Practice Policies & Patient Information
Access to Records
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Chaperone Policy
We will always respect your privacy, dignity and your religious and cultural beliefs particularly when intimate examinations are advisable. These will only be carried out with your express agreement, and you will be offered a chaperone to attend the examination if you so wish.
You may also request a chaperone when making the appointment or on arrival at the surgery (please let the receptionist know) or at any time during the consultation.
Chaperones
If you would like a chaperone to be present during an intimate physical examination, please let us know.
We have specially trained staff members who are trained in this regard, if they are not available at the time of your appointment, you may need to re book your appointment.
Complaints Procedure
Making a Complaint
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.
Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing, Complaints Forms are available at Reception, as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:
Within 12 months of the incident,
or within 12 months of you discovering that you giving as much detail as you can.
If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are unable to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority.
Send your written complaint to:
The Practice Manager, Green Meadows Surgery,
Brook House, Heatherwood Hospital, Brook Avenue, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7GB
What we do next
We look to settle complaints as soon as possible.
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint and aim to have looked into the matter within 28 working days. You may then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.
When looking into a complaint we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you would like to do so.
When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you.
Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been sent initially to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.
The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and your right to escalate the matter further if you remain dissatisfied with the response.
Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else
We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it.
Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form which contains a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed.
Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter.
Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply.
We may still need to correspond directly with the patient or may be able to deal directly with the third party, and this depends on the wording of the authority provided.
If you are Dissatisfied with the Outcome
You have the right to approach the Ombudsman. The contact details are:
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 0154033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk
You may also approach PALS for help or advice;
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) provide confidential advice and support, helping you to sort out any concerns you may have about the care we provide, guiding you through the different services available from the NHS.
Primary Advice and Liaison Service
Wexham Park Hospital
Wexham
Slough
Berkshire
SL2 4HL
Telephone: 01753 636808
Confidentiality & Medical Records
The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:
- To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
- To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
- When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.
If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.
GP Earnings
Practice GP net earnings for the 2022/2023 year end publication
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.
Calculated figures are as follows:
| Income after removal of excluded items per guidance notes | £1,297,331 |
| Expenditure after removal of excluded items per guidance notes | £929,035 |
| Net earnings for reporting purposes | £318,419 |
| Total number of GPs party to contract for at least six months in 2020/2021 * | 9 |
| Reportable net earnings per GP | £35,380 |
Infection Control Statement
Privacy Notice
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 in relation to this.
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. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare and help us to protect your safety.
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.
Our Commitment to Data Privacy and Confidentiality Issues
As a GP practice, all of our GPs, staff and associated practitioners are committed to protecting your privacy and will only process data in accordance with the Data Protection Legislation. This includes the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) now known as the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018, the Law Enforcement Directive (Directive (EU) 2016/680) (LED) and any applicable national Laws implementing them as amended from time to time. The legislation requires us to process personal data only if there is a legitimate basis for doing so and that any processing must be fair and lawful.
In addition, consideration will also be given to all applicable Law concerning privacy, confidentiality, the processing and sharing of personal data including the Human Rights Act 1998, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 as amended by the Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Act 2015, the common law duty of confidentiality and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations.
Please view our detailed Privacy Policies here:
Shared Care Agreement Policy
Notice Of Adhd Shared Care Agreement Policy Effective From 7th October 2024
Green Meadows Surgery is committed to providing high quality and equitable healthcare to all our patients; with this in mind, we have updated our position on shared care agreements for ADHD medications. This is in line with the guidance around shared care agreements as stated below. These medications are complex and require monitoring from a specialist team, even when this is in addition to GP based monitoring under a shared care agreement. National guidance set out by NICE, expects long term involvement of specialists (consultant psychiatrists) to review patients with ADHD and their medical treatment, regularly (often at least annually).
It is crucial to recognise that the management of ADHD, particularly through medication, necessitates regular monitoring and specialist oversight. While we remain dedicated to delivering high-quality care to our patients, our resources and capabilities may not extend to providing the specialised monitoring required for patients diagnosed and treated privately.
As such, we kindly request that patients who have received a diagnosis of ADHD through private consultation continue to seek medication prescriptions from their private specialists. This approach ensures that individuals receive the comprehensive care they deserve, tailored to their specific needs and under the supervision of a specialist equipped to provide ongoing support and monitoring.
For patients who may wish to start with, or transition to, NHS care for their ADHD management, we are here to assist. We encourage those seeking NHS support to initiate contact through our e-consultation platform. Upon receipt of your request, we will (if appropriate) facilitate your referral to the appropriate NHS service.
For patients who we have already agreed to take on shared care agreements before now, we will continue to prescribe, according to the terms of the shared care agreement. Patients currently awaiting Private or Right to Choose assessment or prescribing – we will not take over any new ADHD prescribing on a shared care agreement. We will refer on to the local NHS pathway where a private provider writes to us recommending medication.
Therefore, patients that opt to pay for a private ADHD assessment and opt to commence treatment privately need to be aware (and accept) that prescribing through their NHS GP will usually only be possible once they are similarly under the care of a NHS ADHD specialist team and that prior prescribing would need to occur privately- either with the provider that made the initial diagnosis or an alternative private provider.
Where appropriate, we will consider sharing care with the local NHS service under a NHS shared care agreement for patients diagnosed with ADHD, as long as they adhere to the conditions set out in the agreed NHS shared care policy.
For patients considering a private assessment or Right to Choose referral, you need to be aware we will not take over prescribing but will be happy to refer on to the local NHS pathway. The Right to Choose does generate an NHS referral to the Private service, but we cannot always be assured about how these services function in assessment and management, and we unfortunately are not able to take responsibility for prescribing medications on their behalf as a result. We are happy to refer on the NHS where appropriate, as stated above.
Summary Care Record
There is a new 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. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by asking your GP
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 form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.
More Information
For further information visit the NHS Care records website.
Teaching Practice
We are approved as a teaching practice and this means that we encourage everyone to look at what and how we do things and promote a learning environment.
We are a large practice and fortunate to have a wide and varied workload, which provides an excellent training ground for new doctors.
At present, we take on one Registrar a year commencing in August. These are fully qualified doctors who will probably have just come out of hospital-based jobs, and are making the transition from a hospital position to that of a General Practitioner.
We could not offer this training without the co-operation of our patients. When seeing a Registrar, you may be asked for your permission to video your consultation. These videos are used as an aid to the Registrar’s training. It will help us improve their consultation skills.
Hopefully they will be full of new ideas and enthusiasm and we will help them to learn new skills necessary for General Practice.
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.