policy is preventing agreement to a request.
• We will respect the patient’s need for confidentiality, both face to face and over the telephone.
• We will be prepared to explain, slowly and carefully, any instructions given by a member of staff.

Created: January 2017
Review: May 2021

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 complete the Feedback Form. Alternatively, you can contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation (Access to Health Records Act 1990). 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 by completing the Contact the Practice form.

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.

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.

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is published and the required disclosure is shown below. 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 comparisons with any other practice.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (eg average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in the practice of The Woodland Sugery in the last financial year was £70,056 before Tax and National Insurance. This is for 4 Full time GPs and 1 Part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges.

Please see our fees below:

Medical Examinations and Reports

• Elderly driver / Fit to drive £130.00
• Taxi driver – HGV – PSV £140.00 (full exam)
• Private health verification – PPP/BUPA £50.00 (report)
• Fit for sport or other activity £50.00 (report) £140.00 (exam)
• Private Examination/ Medical (HGV, PSV etc.) £140.00
• Private Letters–(at patient’s request) £30.00
• Fitness to fly / fitness to fly in pregnancy & Medication list for flights – (at patient’s request) £45.00
• Private Medical Certificate £25.00

Travel Services

• Private prescription – Anti-malarials etc £15.00
• Fit to travel certificate £50.00 (report) £125.00 (exam)
• Holiday cancellation £50.00
• Miscellaneous Charges
• Private sick certificate – first 7 days £20.00
• Employment medical £50.00 (report) £130.00 (exam)
• Overseas visitors seen as private £60.00
• Private prescription for overseas visitors £20.00

We do not provide letters to support housing applications unless written to us by the housing association, together with a letter of consent from the patient.

We do not provide letters supporting immigration applications.

We do not sign passport application forms.

Please pay reception and letter/report will be ready after 5 working days. Receipts will be given.

The Summary Care Record (SCR) 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 asking your GP by completing the Contact the Practice form.

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 the Summary Care Record Opt Out form.

More Information

For further information visit the ‘Your health records’ page on the NHS website.

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regards  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.