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.

We always try to provide the best service possible but on occasions there may be the necessity to express a complaint. The following explains how this can be done so that any problems can be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as possible by our staff.

Making a complaint

Please put any complaint in writing to the Practice Manager. The Practice Manager will then carry out an investigation. You will be kept informed and given time scales for responses.

We have a duty of confidentiality to our patients and will act in strictest confidence. A patient’s consent must be obtained if it is not the patient making the complaint directly.

Dealing with the complaint

The Practice Manager can directly deal with administrative complaints whilst the Senior Partner will investigate clinical complaints.

You will receive a written acknowledgement of receipt of the complaint within five working days.

When the complaint is being dealt with it may be necessary for more information to be obtained by the person investigating and you will be contacted within 7 working days. In this case you may choose to discuss the matter by letter or telephone or in person (bringing a friend with you if you prefer) at a pre-arranged appointment.

You will receive a written response, usually within 10 working days.

By this stage we hope the problem has been resolved. However, if this is not the case we will try to suggest other avenues of approach to solve the problem.

You may not wish to raise your complaint with the practice, should this be the case you may contact the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman to request a review of your complaint. Further help and advice is available from the Ombudsman’s Helpline on 0345 015 4033 (open 8:30 to 5:30 Monday to Friday) or by accessing their website (www.ombudsman.org.uk)

We are always prepared to listen to your concerns and will work with you to resolve these in a professional and conscientious manner. We would encourage anyone who is not entirely satisfied with their experience at the practice to contact a member of staff as soon as possible so that we may do everything we can to address any issues.

The practice complies with data protection, GDPR 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.

Following review of the available guidance, the practice has taken the decision to stop prescribing benzodiazepine medications e.g. diazepam/lorazepam for fear of flying. This policy also covers requests for dental/hospital procedures or scans.

The reasons are for this as follows:

1. Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.
2. Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than four hours.
3. Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number have paradoxical agitation and in aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law.
4. According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow (BNF) Benzodiazepines are contraindicated (not allowed) in phobia. Your doctor is taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines. They are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.
5. Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the law.
6. Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.
7. The sedating effects have the possibility of causing some respiratory depression, resulting in a drop in your oxygen level. Normal oxygen levels for a healthy person at 8000ft are around 90%, so with the 2 effects added together, this may become life threatening.
8. NICE guidelines suggest that medication should not be used for mild & self limiting mental health disorders; in more significant anxiety related states – benzodiazepines, sedating antihistamines or antipsychotics should not be prescribed; Benzodiazepines are only advised for the short term use for a crisis in generalised anxiety disorder, i.e. acute anxiety emergencies & if this is the case, they would not be fit to fly anyway (potential risk to being able to allow completion of the flight without diversion) & fear of flying in isolation is not generalised anxiety disorder.

We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines. We have listed a number of these below.

Easy Jet

• fearlessflyer.easyjet.com
• Tel—0203 8131644

British Airways

• flyingwithconfidence.com/venues/manchester
• Tel—01252 793250

Virgin

• https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/wellbeing-and-health/flying-without-fear.html
• Tel—01423 714900/1252250

With regards dental/hospital procedures or hospital scans, as per GMC guidance the responsibility for prescribing lies with the clinician arranging the scan/procedure. Please contact the requesting doctor/dentist to prescribe the benzodiazepine if they feel this is appropriate.

Information about the General Practitioners 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.

Please see our website privacy statement.

All GP Practices are required to declare the mean earnings (i.e. average pay) for GP’s working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GP’s working in Kings Norton Surgery in the last financial year was £96,491 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 1 full time GP, 7 part time GP’s and 0 locum GP’s who worked in the practice for longer than six months.

Click here to view this policy

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 looking at our interactive map or 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