Practice Policies & Patient Information
Chaperone Policy
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.
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.
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. If necessary, where a chaperone is not available, the consultation/examination should be rearranged for a mutually convenient time when a chaperone can be present.
There may be rare occasions when a chaperone is needed for a home visit. The following procedure should still be followed.
Who Can Act as a Chaperone?
It is strongly recommended that chaperones should be clinical staff familiar with procedural aspects of personal examination. Where suitable clinical staff members are not available, the examination should be deferred.
Where the practice determines that non-clinical staff will act in this capacity, the patient must agree to the presence of a non-clinician in the examination, and be at ease with this.
The staff member should be trained in the procedural aspects of personal examinations, comfortable in acting in the role of chaperone, and be confident in the scope and extent of their role.
They will have received instruction on where to stand and what to watch and instructions to that effect will be laid down in writing by the practice.
Confidentiality
The chaperone should only be present for the examination itself, and most discussion with the patient should take place while the chaperone is not present.
Patients should be reassured that all practice staff understand their responsibility not to divulge confidential information.
Procedure
The clinician will contact reception to request a chaperone.
Where no chaperone is available, a clinician may offer to delay the examination to a date when one will be available, as long as the delay would not have an adverse effect on the patient’s health.
If a clinician wishes to conduct an examination with a chaperone present but the patient does not agree to this, the clinician must clearly explain why they want a chaperone to be present.
The clinician may choose to consider referring the patient to a colleague who would be willing to examine them without a chaperone, as long as the delay would not have an adverse effect on the patient’s health.
The clinician will record in the notes that the chaperone is present, and identify the chaperone. The record will state that there were no problems, or give details of any concerns or incidents that occurred.
The chaperone will enter the room discreetly and remain in the room until the clinician has finished the examination.
The chaperone will normally attend inside the curtain at the head of the examination couch and watch the procedure.
To prevent embarrassment, the chaperone should not enter into conversation with the patient or GP unless requested to do so, or make any mention of the consultation afterwards.
The patient can refuse a chaperone, and if so this must be recorded in the patient’s medical record.
Complaints Procedure
Making a Complaint
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.
Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:
Within 12 months of the incident, or within 12 months of you discovering, giving as much detail as you can.
If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are unable to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority.
See the separate section in this leaflet.
We are able to provide you with a separate complaints form to register your complaint and this includes a third-party authority form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else. Please ask at reception for this.
You can provide this in your own format providing this covers all the necessary aspects.
Send your written complaint to:
Complaints
Tollgate Medical Centre
220 Tollgate Road
London, E6 5JS
What we do next
We look to settle complaints as soon as possible. We will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days, and aim to have looked into the matter within 10 working days. You may then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.
When looking into a complaint we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you would like to do so.
When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you. Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply.
We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been sent initially to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.
The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to escalate the matter further if you remain dissatisfied with the response.
Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it.
Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form which contains a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed.
Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter.
Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply.
We may still need to correspond direct with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party, and this depends on the wording of the authority provided.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome
You have the right to approach the Health Service Ombudsman.
The contact details are:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Fax: 0300 061 4000
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
Confidentiality
You can be assured that anything you discuss with any member of the surgery staff, whether doctor, nurse or receptionist, will remain confidential. Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone, including parents, other family members, care workers or teachers, without your permission. The only reason why we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect either you or someone else from serious harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first.
If you have any worries or queries about confidentiality, please ask a member of staff.
If you would like to discuss matters of a confidential nature, either with our receptionists or a member of the dispensary team, we have a side room available in reception for this purpose.
Data Protection
We need to hold personal information about you on our computer systems 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 others 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 legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.
All information about you is held securely and appropriate 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 circumstance 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 are 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 about our patient information leaflet. An appointment may be required. In some circumstances a fee may be payable.
Disabled Access
There is access through the main door. We have a wheelchair available for use in surgery.
Hearing Difficulties
If you are experiencing hearing difficulties when being called in to see the doctor or nurse, please do let us know in order for us to set up an alert on your medical records and personally collect you from the waiting room. Alternatively, we do have the facility of a portable induction loop. If you would like to use this, please ask at reception for assistance.
GP Earnings
Disclaimer: NHS England require that the net earnings of GPs in practice be published, see above. However the method of calculating this data does not take into account the time each GP devotes to the practice and therefore should not be used to compare one practice with another or to draw conclusions about GP earnings in general.
All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
The average pay for GPs working in Tollgate Medical Centre in the last financial year was £27,645 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 20 part time GPs and 19 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.
Infection Control
Infection control annual statement
Tollgate Medical Centre
Annual infection control statement 2024-2025
This annual statement will be generated each year in February.
It is a requirement of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance that the Infection Prevention and Control Lead produces and annual statement with regard to Compliance with good practice on infection prevention and control.
It summarises:-
- Any infection transmission incidents and any action taken (these will have been reported in accordance with our Significant Event Procedure).
- Details of any infection control audits undertaken and actions undertaken.
- Details of any risk assessments undertaken for prevention and control of infection.
- Details of any staff training.
- Any review and update of policies, procedures and guidelines.
Infection Control Lead
The practice’s clinical lead for infection control is Carol Hastings, Nurse Manager
The infection control lead has the following duties and responsibilities within the practice:
- Keep up to date with changes in Infection Control
- Check PPE
- Checking the Surgery for Cleanliness
- Performing infection control related audits
- Reporting any significant events or updates to the wider team
Infection Transmission Incidents (Significant Events)
Significant events (which may involve examples of good practice as well as challenging events) are investigated in detail to see what can be learnt and to indicate changes that might lead to future improvements. All significant events are reviewed in the monthly full Practice Meetings and learning is cascaded to all relevant staff.
As a result of these events, Tollgate Medical Centre has:
-Continued with bi-annual infection control updates for both clinical and non-clinical staff.
-Ensure infection control guidance remains accessible to all staff.
-Training is logged on Blue stream and in Personnel Files.
In the past year there have been no significant events raised, that related to infection control.
Infection Prevention Audit and Actions
The practice carries out an Infection Prevention and Control audit every 6 months, the last audit was completed in October 2023. This involves a comprehensive review of all aspects of infection prevention and control within the surgery.
As a result of this audit, the following changes are planned:
- Caretaker to repair and paint damaged wall surfaces (Ongoing).
- Damaged couch in Room 16 to be repaired (Completed 24/01/24)
Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are carried out annually so that best practice can be established and then followed. In the last 12 months the following risk assessments were carried out/reviewed.
- Legionella (Water) Risk Assessments: The practice reviews its water safety risk assessment to ensure that the water supply does not pose a risk to patients, visitors or staff (Completed 14/04/23).
- Cleaning specifications, frequencies and cleanliness: We work with our cleaners to ensure that the surgery is kept as clean as possible. Monthly assessments of cleaning processes are conducted with our cleaning contractors to identify areas for improvement
- Immunisation: As a practice we ensure that all our staff are up to date with their Hepatitis B immunisations and offered any occupational health vaccinations applicable to their role (i.e. MMR, Seasonal Flu and Covid vaccination). We take part in the National Immunisation campaigns for patients and offer vaccinations via in house and via home visits to our housebound patient population.
- Curtains: Disposable curtains are used in clinical rooms and are changed every 6 months. All curtains are regularly reviewed and changed more frequently if damaged or soiled.
- Hand washing sinks: The practice has clinical hand washing sinks in every room for staff to use. Some of our sinks do not meet the latest standards for sinks but we have mitigated this by: removing plugs; covering overflows and reminding staff to turn of taps that are not ‘hands free’ with paper towels to keep patients safe. We have also replaced our refillable liquid soap wall mounted soap dispensers with dispensers that accept sealed cartridges to prevent any cross contamination.
- Tollgate Medical Centre undertake the following audits:
- Infection control audit (6 monthly) last completed: 19/10/2023
- Handwashing audit for all clinical and non-clinical staff (Annually)
- Vaccine storage audit (Annually) last updated: 29/02/2024
- Sharps bin (3 monthly) last completed: 25/01/2024
- Monthly vaccination stock audits
- Fridge temperature audits (Monthly)
Training
All our staff receives bi-annual training in infection prevention and control via online learning on Blue stream.
Infection lead last update: 26/04/2023 (2-Day lead link practitioner course)
Hand Hygiene training and audit is carried out annually by our Lead Nurse for training and education.
Policies
All Infection Prevention Control related policies are in date.
Policies relating to Infection Control are available to all staff and are reviewed and updated bi-annually or as appropriate, and all are amended on an on-going basis as current advice, guidance and legislation changes. Infection Control policies are available on Team Net for all staff to read.
Responsibility
It is the responsibility of each individual to be familiar with this Statement and their roles and responsibilities under this.
Review Date
February 2025
Responsibility for Review
The Infection Prevention and Control Lead is responsible for reviewing and producing the Annual Statement.
Carol Hastings (Nursing team manager)
If you have any concerns, questions or queries in regards to infection prevention control at the practice please email: [email protected] and we aim to respond to you as soon as possible.
IT Policy
This practice is committed to preserving, as far as is practical, the security of data used by our information systems. This means that we will take all reasonable actions to;
Maintain the Confidentiality of all data within the practice by:
- Ensuring that only authorised persons can gain access to our systems
- Not disclosing information to anyone who has no right to see it
Maintain the integrity of all data within the practice by:
- Taking care over input
- Ensuring that all changes are reported and monitored
- Checking that the correct record is on the screen before updating
- Reporting all apparent errors and ensuring that they are resolved
Maintain the availability of all data by:
- Ensuring that all equipment is protected from intruders
- Ensuring that backups are taken at regular, predetermined intervals
- Ensuring that contingency is provided for possible failure or equipment theft and that any such contingency plans are tested and kept up to date
Additionally we will take all reasonable measures to comply with our legal responsibilities under:
Non NHS Services
Private Work Fees
Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception staff will be happy to advise you about them along with appointment availability.
PLEASE NOTE – our GP’s will not sign passports or validate photographs.
Why do GP’s charge fees? Your questions answered
The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions.
In some cases, dental fees for example, these are to cover the cost of treatment. In other cases, the charges are because the cost is not covered by the NHS; for example, medical reports for private companies (Life Assurance/Insurance), claims on cancelled holidays, examinations related to an occupation. All of these examples are not related to clinical matters and, as such, are not part of the General Practitioner’s contract with the NHS. As the Government is paying for the GP to be delivering NHS work, it is inappropriate that this contracted time is spent doing work that goes beyond NHS work in this time. It is for this reason that the GP must charge.
What is covered by the NHS and what is not?
The contract between the Government and the GP practice covers medical services to NHS Patients. Regrettably, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in work that goes beyond this service. Oftentimes, GPs are asked because they are deemed as a person of trust in the community, or because an insurance company, or employer, wants to be sure that the information provided is true, or accurate.
Examples of non-NHS services, and services that are therefore chargeable, include:
- Certain travel vaccinations
- Holiday cancellation forms
- Private medical insurance reports
- Private sick certificates
- Letters for Gym membership
- Letters stating unfit for examinations, or sport
Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?
The GP is contracted to provide NHS work in the first instance, and therefore non-NHS work needs to be undertaken outside of this contract time.
GPs roles are not typical 9- 5 jobs. There is a lot more work, behind the scenes beyond just consulting with the patient. There are hospital referrals to write, on behalf of patients, and responses to read from Consultants. There are test results to process, and to action, and medication to review and to prescribe.
In addition, in needs to be remembered that a GP is under a stipulation from the General Medical Council, that anything they sign must be known to be true. As such, a GP cannot simply sign a letter or report, without reviewing the patient’s record, and assuring themselves that the information that they are declaring is supported by documented fact.
Charges
Our private fees are calculated on the time involved in undertaking the average of these types of letters. We do undertake periodic review, and compare our fees with other practices, both local and national to try and be fair with our charges; however our primary service is NHS work and only offer private work, as a convenience to patients.
In most cases, there is no obligation for you to use the services of this surgery for you private work, and other (private) doctors and organisations can be used. It may also be cheaper to do this, as some organisations specialise in providing specific services and at competitive prices (HGV, PCV medicals for example).
The fees and approximate wait time are listed below.
Patient Fees for non NHS work
| Requestor | Fee | Estimated Time
(working days) |
| Patient request | ||
| Private Letter, regarding care: (Blue Badge, Parking Permit , Housing) | No Fee | 10 days |
| Copies of OWN medical records | No Fee | 15 days |
| Letter confirming registration (no clinical details) | £15 | 3 days |
| Certificates (private sick certificate) | £30 | 15 days |
| Private Letter – Incapacity to perform specific activity | £30 | 15 days |
| Private Letter – Fit to: fly, school, sport, gym, perform | £30 | 15 days |
| Holiday Cancellation form | £30 | 15 days |
| Holiday Cancellation Examination and Report | £150 | 15 days |
| Police Occupational Health Form (single sided) | £40 | 15 days |
| OFSTED, Child minding form | £32 | 15 days |
| Medical Examinations
(HGV, PCV, Taxi, Seat belt exemption, sports, private, holiday cancellation) |
£150 | 15 days |
| Medical Report – No examination
(Insurance Claim, Police Form – No Examination) |
£65 | 15 days |
| Adoption / Fostering – Assessment | £73.86 | |
| Adoption / Fostering – Update | £24.36 | |
Non-NHS Work and Refund Policy
1. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to outline the procedures and guidelines for handling non-NHS work, including the preparation of letters, reports, and other administrative tasks, and to clarify the practice’s position on refunds for these services.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all non-NHS work provided by the practice, including but not limited to:
- Medical reports and letters
- Insurance forms
- Travel vaccinations
- Occupational health services
3. Non-NHS Work
- Non-NHS work refers to services that are not covered by NHS funding and are provided on a private basis.
- Patients will be informed of any fees associated with non-NHS work prior to the service being provided.
- A list of fees for common non-NHS services is available at the reception and on the practice website.
4. Payment
- Payment for non-NHS work is required at the time of request or prior to the completion of the service.
- Accepted payment methods include cash and bank transfer.
5. Refund Policy
- Once a non-NHS service has been completed, refunds will not be issued.
- In the event of a delay or issue with the service, the practice will work with the patient to resolve the matter promptly.
- Requests for refunds must be made in writing and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Senior Management Team.
6. Communication
- A copy of this policy is available upon request and is displayed in the practice waiting area and on the practice website.
7. Review and Updates
- This policy will be reviewed annually and updated as necessary to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and best practices.
8. Contact Information
- For any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact the Operations Manager.
Personal Data
The following IT systems are in use at the practice:
- Referral Management (using NHS numbers in referrals)
- Electronic Appointment Booking (the facility to book routine appointments online and, similarly, to cancel appointments
- Online booking of repeat prescriptions
- Summary Care Record (uploading details of your current medication and allergies to the national “spine” so that these are available for doctors involved in your care elsewhere)
- GP to GP transfers (the electronic transfer of records from practice to practice when you re-register
- Patient Access to records (the facility to view your medical records online).
If you are not already registered for online access and would like to be please complete our online form.
If you would like access to your medical records enabled or would like to opt out of the local or national summary care record, please contact reception.
Privacy Policy
Tollgate Medical Centre
Patient Privacy Notice
Your information and what you need to know:
This privacy notice explains why we collect information about you, how that information may be used and how we keep it safe and confidential.
Why we collect information about you:
Healthcare professionals that provide you with care are required by law to maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received within any NHS organisation. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.
We collect and hold data for the sole purpose of providing healthcare services to our patients. In carrying out this role we may collect information about you which helps us respond to your queries or secure specialist services. We may keep your information in written form and/or in digital form. The records may include basic details about you, such as your name and address. They may also contain more sensitive information about your health and also information such as outcomes of needs assessments.
Details we collect about you:
Tollgate Medical Centre provides Primary Care General Practitioner Services. We have broken down this privacy notice so that you can see the specific details we hold.
Whilst you are registered we will keep records of any healthcare and treatment you have received either from ourselves or other clinicians previously (including GPs, NHS Trusts, Walk-in centres etc). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.
Records we may hold about you include:
- Your age, contact details and next of kin
- Details of your appointments, clinic visits etc
- Records about your health, illness, treatment and care
- Results of investigations, like laboratory tests, x-rays, etc
- Information from other health professionals.
How we keep your information confidential and safe
Everyone working for the NHS is subject to the Common Law Duty of Confidence. Information provided in confidence will only be used for the purposes advised with consent given by the patient, unless there are other circumstances covered by the law. Tollgate Medical Centre complies with the NHS Confidentiality Code of Conduct. All our staff are required to protect your information, inform you of how your information will be used and allow you to decide if and how your information can be shared. We hold information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Act. We maintain our duty of confidentiality to you at all times. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), or where the law requires information to be passed on.
How we use your information
We primarily use information to enable our clinicians to better treat you and provide your healthcare. However, we also use your information to improve our services by:
- Reviewing the care we provide through clinical audit
- Investigating patient queries, complaints and legal claims
- Ensuring we receive payment for the care you receive
- Preparing statistics on NHS performance
- Auditing NHS accounts and services
- Undertaking health research and development (with your consent – you may choose whether or not to be involved)
- Training and educating healthcare professionals.
Sharing your information
We share your personal information with other NHS organisations. For example, we may share your information for healthcare purposes with NHS trusts, Hospitals and Ambulance Services where they are directly involved in your care. We may need to share information from your health records with other non-NHS organisations, including Social Services. However, we will not disclose any health information to third parties without your explicit consent to do so, unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as when the health and safety of others is at risk or where the law requires it.
We may also be asked by other statutory bodies to share basic information about you, such as your name and address, but not sensitive information from your health records. This would normally be to assist them to carry out their statutory duties. In these circumstances, where it is not practical to obtain your explicit consent, we are informing you through this notice, which is referred to as a Fair Processing Notice, under the Data Protection Act that we may share that data.
These non-NHS organisations may include, but are not restricted to:
- Social Services
- Education Services
- Local Authorities
- Police
- Voluntary Sector Providers
- Private Sector Providers
The GP Practice is specifically required to share information for the following purposes:
Risk Stratification
Risk stratification is a process for proactively identifying and managing patients who are statistically at-risk of unplanned admission to hospital or likely to require additional healthcare input.
Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and GP Practices. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information using software managed by an agreed third party provider and is then provided back to us. If necessary we may be able to offer you additional services, following this risk stratification process.
Risk stratification is commissioned by the NEL Integrated Care Board (ICB). Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 provides a statutory legal basis to process data for risk stratification purposes. Further information about risk stratification is available from:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/tsd/ig/risk-stratification/
If you are registered with us and do not wish information about you to be included in the risk stratification programme, please let us know. We can add a code to your records that will stop your information from being used for this purpose. Our other services are not subject to Risk Stratification purposes.
Individual Funding Request
An Individual Funding Request is a request made on your behalf and with your consent by a clinician, for funding of specialised healthcare which falls outside the range of services and treatments that ICBs have agreed to commission for the local population. An Individual Funding Request is considered when a case can be set out by a patient’s clinician that there are exceptional clinical circumstances which make the patient’s case different from other patients with the same condition who are at the same stage of their disease, or when the request is for a treatment that is regarded as new or experimental and where there are no other similar patients who would benefit from this treatment. A detailed response including the criteria considered in arriving at the decision, will be provided to the patient’s clinician.
Supporting Medicines Management
ICBs support local GP practices with prescribing queries which generally don’t require identifiable information. ICB pharmacists work with all Newham practices to provide advice on medicines and prescribing queries, and review prescribing of medicines to ensure that it is safe and cost-effective. Where specialist support is required e.g. to order a drug that comes in solid form, in gas or liquid, the ICB medicines management team will order this on behalf of the practice to support your care.
Summary Care Record (SCR)
The NHS in England uses a national electronic record called the Summary Care Record (SCR) to support patient care. It contains key information from your GP record. Your SCR provides authorised healthcare staff with faster, secure access to essential information about you in an emergency or when you need unplanned care, where such information would otherwise be unavailable.
Summary Care Records are there to improve the safety and quality of your care. SCR core information comprises your allergies, adverse reactions and medications. An SCR with additional information can also include reason for medication, vaccinations, significant diagnoses / problems, significant procedures, anticipatory care information and end of life care information. Additional information can only be added to your SCR with your agreement.
Please be aware that if you choose to opt-out of SCR, NHS healthcare staff caring for you outside of this surgery may not be aware of your current medications, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had, in order to treat you safely in an emergency. Your records will stay as they are now with information being shared by letter, email, fax or phone. If you wish to opt-out of having an SCR then please let us know.
Invoice Validation
Invoice validation is an important process. It involves using your NHS number to check that the CCG is responsible for paying for your treatment. We can also use your NHS number to check whether your care has been funded through specialist commissioning, which NHS England will pay for. The process makes sure that the organisations providing your care are paid correctly.
The legal basis to use information for invoice validation is provided under Regulations made under section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 and is based on the advice of the Health Research Authority’s Confidentiality and Advisory Group (reference CAG 7-07(a) and (b)/2013).
Fraud Prevention
We are required by law to protect the public funds we administer. Tollgate Medical Centre may share information provided to it with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud.
Clinical Audit
Information may be used for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided. Some of this information may be held centrally and used for statistical purposes e.g. the National Diabetes Audit. Where we do this we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.
Clinical Research
Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes. Tollgate Medical Centre will always gain your consent before releasing the information for this purpose.
Cabinet Office
The use of data by the Cabinet Office for data matching is carried out with statutory authority under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice. You can view further information on the Cabinet Office’s legal powers and the reasons why it matches particular information.
Safeguarding
To ensure that adult and children’s safeguarding matters are managed appropriately, access to identifiable information will be shared in some limited circumstances where it is required for the safety of the individuals concerned.
The NHS Care Record Guarantee
The NHS Care Record Guarantee for England sets out the rules that govern how patient information is used in the NHS, what control the patient can have over this, the rights individuals have to request copies of their data and how data is protected under the Data Protection Act 1998.
The NHS Constitution
The NHS Constitution establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. It sets out the rights patients, the public and staff are entitled to. These rights cover how patients access health services, the quality of care you’ll receive, the treatments and programmes available to you, confidentiality, information and your right to complain if things go wrong.
NHS Digital
NHS Digital collects health information from the records health and social care providers keep about the care and treatment they give, to promote health or support improvements in the delivery of care services in England.
Other organisations
The practice may be asked to share your details with other organisations in the form of private medical reports, or extracts from your medical records – perhaps to assist you with a mortgage of life insurance/assurance application. We will only do this once we are in possession of your explicit consent and you are entitled to have site of any report that we make about you.
Data Retention
We will approach the management of patient records in line with the Records Management NHS Code of Practice for Health and Social Care. This sets the required standards for managing records for those who work within or under contract to NHS organisations in England, based on current legal requirements and professional best practice. Any specific details of data retention by service are detailed in subsequent pages.
Access to your information
Under the General Data Protection Regulation everybody has the right to see, or have a copy of data we hold that can identify you, with some exceptions. You do not need to give a reason to see your data. If you want to access your data you must make the request in writing. Under special circumstances, some information may be withheld. If you wish to have a copy of the information we hold about you, please contact us in writing at:
Subject Access Requests
Tollgate Medical Centre 220 Tollgate Road Beckton London E6 5JS
Your right to withdraw consent for us to share your personal information
At any time you have the right to refuse/withdraw consent to information sharing. The possible consequences will be fully explained to you and may mean that we are unable to fulfil our requirements in providing care and result in you needing to register with an alternative General Practitioner. If you wish to discuss this, please contact either the reception or by emailing us on [email protected] detailing the best way for us to contact you to discuss the consent withdrawal.
Mobile telephone number
If you provide us with your mobile phone number we may use this to send you reminders about your appointments or other health screening information. Please let us know if you do not wish to receive reminders on your mobile.
Telephone Calls
We may monitor, record, store and use any telephone, email or other communication with you in order to check any instructions given to us, for training purposes, for crime prevention and to improve the quality of our services.
COVID 19
This practice is supporting vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. This transparency notice supplements our main practice privacy notice: https://digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/gpes-data-for-pandemic-planning-and-research/general-practice-transparency-notice
Notification
The General Data Protection Regulation requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal and sensitive information. We are registered as a data controller and our registration can be viewed online in the public register at: http://ico.org.uk/what_we_cover/register_of_data_controllers
Any changes to this notice will be published on our website and in a prominent area at the Practice.
Complaints & Compliments
If you have concerns or are unhappy about any of our services, or should you wish to pass on compliments please contact us using the details below:
Complaints/Compliments
Tollgate Medical Centre 220 Tollgate Road Beckton London E6 5JS
For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data-sharing issues, you can contact:
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
Responsible Individuals
The following individuals are our named leads for information handling within Tollgate Medical Centre :
- Data Protection Officer: Martin Street (Business Manager)
- Caldicott Guardian and Information Governance Lead: Dr Mallik Koneru
Suggestions
Want to make a suggestion to the practice?
Your comments and suggestions are important to us, please click on the link below and complete the form to send them to us. Please only use this form for comments about the practice and suggestions as to how we can improve our service to you.
Medical matters and official complaints cannot be dealt with via this form. If you have a query regarding a medical matter please telephone reception to make an appointment to see the appropriate person.
Summary Care Record
Your patient record is held securely and confidentially on the electronic system at your GP practice. If you require treatment in another NHS healthcare setting such as an Emergency Department or Minor Injury Unit, those treating you would be better able to give you appropriate care if some of the information from the GP practice were available to them.
This information can now be shared electronically via: The Summary Care Record, used nationally across England
The information will be used only by authorised health care professionals directly involved in your care. Your permission will be asked before the information is accessed, unless the clinician is unable to ask you and there is a clinical reason for access.
If you would like to opt out, please ask reception for our opt out form.
A parent or guardian can request to opt out children under 16 but ultimately it is the GP’s decision whether to create the records or not, because of their duty of care to the child. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 and feel that they are able to understand, then you should make this information available to them.
Who Has Access?
Across all health care settings, including urgent care, community care and outpatient departments in England.
Information Source
GP record
Content
- Your current medications
- Any allergies you have
- Any bad reactions you have had to medicines
- Additional information (upon request to your GP)
For more information visit:
www.digital.nhs.uk
Training
We are a Teaching Practice
Tollgate Medical Centre is an appointed general practitioner training practice and often benefits from the services of GP registrars. These are fully qualified doctors with extensive hospital experience who hope to enter general practice. We currently have 3 registrars with us, Dr White, Dr Ikram and Dr Boehm.
We currently have 3 registrars with us, Dr White, Dr Ikram and Dr Boehm.
Please note that patient permission is always sought before including any medical student in consultations.
With the patient’s consent students may sit in on consultations with the GP or nurse to learn about general practice.
Students are also occasionally asked, with the patient’s consent, to carry out a consultation alone which is then discussed with the GP student and patient.
If you agree to see a medical student, you will be assisting with their training and your cooperation will be appreciated. However the choice is yours and you do not need to have a consultation with a medical student if you prefer not to.
We hope that you will help with the doctor training by agreeing to consult with a medical student if an appointment is offered to you. However you may request to see your usual doctor for a consultation if you prefer.
Sitting-in Surgeries
For the sake of education, you may attend surgeries while a trainee is present in the same room; your GP will always ask for your permission for the trainee to stay in the room and listen to/participate in the consultation. All the consultations will still be regarded confidential. It is always possible to ask the trainee to leave the room if you do not feel comfortable to continue the consultation.
Video Consultations
There may be times when the registrar will be videoing their consultations for their learning program. this is a powerful tool in developing effective communication skills when viewed by the trainer alongside the registrar and remains completely confidential.
We will always ask you for your permission and ask you to sign a consent form beforehand and then again after the consultation.
You will be given the choice to decline this offer and your decision will be fully respected and will in no way affect the care you are given.
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.