The Practice covers the seaside town of Herne Bay and the residential area of Herne and Broomfield. Our commitment is to combine a high standard of clinical care with the latest technological advances and the best facilities with a friendly and personal relationship with our patients. The Practice has six partners and twelve salaried doctors.
Click here to access the full practice ‘Statement of Purpose’.
Accountable GP
All patients have now been allocated a named accountable GP.
This is one of the GP Partners at the surgery. Your named accountable GP has overall responsibility for the care and support that our surgery provides to you. This does not prevent you from seeing any GP in the practice as you currently do.
Please click on the below document if you would like more information on the responsibilities of your ‘named GP’
If you are unsure of who your named accountable GP is please ask at reception.
Annual Infection Control Statement 2024
Average GP earnings
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. However, it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice and should not be used to for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparisons with other practices.
The average pay for GPs working at The Park Surgery for the last financial year was £110,722 before tax and national insurance. This is for 3 full time GP’s, 15 part time GP’s and 1 locum GP who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.
Updated March 25
Complaints Policy
Data sharing
Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
How your data is used
Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care.
Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.
You have a choice
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Data Opt-out
There are 2 types of Data Opt-out.
Type 1 Opt-out – This prevents details from your GP record being shared outside a GP practice for research/planning purposes.
Patients must complete the below form ‘Data Sharing Type 1 Opt-out form’ and return it to the practice. We can then scan this onto your notes and add the Opt-Out – Dissent code to your record which will stop confidential/identifiable data being shared with NHS Digital for research/planning processes.
Data Sharing Type1 Opt-out form
National Data Opt-Out – This prevents NHS Digital from sharing any confidential/identifiable data they hold for research/planning purposes. NHS Digital may hold more information that just that collected from your GP surgery as they also receive data from other NHS services such as hospitals.
The practice is unable to register patients decision to ‘opt out’ of this NHS digital data sharing. Patient’s must do this themselves.
Patient must go online to https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/ for more information and to complete their ‘opt out’ preference for this date sharing.
Patients should be aware their data can still be shared with other NHS organisations i.e. hospitals/specific clinics for the purpose of Direct Patient care. Therefore choosing to opt out (both type 1 or national data opt out) will not affect access to health care.
The attached flow-chart may help in understanding the different data flows and ‘opt-out’ purposes.
What do you need to do?
If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.
If you wish to opt-out of either Type 1 data sharing or the national Data opt out (or both) please follow the instructions above.
Duty of Candour/Being Open Policy
The Practice acts in an open and transparent way with clear, honest and effective communication with patients, their families and carers throughout their care and treatment, including when things go wrong.
The Practice recognises the importance of the following attributes and strives to implement them at all times.
- Openness – Enabling concerns and complaints to be raised freely without fear, and questions asked to be answered.
- Transparency – Allowing information about the truth, about performance and outcomes to be shared with staff, people who use the service, the public and regulators.
- Candour – Any person who uses the service and who is harmed by the provision of a service provider is informed of the fact and an appropriate remedy offered, regardless of whether a complaint has been made, or a question asked about it.
- Apology – An ‘apology’ is an expression of sorrow or regret in respect of a notifiable safety incident. It is not an admission of guilt.
- Appropriate Written Records – Records are complete, legible, accurate and up to date. Every effort must be made to ensure records are updated without any delays.
- Cancelling Treatment – where planned treatment is not carried out as a direct result of the notifiable safety incident.
Interpreters
If you need an interpreter please inform reception when booking your appointment where we will be happy to book an interpreter. If you later find that you can not attend your appointment, please inform reception to cancel the interpreter as well as the appointment.
Our Vision
To serve the healthcare needs of our patients by providing a high standard of person-centred care, supporting each other to strive for excellence in whatever we do
We aim to do this by working as a diverse team, engaging in training for ourselves and a wide range of other professionals, and living our core values:-
Collaboration: teamwork within the surgery, across our town, and with other Practices in East Kent to improve services for patients
Integrity: honesty in our dealings with each other, our patients and external stakeholders
Compassion: in our relationships with each other and with our patients, treating everyone with dignity and respect
Safety: providing a high standard of clinical care in a safe environment and engaging with audit to improve our care
Accountability: taking ownership of what we do, in an open and honest culture which values feedback and monitoring
Courage: to challenge each other and external agencies when we see things that are wrong or need improvement
Potential Conflicts of Interest
As you are probably aware the NHS is changing and GP’s and Patients are being encouraged to work together to redesign services and pathways to allow more cost effective care, closer to home.
This brief note is to ensure you are clear that this has produced a potential conflict of interest where The Partnership sometimes needs to take on the role of both referrer and provider. As a result they have a commercial interest in the provision of such services.
Currently the practice is involved with local services for Cataracts, Ophthalmology, Ear Nose and Throat, Trauma and Orthopaedic Hand/Wrist clinic and Physiotherapy.
Patients should be aware that all consultation and referrals will be prioritised in their best interests; including any discussion around choice of providers. Any financial interest there may be in an organisation providing healthcare will not influence the way our GPs prescribe, treat or refer.
The practice keeps a register, recording a declaration of any financial interests in provider organisations and services. This register is available for inspection by the general public. Please contact the management team either in person at the surgery or by emailing pm.parksurgery@nhs.net
Privacy Notice
Data Protection Privacy Notice
General Practices are usually the first point of contact if you have a health problem. They can treat many conditions and give health advice. They also refer patients to hospitals and other medical services for urgent and specialist treatments.
The data we hold may also be used to shape the way we work together to plan service improvements, improve the health and wellbeing of our communities, and take action to prevent illness and disease for individuals as well as wider communities.
The categories of personal information
Dependent on the purpose of processing, different categories of data may be used by the Practice. Data can be categorised using the following terms:
Anonymised data – data where personal identifiable identifiers have been removed. Data protection laws and the Common Law of Confidentiality to do not apply to anonymised data.
Pseudonymised data – data where any information which could be used to identify an individual has been replaced with a fake identifier. Pseudonymised data remains personal data and as such the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality and Data Protection legislation apply and there must be a lawful reason for using such data.
Person identifiable information (or personal data) – any information about an individual from which, either on its own or together with other information, that person may be identified. The Common Law Duty of Confidentiality and Data Protection legislation apply and there must be a lawful reason for using such data.
To find out more about the data processed for each purpose, please click on the links below (The Purpose(s) of Processing).
In addition to the above types of data, some information is considered protected regardless of the purpose of processing; this information does not form part of your shared care record and is not disclosed to any other third parties without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as if the health and safety of others is at risk or if the law requires us to pass on such information.
The purpose(s) of processing personal data
The The Park Surgery processes data for the following purposes:
- Direct Care Privacy Notice
- Human Resource Privacy Notice
- Planning and Research Privacy Notice
- Statutory Purposes Privacy Notice link
- Kent and Medway Care Record Privacy Notices
All available to view on https://www.parksurgery.net/more-information/practice-data-policies/
What is the lawful basis for the sharing?
Each purpose of sharing has its own lawful basis, and these can be found in detail on the associated Privacy Notices above.
Organisations we share your personal information with
Personal Data (including special category data) will only be shared between the general Practice and health and social care organisations that have signed a Joint Controller or Data Processing Agreement. These currently include:
- Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust (D&G)
- East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT)
- Medway Maritime Hospital – Medway NHS Foundation Trust (MFT)
- Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW)
- Kent and Medway Partnership NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT)
- North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT)
- Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT)
- HCRG Care Group Limited
- Medway Community Healthcare (MCH)
- South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb)
- Integrated Care 24 (IC24)
- Out of hours providers (currently IC24, SECAmb, MCH and KCC Children’s Services)
- NHS Kent and Medway
- Kent County Council (children and adults social care departments) (KCC)
- Medway Council (children and adults social care departments) (MWC)
- GP federations.
- Other Practice’s that form the Herne Bay Primary Care Network
- NHS Commissioning Support Units
- Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
- Private Sector Providers
- Voluntary Sector Providers
- Health care partnerships
- Other Primary Care networks that we work in partnership with
- Mental Health providers
- Community trusts
- Kent County Council/Medway council Social Care Services
- NHS England
- Local Authorities
- School Nurse
- Police & Judicial Services
How long do we keep your record?
The Practice maintains your records in accordance with the NHS Records Management Code of Practice 2021.
How we keep your personal information safe and secure
To protect personal and special category data, we make sure the information we hold is kept in secure locations and access to information is restricted to authorised personnel only.
Our appropriate technical and security measures include:
- all employees and contractors who are involved in the processing of personal data are suitably trained, on an annual basis, in maintaining the confidentiality and security of the personal data and are under contractual or statutory obligations of confidentiality concerning the personal data.
- robust policies and procedures for example password protection
- technical security measures to prevent unauthorised access
- use of ‘user access authentication’ mechanisms to make sure all instances of access to any personal data held on clinical systems are auditable against an individual, such as role-based access and Smartcard use to make sure appropriate and authorised access reminding staff of their responsibilities in complying with data protection legislation
- encrypting information transmitted between partners
- implementing and maintaining business continuity, disaster recovery and other relevant policies and procedures
- completion of the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) an annual self-assessment requirement that ensure organisation are compliant with the latest data protection and cyber requirements.
- regular audit of policies and procedures to ensure adherence against these criteria
The NHS Digital Code of Practice on Confidential Information applies to all staff who access clinical systems. 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.
What are your rights?
Under data protection legislation, you have the right:
- to be informed of the uses of your data: this enables you to be informed how your data is processed
- of access: this enables you to have sight of or receive a copy of the personal information held about you and to check the lawful processing of it
- to rectification: this enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information held about you corrected
- to erasure: this enables you to request we erase personal data about you we hold. This is not an absolute right, and depending on the legal basis that applies, we may have overriding lawful grounds to continue to process your data
- to restrict processing: this enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about you, for example, if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it
- to data portability: this enables you to transfer your electronic personal information to another party, where appropriate.
- to object: this enables you to object to processing of personal data about you on grounds relating to your situation. The right is not absolute, and we may continue to use the data if we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds.
- in relation to automated decision making and profiling: this enables you to be told if your data is being processed using automated software in relation to automated decision making and profiling note: No automated decision making or profiling is undertaken by the Practice.
Please note not all these rights are absolute, please see our ROPA for more details
If you wish to exercise your rights in any of the ways described above, you should in the first instance contact pm.parksurgery@nhs.net
Right to complain
You can get further advice or report a concern directly to pm.parksurgery@nhs.net
Our Data Protection Officer function is provided by NHS Kent and Medway who can be contained via email kmicb.gpdpoteam@nhs.net
You also have the right to contact the UK’s data protection supervisory authority (Information Commissioner’s Office) by:
Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Phone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545745 (national rate)
Email: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/handling/
Information about the way in which the NHS uses personal information and your rights is published by NHS Digital.
The NHS Constitution
The 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 will receive, the treatments and programmes available to you, confidentiality, information and your right to complain, if things go wrong.
NHS England
NHS England 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 this privacy notice
We will review the information contained within this notice regularly and update it as required. We therefore recommend you check this webpage regularly to remain informed about the way in which we use your information.
Data-Protection-Policy-March-2021
Data-Security-Policy-March-2021
Park Surgery GP Planning and Research Privacy Notice
Park-Surgery-GP-Direct-Care-Privacy-Notice-2023
Park Surgery GP Statutory Disclosures Privacy Notice 2023
Right to Choose
You have a legal right to choose your ADHD/Autism provider. This service is NHS funded and is frequently used by those wishing to cut their wait time. You will usually have to travel further for an assessment, but be seen much sooner.
Right to Choose Autism/ADHD referrals are relatively new, and many patients are not aware of their options. We have put together this information leaflet to help assist you with your Right to Choose journey.
Who can offer Right to Choose assessments?
There are a number of clinics throughout the UK that can offer Right to Choose ADHD and/or ASD assessments. These services already provide NHS services in their area and have been authorised to provide treatment to other areas of England. The assessment is fully recognised on the NHS and by education settings.
How do I get a Right to Choose Assessment?
For all Right to Choose referrals, the patient/carer or parent/guardian, will need to research and select a service themselves. Once you have chosen a service, please email us (pm.parksurgery@nhs.net) stating your name, date of birth, the service you have picked and the assessment you require. One of our Secretaries will be in touch with you to fill out the required forms. We aim to contact you within 28 days.
What happens if I need ADHD medication?
Some services are able to start ADHD medication if indicated. This would depend on the service you choose, so please make enquiries if this is something you would like to explore.
Please remember the GP cannot continue ADHD medication from Right to Choose providers, so you would need to continue to attend that clinic until the local service can take over – wait times vary from 1-3 years.
If you pick a service that cannot provide ADHD medications but would like to explore this, the GP can refer you once we have your diagnosis report. Again, wait time is 1-3 years depending on the service you would need (child or adult).
Who cannot have a Right to Choose assessment?
Most people are suitable for a Right to Choose assessment, however we cannot refer the following people:
- Anyone needing urgent/emergency assessment or those considered a risk to themselves or others.
- Anyone who has already had an assessment (this doesn’t include those who haven’t met the threshold for assessment or have had their referral rejected by local teams)
- You are a current prisoner, on temporary release, detained in court, or a young offender’s institute
- You are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended in 2007) or residing in a secure hospital setting
- You are a serving member of the armed forces
Some services also have their own restrictions, so please check your chosen service can meet your needs
List of providers:
Please note this list is subject to change, please contact the service to confirm they are currently taking referrals as this can change due to capacity and funding.
Adult ADHD Providers
- ADHD 360 – ADHD only, aged 18+ (remote)
- Clinical Partners ADHD and ASD, aged 5+ (remote)
- Dr J & Colleagues ADHD and ASD, aged 18+ (remote)
- Problem Shared ADHD and ASD, aged 18+ (remote)
- Psychiatry UK ADHD and ASD, aged 18+ (remote)
- Evolve Psychology ADHD and ASD up to age 19 (F2F Harrogate)
- Dr J and Colleagues – ADHD and ASD age 18+
- Harrow Health – ADHD only age 18+
- RTN Diagnostics – ADHD and ASD age 18+
Child ADHD Providers
- Clinical Partners ADHD and ASD, aged 5+
- Psicon ADHD, aged 6-18 (Basingstoke only, face to face)
- ADHD 360 – ADHD only, aged 14-15 (remote)
- Evolve Psychology ADHD and ASD up to age 19 (F2F Harrogate)
Adult Autism Providers
- Clinical Partners ADHD and ASD, aged 5+ (remote)
- Dr J & Colleagues ADHD and ASD, aged 18+ (remote)
- Psychiatry UK ADHD and ASD, aged 18+ (remote)
- Evolve Psychology ADHD and ASD up to age 19 (F2F Harrogate)
- Dr J and Colleagues – ADHD and ASD age 18+
- RTN Diagnostics – ADHD and ASD age 18+
Child Autism Providers
- Clinical Partners ADHD and ASD, aged 5+ (remote)
- Psicon ASD, aged 3 to 18 (face to face in Basingstoke)
- Wellbeing ASD ASD only, aged 2 to 18 (face to face, Chelmsford)
- Evolve Psychology ADHD and ASD up to age 19 (F2F Harrogate)
- RTN Diagnostics –ASD age 6+
Training Practice
We are a training practice so you may on occasion be seen by a GP registrar. The GP registrar is a fully qualified doctor who is likely to have a lot of experience of hospital medicine. If you are seeing this doctor you can expect to receive the quality of service you would from your own GP.
