Practice Policies & Patient Information
Access to Records
In accordance with the GDPR patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the reception.
Complaints Procedure
We endeavour to give you the best service possible at all times; if, however, you feel this has not been the case and have a complaint or concern, please let us know. We operate a practice procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints.
What You Should Do
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise with the person concerned. If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint we would like you to let us know as soon as possible.
Complaints in writing should be addressed to Maxine Tyson, Practice Manager. Alternatively you may request an appointment with Maxine in order to discuss your concerns.
What We Will Do
We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within ten working days of the date that you raised it with us. We will then offer you an explanation, or a meeting with the people involved.
Complaining On Behalf Of Someone Else
Please note that we keep strict rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else we have to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they incapable of doing so (due to illness).
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe that this will give us the best change of putting right whatever has gone wrong and the opportunity to improve our practice.
If you require help in complaining you can contact:
Health Watch Cumbria on 0300 303303 8567
However this does not affect your right to approach NHS England if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or you are dissatisfied with the way we are dealing with your complaint.
NHS England Complaints PO Box 16738 Telephone: 0300 11 2233 Email: [email protected]
The Health Service Ombudsman for England 11th Floor Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1 4QP
Telephone 0345 015 4033
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.
Data Choices
Your Data Matters to the NHS
Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
How Your Data is Used
Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnosis is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.
Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.
You Have a Choice
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?
No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.
What do you need to do?
If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.
To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.
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 reception.
GP Net Earnings
GP Earnings
NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised 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 for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparisons with other practices.
The average pay for GPs working at Distington Surgery in the last financial year was £37,662.00 before tax and national insurance. This is for 8 part time GP’s who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.
Privacy Notice
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.