Practice Policies & Patient Information

From 4th October 2023 you will be able to see your medical records on line from that date onwards.

For more information on this please visit: NHS: How to get your medical records

Make sure you agree with the following sentences before accessing your record.

• Forgotten history – There may be something you have forgotten about in your record that you might find upsetting.
• Abnormal Results or Bad News – If your GP has given you access to test results or letters, you may see something that you find upsetting. This may occur before you have spoken to your doctor or while the surgery is closed and you cannot contact them.
• Choosing to share your Information with Someone – It’s up to you if you share your information with other- perhaps family members or carers. It’s your choice, but also your responsibility to keep the information safe and secure.
• Coercion – If you think you may be pressured into revealing details from your patient record to someone else against your will, it is best that you so not register for access at this time.
• Misunderstood information – Your medical record is designed to be used by clinical professionals to ensure that you receive the best possible care. Some of the information within your medical record may be highly technical, written by specialists and not easily understood. If you require further clarification, please contact the surgery for a clearer explanation.
• Information about someone else – If you spot something in the record that is not about you or notice any other errors, please log out of the system immediately and contact the practice as soon as possible.

1. I have read and understood the information provided by the practice

2. I understand that I will automatically see any new information (prospective records) that is added to my healthcare record.

3. I understand how to keep my online GP services and the information they contain about me secure

4. If I choose to share my information with anyone else, this is at my own risk

5. If I suspect that my account has been accessed by someone without my agreement, I will contact the practice as soon as possible

6. If I see information in my record that is not about me or is inaccurate, I will contact the practice as soon as possible

7. If I think that I may come under pressure to give access to someone else unwillingly, I will contact the practice as soon as possible. If the patient struggles to agree with any of these statements or raises any concerns, recommend that the patient makes an appointment with an appointed person in the practice to discuss their concerns before signing them up for GP online services. You can include the statements in an application form.

Understanding some of the medical terms you may see in your notes – in the first instance please visit NHS: Abbreviations you may find in your health records.

Understanding your laboratory test results – please visit labtestsonline.org.uk.

For further information about the medication you are taking visit patient.info/medicine.

We strive to ensure your details are accurate and up to date. If you are concerned that information in your online record is inaccurate, please contact the practice. Your concern will be passed to a member of the clinical team to review. This is an extremely busy time and it may take up to 28 days to review your concern, so please don’t contact us unless at least 28 days have passed since your request. The practice will contact you directly by SMS once your request has been reviewed with an update.

Medical Reports

Our practice has decided to outsource our medical reporting work to an NHS Digital accredited company called MediData. MediData will be processing your medical report via eMR and providing online access via their secure encrypted portal. If you wish to contact MediData directly, please email mdmc@medi2data.com or call on 03333 055774.

Medical reports and examinations can be obtained from your doctor, but as this is not supported by the NHS there will be a charge, to be paid before completion. We suggest you download the NHS App, please watch this film for further information: NHS Digital: NHS App Film.

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this GP surgery, please let us know. This includes Primary Care Network staff working as part of our GP surgery. We operate a complaints procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly when they arise and with the person concerned. For example, by requesting a face-to-face meeting to discuss your concerns.

If your problem cannot be sorted out this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible. By making your complaint quickly, it is easier for us to establish what happened. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:

• Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
• Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided this is within 12 months of the incident.

Complaints should be addressed to the GP surgery team verbally or in writing to the Practice Manager. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the GP surgery to discuss your concerns. They will explain the complaints procedure to you and make sure your concerns are dealt with promptly. Please be as specific as possible about your complaint.

What we will do

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. We will aim to have investigated your complaint within ten working days of the date you raised it with us. We will then offer you an explanation or a meeting with the people involved, if you would like this. When we investigate your complaint, we will aim to:

• Find out what happened and what went wrong.
• Make it possible for you to discuss what happened with those concerned, if you would like this.
• Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate.
• Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We take medical confidentiality seriously. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Complaining to NHS England

We hope that you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure if you are unhappy. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our GP surgery.

However, if you feel you cannot raise the complaint with us directly, please contact NHS England. You can find more information on how to make a complaint at https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse/.

Unhappy with the outcome of your complaint?

If you are not happy with the way your complaint has been dealt with by the GP surgery and NHS England and would like to take the matter further, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. It is an independent service which is free for everyone to use.

To take your complaint to the Ombudsman, visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website or call 0345 015 4033

The practice complies with the Data Protection Act 2018.  All information about patients is confidential: from the most sensitive diagnosis, to the fact of having visited the surgery or being registered at the practice. All patients can expect that their personal information will not be disclosed without their permission except in the most exceptional of circumstances, when somebody is at grave risk of serious harm.

All members of the primary health care team (from reception to doctors) in the course of their duties will have access to your medical records. They all adhere to the highest standards of maintaining confidentiality.

As our reception area is a little public, if you wish to discuss something of a confidential nature please mention it to one of the receptionists who will make arrangements for you to have the necessary privacy.

Under 16s

The duty of confidentiality owed to a person under 16 is as great as the duty owed to any other person. Young people aged under 16 years can choose to see health professionals, without informing their parents or carers. If a GP considers that the young person is competent to make decisions about their health, then the GP can give advice, prescribe and treat the young person without seeking further consent.

However, in terms of good practice, health professionals will encourage young people to discuss issues with a parent or carer. As with older people, sometimes the law requires us to report information to appropriate authorities in order to protect young people or members of the public.

Useful Websites

• Confidentiality NHS Code of Practice
• Confidentiality and Mental Health
• Confidentiality Guidance

We need to hold personal information about you on our computer systems and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe-keeping. Please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.

Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with others involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record if properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.

All information about you is held securely and appropriate safe guards are in place to prevent accidentals loss.

In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues. In other circumstance you may be required to give written consent before information is released – such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.

To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone or fax unless we are sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not leave messages with others.

You have a right to see your records if you wish. Please ask at reception if you would like further details about our how to request this. An appointment may be required. In some circumstances a fee may be payable.

This practice is committed to preserving, as far as is practical, the security of data used by our information systems. This means that we will take all reasonable actions to;

Maintain The Confidentiality Of All Data Within The Practice By

• Ensuring that only authorised persons can gain access to our systems.
• Not disclosing information to anyone who has no right to see it.

Maintain The Integrity Of All Data Within The Practice By

• Taking care over input.
• Ensuring that all changes are reported and monitored.
• Checking that the correct record is on the screen before updating.
• Reporting all apparent errors and ensuring that they are resolved.

Maintain The Availability Of All Data By

• Ensuring that all equipment is protected from intruders.
• Ensuring that backups are taken at regular, predetermined intervals.
• Ensuring that contingency is provided for possible failure or equipment theft and that any such contingency plans are tested and kept up to date.

Additionally we will take all reasonable measures to comply with our legal responsibilities under:

• The Data Protection Act 2018
• The Health and Safety at Work Act
• The Access to Health Records Act 1990

If you have any special needs please let our staff know so that we can help and ensure you get the same support in the future.

Wheelchair Access

The surgery has been specially designed to make it easier for disabled patients to visit. There are no steps at the entrance of the building giving patients easy access. Due to fire regulations, we do have heavy fire doors, however if you have trouble opening these please ask reception for assistance as they are always happy to help.

There are several dedicated disabled car parking spaces available immediately outside the front entrance of the surgery.

We have a wheelchair for patient’s use, at their own risk, should you require one whilst visiting our premises.

We have two disabled toilets one on each floor.

Blue Badge Scheme

The Blue Badge scheme is for people with severe mobility problems. It allows Blue Badge holders to park close to where they need to go.

Loop System

We have a loop induction system at the reception desk to assist the hearing impaired. For more information on the loop hearing system visit the Hearing Link website.

• British Deaf Association
• The Deaf Health Charity – SignHealth
• Action Hearing Loss
• Royal Association for Deaf People
• National Deaf Children’s Society

Blind/Partially Sighted

If you or family members are blind or partially sighted we can give you a CD or large print of our practice leaflet upon request. Please ask Reception for further information.

For more advice and support for blind people please see the following websites:

• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RIND)
• Action for Blind People
• Blind.org.uk
• British Blind Sport

Guide Dogs

Guide dogs are welcome at the surgery but we ask that you be aware of other patients and staff who may have an allergy or fear of dogs.

Further Information:

• Guide Dogs

Other Disability Websites

• BID Services
• Disability Go
• Disabled People, your Rights, Benefits, Carers and the Equality Act
• Disability Rights UK
• Living with a Disability NHS Choices
• Disability Action
• Mencap

The Freedom of Information Act creates a right of access to recorded information and obliges a public authority to: 

• Have a publication scheme in place 
• Allow public access to information held by public authorities

The act covers any recorded organisational information such as reports, policies or strategies, that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland, however it does not cover personal information such as patient records which are covered by the Data Protection Act. 

Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces. 

The act is enforced by the Information Commissioner who regulates both the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act 2018. 

The Surgery Publication Scheme

A publication scheme requires an authority to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The scheme lists information under seven broad classes, which are: 

• Who we are and what we do 
• What we spend and how we spend it 
• What our priorities are and how we are doing it 
• How we make decisions 
• Our policies and procedures 
• Lists and registers 
• The services we offer 

You can request our publication scheme leaflet at the surgery. 

Who Can Request Information?

Under the Act, any individual, anywhere in the world, is able to make a request to a practice for information. An applicant is entitled to be informed in writing, by the practice, whether the practice holds information of the description specified in the request and if that is the case, have the information communicated to him. An individual can request information, regardless of whether he/she is the subject of the information or affected by its use.  

How Should Requests be Made?

Requests must: 

• Be made in writing (this can be electronically e.g. email/fax).
• State the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence .
• Describe the information requested. 

What Cannot be Requested?

Personal data about staff and patients covered under Data Protection Act. 

For more information see these websites: 

• Legislation GOV.UK 
• Information Commissioners Office 

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged at the Practice is publicised by 31 March 2023.

The average pay for GPs working in Lavender Hill Group Practice in the last financial year was £91,208 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 11 part time GPs who worked in the practice for six months or more.

However, it should be noted that the prescribed method of calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice and should not be used for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparisons with other practices.

Your Data Matters to the NHS

Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.

How your data is used

Information about your individual care such as treatment and 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 for you, your family and future generations.

Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.

You have a choice

If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used.

Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?

No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.

What do you need to do?

If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.

To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit the NHS.uk Your NHS Data Matters page.

We aim to provide our patients with the best quality care available. Our charter is a statement of what you can expect from this practice and what we feel we can expect from you.

• All patients will be treated equally. We do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.
• Our premises will be clean and comfortable and have facilities for the disabled.
• All patients will be greeted in a friendly manner and be treated with courtesy by everyone in the practice.
• Patient confidentiality may be expected at all times.
• Patients should realise that home visits are made at the doctor’s discretion.
• Requests for night visits should only be made for emergencies.
• Many problems can be solved by advice alone, therefore patients should not always expect a prescription at every consultation.
• We ask that patients treat the doctors and staff with courtesy and respect.
• Patients must inform the practice staff of any alterations in their circumstances, such as change of surname, address or telephone number, even if it is ex-directory.

With These Rights Come Responsibilities

• We ask that patients attend their appointments at the arranged time. If they cannot attend they will inform the surgery immediately.
• We expect that patients will understand that appointments are for one person only. Additional appointments will be made if more than one person needs to be seen.
• Patients are responsible for their own health and the health of their children and should cooperate with the practice in endeavouring to keep themselves healthy.
• We ask that requests for help or advice for non-urgent matters be made during surgery hours.
• Home visits should only be requested for patients who are seriously ill. It is important to bear in mind that most medical problems are dealt with more effectively in the clinical setting of a well-equipped surgery.

This privacy notice lets you know what happens to any personal data that you give to us, or any that we may collect from or about you.

This privacy notice applies to personal information processed by or on behalf of the practice.

This notice explains:

• Who we are, how we use your information and our Data Protection Officer
• What kinds of personal information about you do we process?
• What are the legal grounds for our processing of your personal information (including when we share it with others)?
• What should you do if your personal information changes?
• For how long your personal information is retained by us?
• What are your rights under data protection laws?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became law on 24th May 2016. This is a single EU-wide regulation on the protection of confidential and sensitive information. It enters into force in the UK on the 25th May 2018, repealing the Data Protection Act (1998).

For the purpose of applicable data protection legislation (including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (the “GDPR”), and the Data Protection Act 2018 (currently in Bill format before Parliament) the practice responsible for your personal data.

This Notice describes how we collect, use and process your personal data, and how, in doing so, we comply with our legal obligations to you. Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to protecting and safeguarding your data privacy rights

How we use your information and the law

The practice will be what’s known as the ‘Controller’ of the personal data you provide to us.

We collect basic personal data about you which does not include any special types of information or location-based information. This does however include name, address, contact details such as email and mobile number etc.

We will also collect sensitive confidential data known as “special category personal data”, in the form of health information, religious belief (if required in a healthcare setting) ethnicity, and sex during the services we provide to you and or linked to your healthcare through other health providers or third parties.

Why do we need your information?

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. NHS Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-in clinic, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

NHS health records may 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. Records which the Practice hold about you may include the following information;

• Details about you, such as your address, carer, legal representative, emergency contact details
• 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

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. Information may be used within the GP practice for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided.

How do we lawfully use your data?

We need to know your personal, sensitive and confidential data in order to provide you with Healthcare services as a General Practice, under the General Data Protection Regulation we will be lawfully using your information in accordance with: –

• Article 6, e) processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;”
• Article 9, (h) processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive 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

This Privacy Notice applies to the personal data of our patients and the data you have given us about your carers/family members.

Risk Stratification

Risk stratification data tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person’s risk of suffering a condition, preventing an unplanned or (re)admission and identifying a need for preventive intervention. Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP Practice. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information is only provided back to your GP as data controller in an identifiable form. Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. If necessary, your GP may be able to offer you additional services. Please note that you have the right to opt out of your data being used in this way.

Medicines Management

The Practice may conduct Medicines Management Reviews of medications prescribed to its patients. This service performs a review of prescribed medications to ensure patients receive the most appropriate, up to date and cost-effective treatments.

How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records?

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

• Data Protection Act 2018
• The General Data Protection Regulations 2016
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
• Health and Social Care Act 2012
• NHS Codes of Confidentiality, Information Security and Records Management
• Information: To Share or Not to Share Review

Every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.

We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), where the law requires information to be passed on and / or in accordance with the information sharing principle following Dame Fiona Caldicott’s information sharing review (Information to share or not to share) where “The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.” This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out by the Caldicott principles.

Our practice policy is to respect the privacy of our patients, their families and our staff and to maintain compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and all UK specific Data Protection Requirements. Our policy is to ensure all personal data related to our patients will be protected.

All employees and sub-contractors engaged by our practice are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. The practice will, if required, sign a separate confidentiality agreement if the client deems it necessary. If a sub-contractor acts as a data processor for the practice an appropriate contract (art 24-28) will be established for the processing of your information.

In Certain circumstances you may have the right to withdraw your consent to the processing of data. Please contact the Data Protection Officer in writing if you wish to withdraw your consent. If some circumstances we may need to store your data after your consent has been withdrawn to comply with a legislative requirement.

Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified. Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes – the surgery will always gain your consent before releasing the information for this purpose in an identifiable format.  In some circumstances you can Opt-out of the surgery sharing any of your information for research purposes.

With your consent we would also like to use your information to…

We would however like to use your name, contact details and email address to inform you of services that may benefit you, with your consent only. There may be occasions were authorised research facilities would like you to take part on innovations, research, improving services or identifying trends.

At any stage where we would like to use your data for anything other than the specified purposes and where there is no lawful requirement for us to share or process your data, we will ensure that you have the ability to consent and opt out prior to any data processing taking place. This information is not shared with third parties or used for any marketing and you can unsubscribe at any time via phone, email or by informing the practice DPO as below.

Where do we store your information Electronically?

All the personal data we process is processed by our staff in the UK however for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance this information may be located on servers within the European Union.

No 3rd parties have access to your personal data unless the law allows them to do so and appropriate safeguards have been put in place. We have a Data Protection regime in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your personal and or special category (sensitive, confidential) data.

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 / Foundation Trusts
• GP’s
• eMBED Health
• Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
• Private Sector Providers
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Ambulance Trusts
• Clinical Commissioning Groups
• Social Care Services
• NHS England (NHSE) and NHS Digital (NHSD)
• Local Authorities
• Education Services
• Fire and Rescue Services
• Police & Judicial Services
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Private Sector Providers
• Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of

You will be informed who your data will be shared with and in some cases asked for consent for this to happen when this is required.

We may also use external companies to process personal information, such as for archiving purposes. These companies are bound by contractual agreements to ensure information is kept confidential and secure. All employees and sub-contractors engaged by our practice are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. If a sub-contractor acts as a data processor for the practice an appropriate contract (art 24-28) will be established for the processing of your information.

How long will we store your information?

We are required under UK law to keep your information and data for the full retention periods as specified by the NHS Records management code of practice for health and social care and national archives requirements. More information on records retention can be found online at (https://digital.nhs.uk/article/1202/Records-Management-Code-of-Practice-for-Health-and-Social-Care-2016)

How can you access, amend move the personal data that you have given to us?

Even if we already hold your personal data, you still have various rights in relation to it. To get in touch about these, please contact us. We will seek to deal with your request without undue delay, and in any event in accordance with the requirements of any applicable laws. Please note that we may keep a record of your communications to help us resolve any issues which you raise.

Right to object: If we are using your data because we deem it necessary for our legitimate interests to do so, and you do not agree, you have the right to object. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases). Generally, we will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we have obtained your consent to process your personal data for certain activities (for example for a research project), or consent to market to you, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

Right to erasure: In certain situations (for example, where we have processed your data unlawfully), you have the right to request us to “erase” your personal data. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases) and will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply. If we do agree to your request, we will Delete your data but will generally assume that you would prefer us to keep a note of your name on our register of individuals who would prefer not to be contacted. That way, we will minimise the chances of you being contacted in the future where your data are collected in unconnected circumstances. If you would prefer us not to do this, you are free to say so.

Right of data portability: If you wish, you have the right to transfer your data from us to another data controller. We will help with this with a GP to GP data transfer and transfer of your hard copy notes

Access to your personal information

Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR): You have a right under the Data Protection legislation to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information the surgery holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate. To request this, you need to do the following:

• Your request should be made to the Practice – for information from the hospital you should write direct to them
• There is no charge to have a copy of the information held about you
• We are required to respond to you within one month
• You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, NHS number and details of your request) so that your identity can be verified, and your records located information we hold about you at any time.

What should you do if your personal information changes?

You should tell us so that we can update our records please contact the Practice Manager as soon as any of your details change, this is especially important for changes of address or contact details (such as your mobile phone number), the practice will from time to time ask you to confirm that the information we currently hold is accurate and up-to-date.

Data Controller Senior Partner

Dr Helen Lucas

Data Protection Officer

Barbara Veloso, Practice Manager

Whilst we cannot place restrictions on a patient wishing to make notes or a recording of a consultation or conversation with a member of the clinical team when it is felt absolutely necessary by the patient to do so, we as a team expect that:

• Any recording is done openly and honestly
• The recording process does not interfere with the consultation process or the treatment or care being administered
• The patient is aware that an entry will be made in their healthcare record that they have recorded the consultation (or care being provided)
• The patient understands the private and confidential nature of the recording and that it is their sole responsibility to ensure it is kept safe and secure
• The recording is being made for personal use only
• Any misuse of the recording, including using it to harass, intimidate or threaten organisation staff, may result in criminal or civil proceedings
• Staff should be assured that it is in their best interests as the record of the meeting will be accurate, fair and that there can be no misunderstandings at a later point
• The recording will not be shared to third parties unless this is an absolute requirement

There is a Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR).

It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why Do I Need A Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who Can See It?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How Do I Know If I Have One?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record.

Do I Have To Have One?

No, it is not compulsory.

If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a Summary Care Record Opt-Out form to let the surgery know.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.

All telephone calls into and from the practice are recorded for the purposes of patient safety, staff training and to support our zero-tolerance policy. Recordings are held securely for up to 3 years and are then destroyed. Access to recordings is strictly limited in accordance with our confidentiality policy.

We a training practice for qualified doctors who are training to become GPs.  Trainees spend 6-12 months seeing patients, doing home visits and running emergency clinics, supervised by a GP trainer at the practice.

The practice is also involved with teaching medical students. Medical students are taught in groups, and may also sit in with a GP during a clinic, with patient consent.

Lavender Hill Group Practice has a duty to provide a safe and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors. Violent or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated and decisive action will be taken to protect staff, patients and visitors. You will be asked to say that you agree with it when you register.

Zero Tolerance Policy

• Last reviewed: June 2020
• Applies to: All persons in the practice, whether patient, visitor or any other person working within the Practice.
• Distribution of policy: Given to all patients on registration, staff on induction and available online and at patient request

Introduction

Lavender Hill Group Practice has a duty to provide a safe and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors. Violent or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated and decisive action will be taken to protect staff, patients and visitors.

This policy has been developed in the context of the government’s national Zero Tolerance initiative against violence in the NHS.

The purpose of this policy is to address instances of unacceptable behaviour which may cause harm or the fear of harm to any person within the Practice. The scope of this policy is therefore:

Instances of violence or aggression committed by:

• Any person, whether patient, visitor or any other person working within the Practice

Against:

• Any patient, visitor, or other person working within the Practice

Policy Details

Violence and aggression are defined as:

• Violence is the use of force against a person and has the same definition as “assault” in law (i.e. an attempt, offer or application of force against the person). This would cover any person unlawfully touching any other person forcefully, spitting at another person, raising fists or feet or verbally threatening to strike or otherwise apply force to any person.
• Aggression is regarded as threatening or abusive language or gestures, sexual gestures or behaviour, derogatory sexual or racial remarks, shouting at any person or applying force to any Practice property or the personal property of any person on the Practice. This would cover people banging on desks or counters or shouting loudly in an intimidating manner.

The following are examples of behaviour, which are not acceptable to the practice:

• Excessive noise e.g., loud or intrusive conversation or shouting
• Threatening or abusive language involving excessive swearing or offensive remarks
• Derogatory racial or sexual remarks
• Malicious allegations relating to members of staff, other patients or visitors
• Offensive sexual gestures or behaviours
• Abusing alcohol or drugs (all medically identified substance abuse problems will be treated appropriately)
• Drug dealing
• Wilful damage to Practice property
• Theft
• Threats of violent behaviour

This policy applies throughout Lavender Hill Group Practice premises, including car park and grounds. It also applies to any employee or partner away from the practice but only in so far as it relates to the business of the practice.

All instances of violence and/or aggression by a patient will be documented on the patient’s medical record.

Following any incident by a patient, the patient will receive a letter explaining that their behaviour is unacceptable and explain the expected standards of behaviour, which must be observed in the future. If the behaviour continues, an informal warning will be given about the possible consequences of any further repetition. Failure to subsequently desist will result in the removal of the patient from the practice list.