Practice Policies & Patient Information

Access to Records

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 Dawn Prescott, Site Manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

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 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.

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.

Freedom of Information

GP Net Earnings

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (i.e. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice. The average pay for GPs working in Wyre Forest Health Partnership in the last financial year was £63,880 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 19 full-time GPs, 35 part-time GPs and 0 locum GPs who worked in the practice for longer than six months.

How the Wyre Forest Health Partnership implements the NHS Constitution

Principles

The Practice:

Provides a comprehensive service, available to all irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation and has a duty to respect their human rights.
Promotes equality through the service, providing and to paying particular attention to groups or sections of society where improvements in health and life expectancy are not keeping pace with the rest of the population.
Provides access to services based on clinical need, not on an individual’s ability to pay.
Aspires to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism, providing safe and effective high-quality care focused on patient experience.
Ensures that it is effectively lead and managed and its staff receive relevant education, training and development.
Its services reflect the needs and preferences of patients, their families and carers who will be involved in and consulted on all decisions about their care and treatment.
Ensures that it works across organisational boundaries and in partnership with other organisations in the interest of patients, local communities and the wider population.
Is accountable to the public, communities and patients that it serves.
Supports staff when they raise concerns about the service by ensuring their concerns are fully investigated and that there is someone independent, outside of their team, to speak to.

National Data and Research

This practice is one of over 600 practices in England contributing pseudonymised data for national research and surveillance.

These data enable continuous monitoring of infections and diseases in the community and are used in ethically approved research. The RCGP RSC is the main source of information for Public Health England (PHE) and helps with the prediction and management of flu outbreaks and pandemics.

Providing pseudonymised data does not affect patients, their care or privacy, however, if you no longer wish to allow your information to be used, please speak to your GP.

NHS Pledge to Staff Members

The NHS Commits:

To provide all staff with clear roles and responsibilities and rewarding jobs for teams and individuals that make a difference to patients, their families and carers and communities;
To provide all staff with personal development, access to appropriate training for their jobs and line management support to succeed;
To provide support and opportunities for staff to maintain their health, well-being and safety;
To engage staff in decisions that affect them and the services they provide, individually, through representative organisations and through local partnership working arrangements. All staff will be empowered to put forward ways to deliver better and safer services for patients and their families;

To support all staff in raising concerns at the earliest reasonable opportunity about safety, malpractice or wrongdoing at work, responding to and, where necessary, investigating the concerns raised and acting consistently with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 199

Patient Responsibilities

To make a significant contribution to their own, and their family’s, good health and well-being, and take some personal responsibility for it.
To treat NHS staff and other patients with respect and recognise that causing a nuisance or disturbance on NHS premises could result in prosecution.
To provide accurate information about their health, condition and status.
To keep appointments, or cancel within a reasonable time.
To follow the course of treatment to which they have agreed, and talk to their clinician if they find this difficult.
To participate in important public health programmes such as vaccination.
To ensure that those closest to them are aware of their wishes about organ donation.
To give feedback – both positive and negative – about the treatment and care they have received, including any adverse reactions they may have had.

Patient Rights

Patients have the right:

To receive NHS services free of charge, apart from certain limited exceptions sanctioned by Parliament.
To access NHS services and not be refused access on unreasonable grounds.
To expect the Practice to assess the health requirements of the local community and to commission and put in place the services to meet those needs as considered necessary.
In certain circumstances to go to other European Economic Area countries or Switzerland for treatment which would be available through the NHS.
Not to be unlawfully discriminated against in the provision of NHS services including on grounds of gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability (including learning disability or mental illness) or age.
To access services within maximum waiting times, or to be offered a range of alternative providers if this is not possible.
To be treated with a professional standard of care, by appropriately qualified and experienced staff, in a properly approved or registered organisation that meets required levels of safety and quality.
To be treated with dignity and respect, in accordance with their human rights.
To accept or refuse treatment that is offered, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless valid consent has been given.
To be given information about their proposed treatment in advance, including any significant risks and any alternative treatments which may be available, and the risks involved in doing nothing.
To privacy and confidentiality and to expect the Practice to keep their confidential information safe and secure.
To access to their own health records.
To choose their GP practice, and to be accepted by that Practice unless there are reasonable grounds to refuse, in which case they will be informed of those reasons.
To express a preference for using a particular doctor within their GP Practice.
To make choices about their NHS care and to information to support these choices.
To be involved in discussions and decisions about their healthcare, and to be given information to enable them to do this.
To be involved, directly or through representatives, in the planning of healthcare services, the development and consideration of proposals for changes in the way those services are provided, and in decisions to be made affecting the operation of those services.
To have any complaint you make about NHS services dealt with efficiently, to have it properly investigated, know the outcome and escalate the complaint to the independent Health Service Ombudsman.
To make a claim for judicial review if they think they have been directly affected by an unlawful act or decision of an NHS body.
To compensation where they have been harmed by negligent treatment.

Practice Staff Responsibilities

Practice Staff have the duty:

To accept professional accountability and maintain the standards of professional practice as set by the appropriate regulatory body applicable to their profession or role.
To take reasonable care of health and safety at work for themselves, their team and others, and to co-operate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements.
To act in accordance with the express and implied terms of their contract of employment.
Not to discriminate against patients or staff and to adhere to equal opportunities and equality and human rights legislation.
To protect the confidentiality of personal information that they hold unless to do so would put anyone at risk of significant harm.
To be honest and truthful in applying for a job and in carrying out that job.
To play their part in ensuring the success of the NHS and delivering high-quality care by:
Maintaining the highest standards of care and service, taking responsibility not only for the care they personally provide but also for their wider contribution to the aims of their team and the NHS as a whole;
Taking up training and development opportunities provided over and above those legally required of their particular post;
Actively taking part in sustainably improving services by working in partnership with patients, the public and communities;
Raising any genuine concern they may have about a risk, malpractice or wrongdoing at work (such as a risk to patient safety, fraud or breaches of patient confidentiality), which may affect patients, the public, other staff or the Practice itself, at the earliest reasonable opportunity;
Being open with patients, their families, carers or representatives, including if anything goes wrong; welcoming and listening to feedback and addressing concerns promptly and in a spirit of co-operation. Staff should contribute to a climate where the truth can be heard and the reporting of, and learning from, errors is encouraged;
Viewing the services they provide from the standpoint of a patient, and involve patients, their families and carers in the services they provide, working with them, their communities and other organisations, and making it clear who is responsible for their care.

Source:

The NHS Constitution (March 2013):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-england

This link contains the following documents;

The NHS Constitution for England
Handbook to the NHS Constitution
Public Health Supplements to the NHS Constitution
NHS Constitution for England (Easy Read Version)
NHS Constitution (Easy Read Poster)

Practice Staff Rights

Practice Staff has the right:

To a good working environment with flexible working opportunities, consistent with the needs of patients and with the way that people live their lives;
To have a fair pay and contract framework;
To be involved and represented in the workplace;
To have healthy and safe working conditions and an environment free from harassment, bullying or violence;
To be treated fairly, equally and free from discrimination; and
To raise an internal grievance and if necessary seek redress, where it is felt that a right has not been upheld;
To raise any concern with their employer, whether it is about safety, malpractice or other risk, in the public interest, without suffering any detriment.

Shared Care Record Privacy Policy

Shared Care Record – Partner Organisations

Shared Care Record – Privacy Policy

New Shared Care Record delivering better, safer care for all our patients

We wanted to let you know that we are finally connecting our systems to offer joined-up health and care records, which will enable better, safer care and treatment for all our patients.

As a GP, it is difficult to provide joined-up care with so many separate systems for handling patient information. These were not connected, meaning that you often had to repeat your story each time you received care at a different organisation, or with a different health professional. The Shared Care Record means up-to-date records will be immediately available to professionals caring for you as a patient, when you need direct care.

It will mean, for instance, a doctor in a hospital, or a paramedic who attends a 999 call will be able to confidentially access the same crucial information that we can at the Practice, such as details of any allergies and current medications, bringing potentially life-saving benefits.

Robust security measures are in place to protect your health information and all staff must follow the law on keeping your information confidential.

The Shared Care Record is not the same as the General Practice Data for Planning and Research Directions (GPDPR), which is a national NHS Digital initiative to use GP practice data for research and planning purposes.

The Shared Care Record is a local initiative to share information with organisations directly involved in your care to ensure that you receive prompt and appropriate treatment when you need it.

For more information, please visit: https://herefordshireandworcestershireccg.nhs.uk/health-services/shared-care-record

What is the Shared Care Record?

The Shared Care Record is a way of bringing together all your separate records from the different organisations involved in your health and care. It’s confidential and different to anything you might have heard of before.

It will let health and care professionals see relevant information about the care and treatment you’ve had across all services.

We know you only want to tell your story once when receiving care from any health or social care organisation across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. That’s why we’ve developed the Shared Care Record.

A new series of videos raising awareness of the Shared Care Record are available for our patients.

The videos feature recordings from clinicians and social work professionals, and explain the benefits of joined-up health and care records.

The Videos, entitled: ‘An introduction to the Shared Care Record’, ‘Why the Shared Care Record matters’, and ‘The Shared Care Record and your Care’ can all be found by following the link;

Herefordshire and Worcestershire ccg – Shared Care Record

There is also an additional video on: ‘Your right to object to the Shared Care Record’, which explains to our patients the consequences of opting out of data sharing. You have the right to object at any time. We don’t recommend this, as information that could be vital when you need health or social care support – for instance, during a visit to a hospital Emergency Department – might not be immediately to hand as a result. To view this video follow the link;

Herefordshire and Worcestershire ccg – Right to Object

Shared Care Record Privacy Policy

What is the Shared Care Record?

It will let health and care professionals see relevant information about the care and treatment you’ve had across all services.

A new series of videos raising awareness of the Shared Care Record are available for our patients.

The videos feature recordings from clinicians and social work professionals, and explain the benefits of joined-up health and care records.

The Videos, entitled: ‘An introduction to the Shared Care Record’, ‘Why the Shared Care Record matters’, and ‘The Shared Care Record and your Care’ can all be found by following the link;

Herefordshire and Worcestershire ccg – Shared Care Record

There is also an additional video on: ‘Your right to object to the Shared Care Record’, which explains to our patients the consequences of opting out of data sharing. You have the right to object at any time. We don’t recommend this, as information that could be vital when you need health or social care support – for instance, during a visit to a hospital Emergency Department – might not be immediately to hand as a result. To view this video follow the link;

Herefordshire and Worcestershire ccg – Right to Object

You can find the list of updated partner shared care record organisations on this link

View Fullscreen

Summary Care Record

There is a new Health Record for all patients in the NHS. GP practices across Worcester are working with the NHS to create a centrally held Summary Care Record of recent medications, any allergies you may have and any adverse reactions to a medication you have had in the past you may have had in past, called a Summary Care Record (SCR). The Summary Care Record will help emergency doctors and nurses when you contact them when the surgery is closed.

Information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held on the central NHS database.

As with all new systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something important and if they have access to your Summary Care Record it might avoid mistakes or problems, you will be asked to give your permission to view your SCR whenever a Healthcare Professional requires access, unless you are medically unable to do so.

On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing information and may not wish to allow NHS Healthcare Professionals access, in which case you can Opt-Out of having an SCR created for you. If you are a new patient joining the practice you will have the option to opt-out of having an SCR and should fill in the A4 sheet explaining SCR in your Registration Pack.

All existing patients would have received a letter informing them about the creation of Summary Care Records and informed they could op-out if they wished. All patients can opt-out of having an SCR at any time, just inform your GP Surgery.

Teaching Practice

As a teaching practice, medical students, registrars (who are qualified doctors completing their GP specialist training) as part of their training with us from the University of Birmingham Medical School. The practice is also involved with medical research in partnership with the University of Warwick.

We would value your co-operation with both of these, but we understand if you do not want to be involved.

Violence Policy

The NHS operates 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.

WFHP & Hagley Surgery Patient Privacy Policy May 2018

Your Personal Data

We take your personal data extremely seriously and take every precaution to ensure it is safe and secure.

When you attend an appointment or contact the surgery you may be asked to confirm your contact details with a receptionist or clinician. This is to ensure that we have your correct details such as address, mobile number and email address associated with your clinical record; to enable us to communicate with you about your health in a quick, efficient and secure manner.

Our policy is that normally every young person 14 and above has their own mobile number on their records for confidentiality reasons. If this applies to you or a family member, please contact the surgery to make the necessary changes.

WFHP Patients Privacy Notice

Below are 2 leaflets that explains how NHS England and our surgery are sharing your medical information to enable to offer the best possible care:

Patient Leaflet About your Medical Data

About your medical Records