All NHS organisations are required to have a Caldicott Guardian whose role is to protect the confidentiality of patient and service-user information, and enable appropriate information sharing.

The Caldicott Guardian for The Loddon Vale Practice is: Dr O Fard, senior partner

The term Caldicott refers to a review commissioned by the chief medical officer. A review committee, under the chairmanship of Dame Fiona Caldicott, investigated ways in which patient information is used in the NHS. The review committee also made a number of recommendations aimed at improving the way the NHS handles and protects patient information.

These are summarised by seven information management principles.

• Justify the purpose(s) of using confidential information.
• Only use it when absolutely necessary.
• Use the minimum that is required.
• Access should be on a strict need to know basis.
• Everyone must understand his or her responsibilities.
• Understand and comply with the law.
• The duty to share can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.

Who can request a chaperone?

Any patient can request a chaperone at any time, but in particular if any intimate examination is to take place.

Notices are present in reception and in consulting rooms reminding patients they are entitled to a chaperone at any time.

If a patient knows that they may need an intimate examination such as a breast or genitalia in particular, they should be given the choice of which doctor or nurse that they see and the option of a chaperone when they book the appointment.

Clinical staff may also request a chaperone, if one has not already been requested by the patient, should they need to undertake an intimate examination or if the patient feels particularly vulnerable.

This applies to a male or female doctor and a male or female patient.

If a chaperone is not available, or if the patient is uncomfortable in any way, another appointment can be offered at a different time with a different clinician.

What is a chaperone for?

The sole purpose of the chaperone is to ensure that there is no inappropriate behaviour on the part of the examining nurse or doctor, and that the conduct of the patient is also appropriate.

The chaperone should be either a clinical member of staff or another member of staff who has had training.

They are entitled to stop the examination at any point if they feel that there is any inappropriate behaviour from either party.

In this instance the practice manager should be notified immediately and the appropriate steps taken to deal with the situation.

Introduction

This document sets out the arrangements in the practice for the confidentiality of patient data and its protection.

All patient information is considered to be confidential and we comply fully with GDPR. All employees have access to this information in relation to their role and have signed a confidentiality agreement. Information may be shared, in confidence, with other NHS organisations in the interests of patient care.

Please note that it is the reserved right of the practice to record all telephone calls for the purposes of patient and staff care, security, and dispute resolution. Recordings and their use will be at the partners’ discretion and will also comply with the practice’s GDPR policy.

The Organisation’s Responsibilities

The organisation will do its upmost to ensure that the confidentiality of patients is protected, alongside the need to identify the best way to help them.

The organisation accepts its responsibility as data controller for all patient data in its care, whether in electronic or paper form. It will ensure that employees fully understand their responsibilities with regard to confidential data. The employees will undertake GDPR training as part of their induction and will sign a written acceptance that they understand the responsibilities they are undertaking towards the security of patient data.

The organisation will also ensure that arrangements are in place for the confidential disposal of any paper waste generated by employees.

The organisation will monitor and record when it is passing ownership of data to an individual (e.g. for project work or research and development) and this may be individually and specifically authorised by the Caldicott Guardian. The individual may then need to be separately registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. The practice will always fully comply with all aspects of data security as required by GDPR.

The organisation will strictly apply the rules of confidentiality and in general will not release patient information to a third party without proper valid and informed consent, unless this is within the statutory exempted categories such as in the public interest. In such cases, the release of the information and the reasons for it will be individually and specifically documented and authorised by the responsible clinician.

The organisation will ensure that it and its suppliers maintain regular security updates including anti-virus software as necessary.

Responsibilities of Staff

Staff will ensure that patient confidentiality is respected. Initial patient contact will endeavour to ascertain the best way to assist without being overly intrusive. This means that staff will need to ask questions that are sufficiently detailed in order that patient’s needs are identified and met efficiently and effectively. However, they must take care to ensure that sensitive information is not overheard by others.

Staff will never disturb a clinical consultation without warning the clinician (and the patient). They will knock and wait for permission to enter a room where there is a closed door. Urgent screen messages can also be sent via the database.

Staff will ensure that their access to patient records takes place in a manner which is necessary and proportionate for the purposes of providing care to patients.

Patient information, where required, will be transmitted to partner agencies such as hospitals and social services etc. Staff must ensure that any such transmissions are conducted in a safe manner and the information given is proportionate to the purpose of the transmission. This may include clarifying who the third party is and why the data is required, checking the identity of the recipient and the channel (address or email address) by which the information is to be transferred.

Staff will not ‘research’ the data of patients known to them. This includes family, friends, acquaintances and patients ‘in the public eye’. If they are aware of a medical need of a family member or friend, they must pass the enquiry to a colleague or manager.

The practice will invoke disciplinary proceedings to protect patient confidentiality. Staff must ensure that there is ‘no conflict of interest’ and if they are unsure they must ask a manager.

Protecting Patient Data against Viruses and Malware

Data is vulnerable to loss or corruption caused by viruses. Malware may seek to harvest confidential data and use it illegally. Staff will ensure that they use the computers provided by the practice in a safe and appropriate manner. Viruses and malware may be introduced from memory sticks and other storage media but mainly obtain access to systems by direct links via email and web browsing.

Staff must:

• Delete any email that asks for their password details.
• Not open attachments that come from unrecognised sources, but delete the entire email.
• Ensure that their computer is fully turned off at least once a week to allow for security updates to take place.
• When browsing, to minimise risk, only access ‘safe’ mainstream sites.

Your information, what you need to know

This privacy notice explains why we collect information about you, how that information will be used, how we keep it safe and confidential and what your rights are under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 in relation to this.

We operate on the lawful basis that is in your vital interests as a patient that we process your data to provide direct care.

Why we collect information about you

Health care professionals who 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 and help us to protect your safety.

Under the GDPR your data as a patient is regarded as special category or sensitive data.

We collect and hold data for the purpose of providing healthcare services to our patients and running our organisation which includes monitoring the quality of care that we provide. In carrying out this role we will collect information about you which helps us respond to your queries or secure specialist services. We will keep your information in written form and/or in digital form. The records will include basic details about you, such as your name and address. They will also contain more sensitive information about your health and also information such as outcomes of needs assessments.

Details we collect about you

The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. from Hospitals, GP Surgeries, A&E, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

Records which this GP Practice will hold about you will include the following:

• • Details about you, such as your address and next of kin

• • Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc.

• • Notes and reports about your health

• • Details about your treatment and care

• • Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.

• • Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you

How we keep your information confidential and safe

Everyone working for our organisation 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.

The NHS Digital Code of Practice on Confidential Information applies to all NHS staff and they 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. All our staff are expected to make sure information is kept confidential and secure and receive regular training on how to do this.

The health records we use will be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Your records are backed up securely in line with NHS standard procedures. We ensure that the information we hold is kept in secure locations, is protected by appropriate security and access is restricted to authorised personnel.

We also make sure external data processors that support us are legally and contractually bound to operate and prove security arrangements are in place where data that could or does identify a person are processed.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:

• • Data Protection Legislation – Data Protection Act 2018

• • General Data Protection Regulation

• • Human Rights Act

• • Common Law Duty of Confidentiality

• • NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Information Security

• • Health and Social Care Act 2015

• • And all applicable legislation

We maintain our duty of confidentiality to you at all times. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if we reasonably believe that 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 (such as a risk of serious harm to yourself or others) or where the law requires information to be passed on.

How we use your information

Improvements in information technology are also making it possible for us to share data with other healthcare organisations for the purpose of providing you, your family and your community with better care. For example it is possible for healthcare professionals in other services to access your record when the practice is closed. This is explained further in the Local Information Sharing section below.

Under the powers of the Health and Social Care Act 2015, NHS Digital can request personal confidential data from GP Practices without seeking patient consent for a number of specific purposes, which are set out in law. These purposes are explained below.

You can also choose to withdraw your consent to your personal data being shared for certain other purposes as described below. In all other circumstances your data will be shared in order to service your vital interests.

When we are about to participate in a new data-sharing project we will display prominent notices in the Practice and on our website at least four weeks before the scheme is due to start.

You can object to your personal information being shared with other healthcare providers but should be aware that this may, in some instances, affect your care as important information about your health might not be available to healthcare staff in other organisations.

To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS. The various systems and services under this category are:

Assessing Treatment Outcomes

Information is used by Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (BHFT) to assess the effectiveness of providing psychotherapy treatment to patients with long term conditions. NHS numbers and a summary of the number of visits to the practice before and after treatment is shared with BHFT. If you do not wish your information to be shared for this purpose please let your GP know.

Child Health Information

We wish to make sure that your child has the opportunity to have immunisations and health checks when they are due. We share information about childhood immunisations, the 6-8-week new baby check and breast-feeding status with NHS Berkshire Health Foundation Trust health visitors and school nurses, and with NHS South Central and West Commissioning Support Unit, who provide the Child Health Information Service in Berkshire on behalf of NHS England.

Clinical audit

Information will be used by the West Berkshire CCG for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided to patients with long terms conditions. When required, information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes (e.g. the National Diabetes Audit). When this happens, strict measures are taken to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified from the data.

Clinical Research

We get requests from organisations to use practice information for research purposes – we will always ask your permission before releasing any identifiable information for this purpose.

Department for Work and Pensions

Our practice is legally required to provide anonymised date on patients who have been issued with a fit note under the Fit for Work scheme. The purpose is to provide the Department for Work and Pensions with information from fit notes to improve the monitoring of public health and commissioning and quality of health services.

Improving Diabetes Care

Information that does not identify individual patients is used to enable focussed discussions to take place at practice-led local diabetes review meetings between health care professionals. This enables the professionals to improve the management and support of these patients.

Individual Funding Request

An ‘Individual Funding Request’ is a request made on your behalf, with your consent, by a clinician, for funding of specialised healthcare which falls outside the range of services and treatments that West Berkshire CCG has agreed to commission for the local population. An Individual Funding Request is taken under consideration 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.

Invoice Validation

Invoice validation is an important process. It involves using your NHS number to identify which CCG is responsible for paying for your treatment. Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 provides a statutory legal basis to process data for invoice validation purposes. 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.

Local Information Sharing

Your GP electronic patient record is held securely and confidentially on an electronic system managed by your registered GP practice. If you require attention from a health professional such as an Emergency Department, Minor Injury Unit or Out Of Hours service, the professionals treating you are better able to give you safe and effective care if relevant information from your GP record is available to them.

Therefore, where available, this information will be shared electronically with other local health and care providers via a secure system designed for this purpose. Depending on the service you are using and your health and care needs, this may involve the professional accessing a secure system that enables them to view relevant parts of your GP electronic patient record (e.g. Connected Care or your Summary Care Record).

In all cases, your information is only accessed and used by authorised health and social care professionals in Berkshire based organisations who are involved in providing or supporting your direct care.

National Fraud Initiative – 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 Data Protection legislation. Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice. For further information see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-data-matching-practice-for-national-fraud- initiative

National Registries

National Registries (such as the Learning Disabilities Register) have statutory permission under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006, to collect and hold service user identifiable information without the need to seek informed consent from each individual service user.

Risk Stratification

‘Risk stratification for case finding’ is an automated process for identifying and managing patients who have or may be at-risk of health conditions (such as diabetes) or who are most likely to need healthcare services (such as people with frailty). Risk stratification tools used in the NHS help determine a person’s risk of suffering a particular condition and enable us to focus on preventing ill health before it develops.

Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts, GP Federations and your GP Practice. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information. This can help us identify and offer you additional services to improve your health.

Risk-stratification data may also be used to improve local services and commission new services, where there is an identified need. In this area, risk stratification may be commissioned by the Berkshire West NHS Clinical Commissioning Group. 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 do not wish information about you to be included in any risk stratification programmes, please let us know. We can add a code to your records that will stop your information from being used for this purpose. Please be aware that this may limit the ability of healthcare professionals to identify if you have or are at risk of developing certain serious health conditions.

Safeguarding

To ensure that adult and children’s safeguarding matters are managed appropriately, access to identifiable information will be shared in circumstances where it’s legally required for the safety of the individuals concerned.

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 please return a completed opt-out form to the practice.

Supporting Medicines Management

Berkshire West CCG operates pharmacist and prescribing advice services to support local GP practices with prescribing queries, which may require identifiable information to be shared. These pharmacists work with your usual GP to provide advice on medicines and prescribing queries, and review prescribing of medicines to ensure that it is appropriate for your needs, safe and cost- effective. Where specialist prescribing support is required, the CCG medicines optimisation team may order medications on behalf of your GP Practice to support your care.

Supporting Locally Commissioned Services

CCGs support GP practices by auditing anonymised data to monitor locally commissioned services, measure prevalence and support data quality. The data does not include identifiable information and is used to support patient care and ensure providers are correctly paid for the services they provide.

Data Retention

We manage patient records in line with the Records Management NHS Code of Practice for Health and Social Care which sets the required standards of practice in the management of records for those who work within or under contract to NHS organisations in England, based on current legal requirements and professional best practice. If you transfer to another GP and we are asked to transfer your records, we will do this to ensure your care is continued. Currently the NHS is required to keep GP records for 10 years after a patient has died. Exceptions to these rules are detailed in the code of practice.

Who are our partner organisations?

We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations:

• • NHS Trusts

• • Specialist Trusts

• • GP Federations

• • Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists

• • Private Sector Providers

• • Voluntary Sector Providers

• • Ambulance Trusts

• • Clinical Commissioning Groups

• • Social Care Services

• • Local Authorities

• • Education Services

• • Fire and Rescue Services

• • Police

• • Other ‘data processors’

We will never share your information outside of health partner organisations without your explicit consent unless there are exceptional circumstances such as when the health or safety of others is at risk, where the law requires it or to carry out a statutory function.

Within the health partner organisations (NHS and Specialist Trusts) and in relation to the above mentioned themes – Risk Stratification, Invoice Validation, Supporting Medicines Management, Summary Care Record – we will assume you are happy for your information to be shared unless you choose to opt-out (see below).

This means you will need to express an explicit wish to not have your information shared with the other organisations; otherwise it will be automatically shared. We are required by law to report certain information to the appropriate authorities. This is only provided after formal permission has been given by a qualified health professional. There are occasions when we must pass on information, such as notification of new births, where we encounter infectious diseases which may endanger the safety of others, such as meningitis or measles (but not HIV/AIDS), and where a formal court order has been issued. Our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strictest confidence.

Your Rights

You have certain legal rights, including a right to have your information processed fairly and lawfully and a right to access any personal confidential data we hold about you.

Right to be informed

You have the right to be informed about the collection and use of your data. You also have the right to be notified of a data security breach concerning your personal data.

Right of access

You have the right to access any of your personal data that is being processed together with supplementary information. If we do hold information about you we will:

• • Give you a description of it

• • Tell you why we are holding it

• • Tell you who it could be disclosed to; and

• • Let you have a copy of the information in a plain readable format or in an easily accessible electronic format.

Right to be forgotten

You have the right to have your personal data erased. This right is not guaranteed and applies only in certain circumstances.

Right to restrict

You have the right to request the restriction of your personal data from being processed. This will restrict any ongoing processing but not erase any data we hold.

Right to rectification

You have the right to have inaccurate personal data rectified or completed if it is incomplete.

Right to object

You have the right to object to data processing of the information we hold about you, where we are relying on a legitimate interest to do so and you think that your rights and interests outweigh our own and you wish us to stop.

Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

The website does not make any automated decisions or profiling with your personal data.

Your right to withdraw consent for us to share your personal information (Opt-Out)

If you are happy for your data to be extracted and used for the purposes described in this privacy notice then you do not need to do anything. If you do not want your information to be used for any purpose beyond providing your care you can choose to opt-out. We will respect your decision if you do not wish your information to be used for any purpose other than your care but in some circumstances we may still be legally required to disclose your data.

There are now several forms of opt outs available at different levels :

Type 1 Opt-Out
If you do not want personally identifiable information that identifies you to be shared outside the practice, for purposes beyond your direct care, you can register a ‘Type 1 Opt-Out’. This prevents your confidential personal information from being used for any purpose except for your direct health care needs and in particular circumstances required by law, such as a public health emergency like an outbreak of a pandemic disease. If you do not want your information to be used for any other purpose beyond providing your care you can choose to opt out. If you wish to do so, please let us know so that we can code your record appropriately to stop your records from being shared outside this Practice.

National Data Opt-Out
The national data opt-out was introduced on 25^th May 2018, and replaces the previous Type 2 Opt- Out. NHS Digital collects information from a range of places where people receive care, such as hospitals and community services. The new programme provides as facility for individuals to opt- out from the use of their data for research or planning purposes. The national data opt-out choice can be viewed or changed at anytime by using the online service at www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

If you wish to discuss or change your opt-out preferences at any time please contact either your clinician or the Practice Manager.

Access to your information

Under Data Protection Legislation everybody has the right to see, or have a copy, of data we hold that can identify you, with some exceptions (Subject Access Request). 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, and there is a form available from Reception. Under special circumstances, some information may be withheld. We will not charge you a fee for doing this as laid down by the Data Protection Act 2018.

If you wish to have a copy of the information we hold about you, please contact the Reception team.

Change of Details

It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any of your details are incorrect in order for this to be amended. Please inform us of any changes so our records for you are accurate and up to date.

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.

Email address

Where you have provided us with your email address, we will use this to send you information relating to your health and the services we provide. If you do not wish to receive any communication by email please inform us as soon as possible.

Notification

Data Protection Legislation 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/

Any changes to this notice will be published on our website and in a prominent area at the Practice.

Complaints

If you have concerns or are unhappy about any of our services, please initially contact the Practice Manager.

Please be advised that the Data Controller for Loddon Vale Practice is Dr O Fard. Our Data Protection Officer is Simon Uglow, who can be contacted on email gdpr@suglow.co.uk.

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
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.gov.uk

Further Information

Further information about the way in which the NHS uses personal information and your rights in that respect can be found here:

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 Data Protection Legislation. http://systems.digital.nhs.uk/infogov/links/nhscrg.pdf

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

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.

Reviews of and Changes to our Privacy Notice

We will keep our Privacy Notice under regular review. This notice was last reviewed in October 2018.

Introduction

This policy sets out the practice provision to ensure that patients are afforded privacy and dignity, and are treated respectfully.

The requirement to respect patients is the responsibility of all staff, not just those in direct clinical contact with the patient.

Vulnerable patients in this respect may include:

• The elderly.
• The infirm.
• Patients with disabilities.
• Those with racial or cultural beliefs.
• The illiterate.
• Patients who are homeless or with no fixed abode.
• Those with specific conditions.
• Patients with communication difficulties.
• Those patients with gender requirements.
• Those known to staff/known by staff.
• Family members.
• Patients from minority groups.

Provisions

Reception

• The practice will not stereotype patients based on perceived characteristics.
• Patients will be referred to with respect even in private discussions in the surgery.
• Patients will be addressed by their preferred method and titles (Mr, Mrs etc).
• A sign will be available in reception to offer the facility of a private discussion with a receptionist if required.
• Guide dogs will be permitted in all parts of the building. See guide dogs policy [*]
• A hearing loop is available and receptionists will be trained in its use annually.
• Under no circumstances will staff enter through a closed consultation room/treatment room door without first knocking and waiting for permission to enter, or pausing to determine that the room is empty.

Consultations

• Patients are able to request an appointment with a chosen clinician and will be able to delay an appointment to see their clinician of choice. While clinically urgent patients will be encouraged to see a clinician appropriate for their “best care,” the patient’s wishes will be respected.
• Consultations will not be interrupted unless there is an emergency, in which case the clinician will initially be sent a message, then telephoned and finally a staff member will knock at their door and await specific permission from the clinician to enter.
• A chaperone will be offered where an intimate examination is to take place. See Chaperone Policy.
• Clinical staff will be sensitive to the needs of the individual and will ensure that they are comfortable in complying with any requests that may cause embarrassment.
• Patients will be afforded as much time and privacy as is required to recover from the delivery of “bad news”, and the clinical staff will, where possible, anticipate this need and arrange appointments accordingly.
• Patients will be able to dress and undress privately in a treatment room, or, where a separate treatment room is not available, a screen will be provided for that purpose, and will be afforded sufficient time to do so. Patients using this facility will be requested to advise the clinician when they are ready to be seen.
• A clean single-use blanket, sheet, gown or similar will be available in each examination / treatment room, changed after each patient, and the patient will be advised of its availability.
• Washing facilities will be offered to the patient if required.
• Clinicians and staff will allow “personal space” where possible.
• Patients will be given adequate opportunity, time and privacy for the provision of samples on the premises.
• Patients with difficulty in understanding, due to language, may have a family member or friend available to interpret or assist. They also have the option of being referred to an interpreter service.
• Communication by staff to patients will be tailored to the needs of the individual patient (e.g. those with speech difficulties, hearing, or learning difficulties may need an individual approach and external referral for help).
• Where an intimate examination is considered necessary for a patient with difficulty in understanding (e.g. due to language, consent or cultural issues), it is recommended that a chaperone or family member / carer should always be present.
• Areas used by patients for dressing / undressing will be secure from interruption (i.e. there will be no unlocked door to either a corridor or to any room not occupied by the clinician attending that patient).
• Patients who may have difficulty in undressing may be offered the services of a second (same gender) clinician or trained chaperone to assist.
• Patients will be requested to only remove the minimum clothing necessary for the examination.
• Consultations in the patient’s home will be sensitive to the location and any other persons who may be present or may overhear.

Post–consultation and Information Handling

• Clinicians and staff will respect the dignity of patients and the importance of keeping confidential information private and secure. They will not discuss issues arising from any consultation, unless in a confidential clinical setting appropriate to the care of the patient.

Our policy is designed to ensure and promote equality and inclusion, supporting the ethos and requirements of the Equality Act 2010 for all visitors to our practice.

We are committed to:

• Ensuring all visitors are treated with dignity and respect.
• Promoting equality of opportunity between men and women.
• Not tolerating any discrimination or perceived discrimination against, or harassment of, any visitor for reason of age, sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
• Providing the same treatment and services (including the ability to register with the practice) to any visitor irrespective of age, sex, marital status, pregnancy, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, medical condition, religion or belief.

The policy applies to the general public, including all patients and their families as well as visitors and contractors.

Procedure

If you feel discriminated against:

• You should bring the matter to the attention of the practice manager.
• The practice manager will investigate the matter thoroughly and confidentially within 5 working days.
• The practice manager will establish the facts, decide whether discrimination has taken place and advise you of the outcome of the investigation within 10 working days.
• If you are not satisfied with the outcome you should raise a formal complaint through the practices Feedback and Complaints process.

Discrimination against Practice Staff

The practice will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment of our staff by any visitor. Any visitor who expresses any form of discrimination against or harassment of any member of staff will be required to leave the premises forthwith. If the visitor is a patient, he/she may be removed from the practice list.

• Version: 2.3
• Date published: January 2020
• Review status: July 2023

We are continually looking to turn patient 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.

Giving Feedback

To provide feedback:

• Fill out a feedback form.
• Take part in the Friends and Family Test.
• Phone us on 0118 969 0160.

Thank you for taking time to send this wonderful feedback, this will be passed onto the relevant staff, their manager & the practice manager.

Would you mind also leaving the same review on this link: General Practice Feedback Survey | The Loddon Vale Practice

Making a Complaint

We aim to provide you with the best possible medical service. At times you may feel that we have not achieved this and want to make your feelings known. 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 within writing, as soon as possible after the event. This should ideally be within a few days, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily.

The period for making a complaint is normally:

• 12 months from the date on which the event, which is the subject of the complaint, occurred.
• 12 months from the date on which the event, which is the subject of the complaint, comes to the complainant’s notice.

If you are a registered patient, you can complain about your own care.

Suggestions and Complaints

We are keen to hear your views about our services

From time to time we distribute questionnaires to learn your views about the services offered by the practice and our local hospitals. Please help by returning your completed questionnaires to reception promptly. Additionally, a suggestion box is located in the waiting room of the surgery and you are encouraged to comment on any matter relating to the practice and the services we offer.

How to complain

If you have a complaint or concern about the services that you have received from the doctors or staff working for this practice, you are entitled to ask for an explanation. We operate an informal, in-house complaints procedure to deal with your complaints. This procedure does not and cannot attempt to address any questions of alleged negligence or compensation. However, it does not affect your right to make a formal complaint to NHS England if you so wish, their contact details are as follows:

Address
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT

Phone
0300 312 233

Email
england.contactus@nhs.net

Nor does it affect your right to seek compensation in law. In some cases, the in-house procedure is not an appropriate form of investigation, in which case you will be referred to the appropriate authority.

We take all complaints seriously and, following each incident, we always consider the implications raised and discuss them at practice meetings for training purposes and the application of lessons learned.

All details of your complaint and actions taken to investigate and resolve any issues will be logged by the practice. We audit our complaints system regularly and consider changes in procedures in order to improve our service.

Each year we forward an annual report to NHS England notifying them of the number and types of complaints we have received.

Your complaint should be in writing and addressed to our practice manager, who will ensure that it is investigated thoroughly and as speedily as possible.

We must ensure strict adherence to the rule of confidentiality and cannot provide confidential information without the appropriate permission of the patient in question.

Complaints can be sent in writing to:

The Loddon Vale Practice,
Hurricane Way,
Woodley,
Reading,
Berks,
RG5 4UX

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality.

If you wish to make a complaint but are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient. This is to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it.

Please ask at reception for a complaints form which includes a statement of authority that the patient can sign. 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 above circumstances apply.

Confidentiality

All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, the practice manager must inform the patient or person acting on his or her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the practice or an employee of the practice.

The surgery must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints, but such records must be kept separate from the patient’s medical records.

The surgery has an annual review of complaints received within the year and the learning issues or changes to procedures which have arisen are documented.

The Freedom of Information Act 2002 requires us to implement a “Publication Scheme”. You may obtain a printed copy of our scheme on request from the practice at a nominal charge, or you may obtain a copy free by visiting Legislation.gov.uk.

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 who worked for six months or more in The Loddon Vale Practice in the last financial year was £79,200 before tax and national insurance. This is for 3 full time and 3 part time GPs.

Introduction

This document sets out the surgery policy on infection control and should be used with reference to the principles outlined in the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) for England.

Policy Statement

This practice is committed to infection control within the building and in relation to the clinical procedures carried out within it.

The practice will maintain the premises, equipment, drugs, and procedures to the standards detailed in the NIPCM and provide facilities and financial resources to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to reduce or remove all infection risks. The surgery undertakes an IPC annual audit to ensure IPC compliance and to meet the IPC compliance requirement by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Wherever possible or practicable, the practice will use washable or disposable materials for items such as soft furnishings and consumables. These include seating materials, wall coverings (including paint), bedding, couch rolls, modesty sheets, bed curtains, floor coverings, towels etc., and ensure that these are laundered, cleaned or changed frequently to minimise the risk of infection. This approach is aligned with the national standards of healthcare cleanliness.

Proposals for the Management of Infection Risk

The clinical infection control leads are Sharon Sandham and Sara Whittaker. The non-clinical staff member responsible for infection control is Debbie Short.

Sharon and Sara are responsible for the maintenance of personal protective equipment and the provision of personal cleaning supplies within clinical areas. They maintain all sterile equipment and supplies and ensure that all items remain “in date”. Debbie is responsible for the maintenance of the provision of personal cleaning supplies within non-clinical areas.

The following general precautions will apply:

• Mandatory infection control training will take place for all staff annually, including hand hygiene, donning and doffing PPE and decontamination procedures.
• Regular infection control training will take place for all staff.
• Hand hygiene posters will be displayed at each designated hand basin (see How to Hand Wash Step-by-Step).
• A random and unannounced Inspection Control Inspection (IPC audit) by the staff named above, using the approved audit tools/checklists, will take place on at least a bi-monthly basis, and the findings will be reported to the partners’ meeting for (any) remedial action.

Introduction

Your local health and care services are working more closely together to provide a joined-up service to meet your needs.

Working together improves the quality of care because the clinicians and other professionals involved in your treatment and care provision have better, more timely and more complete information on which to base their decisions.

The local shared care record reduces the need for you to repeat your story in each different setting, thereby saving you time and frustration. It also makes the services themselves more efficient by enabling health and care professionals involved in your care to view the relevant records as and when appropriate.

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 places a legal requirement on health and social care organisations to share data with other health and social care organisations involved in your care or likely to be involved in your care.

There are also occasions where we have a legal duty to pass patient information to external organisations such as NHS Digital and NHS England that either provide national shared care records such as the NHS summary care record or that have a responsibility to oversee and address issues relating to the management of the NHS as a whole.

In addition, your data is also used in an anonymised form to manage the quality of the services you receive and to help monitor, manage and improve the provision of health and social care nationally and locally.

Together, the UK Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation and our Common Law duties set out the rules we need to comply with when processing and sharing your data and we and our local partners have policies and procedures in place to ensure we comply.

As an example, one such policy is a requirement for staff to be trained and tested regularly with respect to data protection and privacy.

The local shared care record

Local shared care records are used by the practice to share some key information from your records with other organisations and health and social care professionals who may be involved in your care.

Role based access controls are implemented within the local shared care record systems and these controls make certain that only those roles that have a legitimate reason to access your data can do so. In addition to the technical access controls, all organisations that have been granted access to the local shared care records have committed to perform regular audits to ensure that the controls are properly applied.

The various types of organisation that may be required to view relevant aspects of your data using the local shared care record include:

• • NHS Trusts, including:

    • • Hospitals
    • • Community healthcare services (when you have been referred to them)
    • • Emergency services
    • • Mental health services (when you have been referred to them)
    • • Specialist service providers (when you have been referred to them)

• • Local authorities;

• • Voluntary sector organisations (when you have agreed to be referred to them);

• • Independent sector health care providers (when you have been referred to them);

• • Independent sector social care providers (when you have been referred to them)

Practices contribute the following types of data to the local shared care record:

• • Personal demographic details (e.g. address, date of birth, next of kin/emergency contact details, ethnicity, disability or language preferences);

• • Allergies;

• • Events and episodes of care;

• • Health promotion information;

• • Medication data (current and past);

• • Preventative procedures;

• • Problems;

• • Procedures;

• • Referrals;

• • Relevant social and family history;

• • Results from diagnostic procedures; and

• • Test results.

Other health and social care organisations contribute the following types of data to your local shared care record:

• • Alerts, allergies, risks and warnings;

• • Admissions and discharges;

• • Ambulance, NHS 111 and out of hours calls;

• • Care plans;

• • Carer Details;

• • Diagnostic tests, imaging, results and reports;

• • Electronic documents and letters;

• • Next of kin; and

• • Referrals, appointments and consultations.

There are three main local care records that are made available to support your care across the local health and social economy. These are:

• • Share Your Care (which is also known as Connected Care) and for some patients a similar arrangement known as CHIE (formerly the Hampshire Health Record). This local shared care record consolidates your important local data from all sources for access by authorised professionals when you need it;

• • The GP clinical system used in practices and other non-hospital settings that can provide near real-time access to your GP data when you are being cared for elsewhere in the local health care economy; and

• • The local pathology and diagnostic system that can provide details of your tests and diagnostic reports to authorised professionals elsewhere in the local health care economy when you need it.

Your rights

Your rights in respect of these local shared records are summarised below:

• • As required by law, you have a right to request a copy of your local shared care record and.

• • You also have a right to request that errors in your records are corrected.

• • For some uses of your data, you also have the right to object to your data being processed.

We aim to comply with these rights at all times.

For queries and requests regarding GP clinical system shared records, please contact the practice.

For queries and requests regarding Share Your Care and local pathology and diagnostic shared records, contact fhft.information.governance@nhs.net.

For more information on anonymised data processing please see the NHS website: Your data matters.

We assign all new and existing patients with a named accountable GP to oversee their care.

For patients aged 75 and over, the named accountable GP is responsible for:

• Working with health and social care professionals to deliver a care package that meets the needs of the patient.
• Ensuring that these patients have access to a health check.

Patients can still choose to see any GP in the surgery. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate their preference.

If you have a preference or want to know who your named GP is, you can contact us for more information.

Introduction

This document sets out how the Loddon Vale Practice ensures that all patients are able to access timely and appropriate clinical care.

Objectives

• Patients are able to access information, care or treatment by a GP or appropriate member of the practice team in line with their clinical needs.
• The ability of patients to access the above does not vary on account of characteristics such as age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, geography (provided they live within the practice boundary) or socio-economic status.
• Clinicians and staff are able to manage available resources to meet demand effectively so that the best possible levels of service and access are maintained at all times.
• Patients and carers are aware of how to get the best from the practice and are involved in monitoring and developing the systems and procedures to ensure that their needs are met.

Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities

Patients’ Rights

As a patient you have the right to:

• Join any geographically appropriate practice of your choice in the area where you live, following acceptance by the practice, or to change your choice of practice.
• Easily-accessible information about the Loddon Vale Practice and how to access care via practice leaflets and the website.
• Appropriate urgent care. The Loddon Vale Practice, wherever possible, aims to provide urgent care on the day.
• Clear information about your treatment in a suitable format and language, so that you and the clinician may make an informed decision about the best course of action.
• Privacy and confidentiality.
• Be treated with dignity and respect at all times (including access to a chaperone if required).
• Comment of complain if you are not satisfied with the service provided.
• Be registered in accordance with NHS England’s “patient registration” standard operating procedure.
• Be registered or receive treatment without delay where the patient cannot produce photo ID or proof of address.

Patients’ Responsibilities

As a patient it is your responsibility to:

• Treat all practice staff with respect, raising any concerns politely and calmly without resorting to any abusive behaviour.
• Ensure you attend any appointment made at the surgery and arrive on time.
• Cancel an unwanted appointment as soon as possible so it can be offered to someone else.
• Inform the practice if you change your address, landline and/or mobile telephone number and email address to enable the practice to contact you urgently if needed.
• Inform the practice if you move outside the practice boundary as you will need to register with another surgery.
• Inform the practice if you have any special needs, including communication needs, so the practice can make any necessary arrangements.
• Let a member of the practice staff know if you are unsure about or dissatisfied with your care so that it can be explained or put right.
• Do your best to look after your own health, following guidance and advice provided by the practice.
• Use the services of the practice appropriately.

Please read this section carefully. It refers to our joint responsibilities under the patient charter.

Our responsibilities to you:

• We are committed to giving you the best possible service. This will be achieved by working together.
• You will be treated as a partner in the care and attention you receive.
• You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times, irrespective of your ethnic origin, religious belief, personal attributes or the nature of your health problems.
• Following discussion, you will receive the most appropriate care, given by suitably qualified people. No care or treatment will be given without your informed consent.
• You have the right to see your health records, which will be kept confidential, subject to any limitations in the law.
• We will give you full information about the services we offer. Every effort will be made to ensure that you receive any information which directly affects your health and the care being offered.
• People involved in your care will give you their names and ensure that you know how to contact them. Please let us know if you change your name and/or address.
• It is our job to give you treatment and advice. In the interest of your health it is important for you to understand all the information given to you. Please ask us questions if you are unsure of anything.
• We will arrange a home visit as appropriate for those patients who are too ill or infirm to be brought to the surgery.
• We run an appointment system in this practice. You will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse hopes to be able to see you.
• We will try to ensure that you are seen on time, but some consultations take longer than others and we have no way of knowing about this in advance. If there is a patient with an emergency or a serious problem we will give them priority. When there is a prolonged delay, an explanation will be given by the receptionist.
• We will provide you with information about how to make suggestions or complaints about the care we offer. We want to improve services; we will therefore welcome any comments you have.
• We will try to answer the phone promptly and to ensure that there are sufficient staff available to do this.
• If you have undergone tests or x-rays ordered by the practice, we will inform you of the results at your next appointment. If no further appointment needs to be arranged, we will advise you when and how to obtain the results.
• If we consider that you need a second opinion, or treatment not available in the practice, we will try to inform you of the best way of achieving this.

The practice will offer patients advice and information on:

• Steps they can take to promote good health and avoid illness.
• Self-help that can be undertaken without reference to a doctor in the case of minor ailments.
• If you are totally dissatisfied with us or the services we provide you have the right, at any time, to leave our list and to register with another practice.

Your responsibilities to us:

• Help us to help you.
• Being a partner means that we have responsibilities to each other.
• We ask that you treat the doctors, all practice staff and their families with due courtesy and respect. In return we would ask you to follow the medical advice offered, and to take any medication as advised.
• Please do not ask for a home visit unless the patient cannot be brought to the surgery. In particular, most children can quite safely be brought to the surgery by car. Please ensure that your request for a home visit reaches the surgery before 10.30am, unless a genuine emergency arises later.
• NHS care continues outside our surgery hours. Please call 111 for advice on minor illnesses or 999 for emergencies.
• Please do everything you can to keep appointments and tell us as soon as possible if you cannot attend, for any reason. This will enable us to offer the appointment to another patient.
• Please try to be punctual; if you arrive later than your appointment time this may cause delays and inconvenience to other patients. Please ask for more than one appointment if you want more than one patient to be seen. If we are running late, please be patient, because on another occasion it might be you that needs extra time. Please do not blame the receptionist.
• Please keep your phone call brief and avoid calling during the peak morning time for non-urgent matters.
• Please do not ring before the stated time. Enquiries about tests ordered by the hospital should be directed to the hospital, not the practice.
• Please do not ask for or arrange a specialist appointment without first discussing the matter fully with your own doctor.
• If you later decide that you no longer need an appointment made for you, please inform both the hospital and us.
• You are responsible for your own health and that of your children and should take appropriate action and advice.
• We also have the right to have patients removed from our list. In general we will only exercise this right in the case of patients who repeatedly and persistently ignore their own responsibilities to us and to other patients.
• We will remove from our list immediately patients who are violent or seriously abusive towards any of the practice staff.

Confidentiality of Personal Information

As part of our commitment to patient care, we have to record personal information. This is to ensure you get proper care and treatment. We keep these details because we may need to see you again.

We are properly registered under the provisions of the Data Protection Act and the designated data controller is the practice manager incumbent at any given time.

We may use some of this information to help us:

• Protect the health of the public generally.
• See that the NHS runs efficiently.
• Plan for the future.
• Train our staff, pay our bills and account for our actions.

This information might also be used in conjunction with:

• Auditing our actions.
• Preparing statistics on NHS performance and activity.
• Investigating complaints.
• Helping staff review the care they provide and make sure it is of the highest standard.
• training and educating staff and doctors (but you can choose whether or not to be involved personally).
• undertaking research approved by the Local Research Ethics Committee (if anything to do with the research involves you personally you would be contacted to give your consent).
• Everyone working in the practice has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.
• If at any time you would like to know more about how we use your information please contact the practice manager.

How the NHS and care services use your information

Loddon Vale Practice is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public.

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment.

The information collected about you can also be used by and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:

• Improving the quality and standards of care provided.
• Research into the development of new treatments.
• Preventing illness and disease.
• Monitoring safety.
• Planning services.

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.

Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified.

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out, your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care. To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters. On this web page you will:

• See what is meant by confidential patient information.
• Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care.
• Find out more about the benefits of sharing data.
• Understand more about who uses the data.
• Find out how your data is protected.
• Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting.
• Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone.
• See the situations where the opt-out will not apply.

You can also find out more about how patient information is used at: Introducing Patient Data | Understanding Patient Data. This covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards in place and how decisions are made.

You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes. Data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement.

Health and care organisations have put systems and processes in place so they can be compliant with the national data opt-out and apply your choice to any confidential patient information used or shared for purposes beyond your individual care. Loddon Vale Practice is compliant with the national data opt-out policy.

NHS England has been directed by the government to establish and operate the OpenSAFELY COVID-19 Service and the OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service. These services provide a secure environment that supports research, clinical audit, service evaluation and health surveillance for COVID-19 and other purposes.

Each GP practice remains the controller of its own GP patient data but is required to let approved users run queries on pseudonymised patient data. This means identifiers are removed and replaced with a pseudonym.

Only approved users are allowed to run these queries, and they will not be able to access information that directly or indirectly identifies individuals.

Patients who do not wish for their data to be used as part of this process can register type 1 opt out with their GP.

Appendix A

Activity Rationale NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit – Child Health Information Services (CHIS) Purpose – South, Central and West Child Health Information Services (SCW CHIS) is commissioned by NHS England to support the monitoring of care delivered to children.

Personal data is collected from the child’s GP record to enable health screening, physical examination and vaccination services to be monitored to ensure that every child has access to all relevant health interventions.

Legal Basis – Article 6(1)(e) ‘…necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’; and Article 9(2)(h) ‘necessary for the purposes of preventative or occupational medicine for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…”.

Patients undergoing private treatment protocol

There can be many good reasons why you might wish to choose non NHS treatment, whether it is because of shorter waiting times, a personal recommendation or perhaps because you benefit from membership of a private medical scheme.

Whatever your choice, it is important for you to know about the limitations to NHS treatments related to any private medical treatment you have received.

As with all NHS care, once a patient is referred to a hospital or other health care provider the responsibility for care for that episode passes to the chosen provider. They remain responsible for all service aspects, procedures and follow-ups until they discharge the patient back to their GP. The same also applies to private providers.

All pre-treatment connected with your private care is the responsibility of the provider you have chosen, for example:

• All pre-operative checks.
• Assessments.
• Pathology, including all blood tests, biopsies and other tests.
• All physiological checks, such as BPs, ECG’s etc.
• All diagnostic imaging, such as x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scan and MRI scan.

You can not elect to have some parts of these undertaken by the NHS and others by your private provider.

Your provider must arrange these privately as part of your care package, so it is important to make sure you have budgeted for them, or that your personal medical insurance policy covers these costs. This is to enable your safe continuity of care, for which they have become responsible. All post operative care is also the responsibility of the private health provider you have chosen.

Any complaints relating to your care, or the level of service you have received from your private provider, needs to be directed to them. We can not become involved in dealing with third party complaints. Your provider should have their own complaints policy which should be readily available to you.

We hope this will clarify some of the more common questions asked by patients when making decisions about choosing private care.

Shared Care Policy

What are Shared Care Agreements?

Shared care is when a specialist asks a GP practice to take on responsibility for prescribing and monitoring medications usually only issued by specialists. This might happen if you have been referred for a specific issue, a specialist has made a diagnosis and put a treatment plan in place, or if you choose to go to a private clinic.

These agreements require all parties to accept shared care, and the ultimate responsibility for prescribing and monitoring remains with the specialist/ private provider.

Shared care agreements are not a ‘core’ part of our work in general practice. By that, we mean they are not part of our NHS contract and not something we receive any additional support or resources to provide.

A GP can refuse a shared care agreement if he or she is not happy with the burden of responsibility it puts on the GP. The consultant/private provider must then take full responsibility for prescribing medication and completing any necessary monitoring.

Background

We reviewed our shared care agreement policy due to the growing number of requests we receive from an increasingly large number of private providers.

These requests place an increasing amount of work on our practice team, and at times, this additional workload is impacting our ability to deliver our core services to you, our patients.

Our concern is that, without adequate resources to deal with this increasing demand, we can’t continue to assure ourselves that patients are safely monitored to the highest standards of care.

What this may mean for patients

If there is a shared care agreement in place for your care, this will continue.

For patients with new treatment plans put in place by specialists/private providers, responsibility for prescribing and monitoring your medication will remain solely with your specialist/private provider.