Policies & Patient Information

The Accessible Information Standard tells us how we should make sure that disabled patients receive information in formats that they can understand and receive appropriate support to help them to communicate.  We must follow the Accessible Information Standard by law. These standards include ensuring that people get information in different formats if they need it, such as: large print, braille, easy read, email etc.

Further information can be found on NHS England’s website at: www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/patients/accessibleinfo/

Please let the receptionists know if you require any communication or information support needs.

GDPR Privacy Policy – The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on the 25th May 2018 which gives you more transparency and control over your data. We value your privacy and are committed to respecting your personal data. We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office and are bound by the Data Protection Act.

Information about you, held within our computer and paper records, is handled with the strictest confidence. For the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team, it is sometimes necessary that medication information about you is shared between members of the practice team. A clear audit trail is held by the practice of who has accessed your records and all our staff are bound by strict rules of confidentiality.

There will be no discrimination by this practice related to sexual orientation, race, colour or creed of patients. Confidentiality will be maintained at all times.

Under the Equality Act 2010, it is against the law for a company to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of colour, age, sex, race / nationality – including citizenship – ethnic or national origins, marital status, civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, any religion, or religious or philosophical belief.

It is also possible for employees to claim for discrimination on a combination of two of these grounds. Similarly if employees discriminate against a colleague or patient, the Practice could be held vicariously liable for their acts, and be responsible for paying the compensation or damages to the victim of the discrimination.

If the Practice can prove that it has done all that was reasonable to prevent the discriminatory acts from occurring then its liability can be reduced or entirely eliminated. Having an equal opportunities policy, and apprising all staff of its existence is one of the things that a reasonable employer should do.

The Practice has the following policies in place which need to be read along with this Equality and Diversity policy:

• Equality Act: Operational Procedures & Policy
• Culture & Religious policy
• Grievance Procedures
• Bullying and Harassment
• Age Discrimination
• Equal Opportunities policy
• Recruitment and Selection Policy
• Training and Development policy
• Dignity at work
• Being Open Policy
• Information Governance Policy i.e. confidentiality / consent

Patients who do not attend their appointments are a drain on surgery resources and create problems for us all. We therefore have a policy to deal with this problem.

First appointment missed you will receive a letter or a text from the practice.
Second appointment missed you will be informed that persistent failed attendance may result in your removal from the practice list.
Further missed appointments may result in your removal from the list.
If you are unable to keep your appointment please notify the surgery as soon as possible.

TAMP74 – Appointment Punctuality Policy

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication statement. A publication statement is a guide to the ‘classes’ of information the practice intends to routinely make available. This scheme is available from reception or via our website.

GDPR is Europe’s new framework for data protection laws – it replaces the 1995 data protection directive. Previous UK law was based upon this directive.

The new legislation, which came in to force on 25th May 2018, is designed to harmonise data privacy laws across Europe. The new set of rules are designed to give EU citizens more control over their personal data as well as give greater protection and rights.

THE ARCH MEDICAL PRACTICE

Average earnings calculation for the year ended 31st March 2023

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The mean earnings for GPs working in The Arch Medical Practice in the financial year ended 31st March 2023 was £81,941 before deduction of employee’s superannuation contributions, tax and National Insurance.

This is the average pay for 15 part-time GPs and 1 Locum GP who worked in the practice for more than 6 months during that year.

At The Arch Medical Practice, we take Infection Control very seriously. An infection control statement is crucial for several reasons:

1. Protecting Public Health: Infection control statements outline measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases within a particular setting, whether it’s a healthcare facility, workplace, school, or public event. By implementing these measures, we protect the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
2. Preventing Outbreaks: Infection control statements establish protocols and procedures to minimize the risk of outbreaks. By identifying potential sources of infection, implementing preventive measures, and responding promptly to any suspected cases, we can prevent the spread of infectious diseases and mitigate the impact of outbreaks.
3. Ensuring Compliance: In many jurisdictions, there are regulations and guidelines mandating infection control practices in various settings, particularly in healthcare. Having a clear infection control statement helps ensure compliance with these regulations, reducing the risk of legal and regulatory issues.
4. Maintaining Trust and Confidence: Demonstrating a commitment to infection control reassures employees, patients, customers, and the general public that their health and safety are a top priority. This fosters trust and confidence in the organization or establishment, enhancing its reputation and credibility.
5. Reducing Healthcare Costs: Infections can lead to increased healthcare utilization, including hospitalizations, medication costs, and lost productivity. By effectively controlling infections, we can reduce the economic burden associated with healthcare-associated infections and other communicable diseases.
6. Protecting Vulnerable Populations: Certain individuals, such as the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and those with chronic illnesses, are more susceptible to infections and their complications. Implementing infection control measures helps protect these vulnerable populations from potential harm.
7. Contributing to Global Health Security: In an interconnected world, infectious diseases can quickly spread across borders. By implementing robust infection control measures, we not only protect local populations but also contribute to global efforts to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and promote global health security.

Sharing your patient information is critical in supporting your care and treatment, especially in situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This is where the GM Care Record comes in.

Health and care organisations across Greater Manchester have accelerated the deployment of the GM Care Record for all 2.8m citizens to provide frontline professionals with vital information in the fight against COVID-19.

The GM Care Record allows workers in health or social care, easy access to patient information that is critical to support decision-making about patient care and treatment.

It shares important information about your health and care including:

• Any current health or care issues
• Your medications
• Allergies you may have
• Results of any recent tests that you may have had
• Details on any plans created for your care or treatment
• Information on any social care or carer support you my recieve

The GM Care Record pulls patient information from several important areas of health and care including:

• primary care e.g. GP practices
• community services
• mental health services
• social care
• secondary care e.g. hospitals
• specialist services e.g. NWAS

It’s an extension of integrated care records already live in each locality of Greater Manchester (e.g. Manchester Care Record, Bolton Care Record etc). However, it collates patient information from across Greater Manchester into one place, making it easily accessible for health and care workers to inform direct care from across geographies and organisations.

It means that patients won’t have to keep repeating their medical history to each professional in different organisations, care plans will be followed consistently and clinicians will be better equipped to identify patterns and plan care more effectively to meet the patients’ needs.

The amount of data that the GM Care Record holds is increasing all the time. Data is constantly being added, so that a combined record can be developed for all our citizens to help better decision making and more informed care and treatment.

In response to the pandemic, the GM Care Record also includes information about when a patient has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and whether they are self-isolating at home or have been hospitalised. This ensures continuity of care across different care settings and alternatives such as digital support can be put in place.

The project has been overseen by Health Innovation Manchester and the GM Health and Social Care Partnership, working on behalf of GM’s devolved health and care partners. Rapid progress has been made in weeks rather than months as part of the city region’s digital response plan and collaborative effort.

About your Summary Care Record Your Summary Care Record contains important information about any medicines you are taking, any allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have previously experienced. Allowing authorised healthcare staff to have access to this information will improve decision making by doctors and other healthcare professionals and has prevented mistakes being made when patients are being cared for in an emergency or when their GP practice is closed.

Your Summary Care Record also includes your name, address, date of birth and your unique NHS Number to help identify you correctly. You may want to add other details about your care to your Summary Care Record. This will only happen if both you and your GP agree to do this. You should discuss your wishes with your GP practice. Healthcare staff will have access to this information, so that they can provide safer care, whenever or wherever you need it, anywhere in England.

A type 2 opt-out is where a patient has requested that their personal confidential information is not shared by the NHS for purposes other than their own direct health care.

Since 25th May 2018 patients with existing type 2 opt outs have been contacted by NHS Digital explaining about a new national opt out. The letter informs patients that their previous opt out has been converted to a new national opt out. More details about this can be found at http://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

After 1st October 2018 GP practices should not record any further type 2 opt outs. If you need any additional information and support relating to Type 2 opt-outs please contact NHS Digital contact centre at enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk or call them on 0300 303 5678.

The data held in your GP medical records is shared with other healthcare
professionals for the purposes of your individual care. It is also shared with other organisations to support health and care planning and research.

https://your-data-matters.service.nhs.uk/landingpageIf you do not want your personally identifiable patient data to be shared outside of your GP practice for purposes except your own care, you can register an opt-out with your GP practice. This is known as a Type 1 Opt-out.
Type 1 Opt-outs may be discontinued in the future. If this happens then they may be turned into a National Data Opt-out. Your GP practice will tell you if this is going to happen and if you need to do anything. More information about the National Data Opt-out is here: https://your-data-matters.service.nhs.uk/landingpage

We ask you for personal information so that you can receive appropriate care and treatment. This information is recorded on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act.

The practice will ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the practice team. We also understand that the duty of confidentiality owed to a person less than 16 years of age is as great as the duty owed to any other person. However, for the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about you is shared between members of the team. If you have a specific objection to this, please inform the Health Care Professional dealing with you at the time, or the Practice Manager.

The Information Commissioner recognises the unprecedented challenges the NHS and other health professionals are facing during COVID-19.

In order to look after your healthcare needs during this difficult time, we may urgently need to share your personal information, including medical records, with clinical and non-clinical staff who belong to organisations that are permitted to use your information and need to use it to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.  This could (amongst other measures) consist of treating you; and enable us and other healthcare organisations to monitor the disease, assess risk and manage the spread of the disease. For the full practice statement please see the below document.

TAMP-Practice-Privacy-Notice-Statement-COVID-19 Download

TAMP-General-Practice-Transparency-Notice-For-GPES-Data Download

The surgery has a ‘Privacy Policy’ and this has been updated to bring us in line with GDPR. This can be accessed from our website or you can request a paper copy from reception.

Patient data is not only vital for managing your care, it also plays an important role in other ways: planning health services, improving diagnosis and treatment and evaluating the effectiveness of policy. In the ‘Privacy Policy’ we explain;

• What we do with your data

• Who we share it with

• How you can opt-out of sharing Subject Access

Summary of Call Recording Policy

Outline:

This summary outlines the practice’s call recording process that is in operation. The purpose of call recording is to provide a record of incoming and outgoing calls, which can:

• Protect the interests of both parties
• Help improve practice performance and service delivery in the interests of providing best care
• Protect Practice team from nuisance or abusive calls
• Establish facts relating to incoming/outgoing calls made (e.g. concerns, complaints and medico-legal claims)
• Contract compliance as part of Contemporaneous Record Keeping part of Records Management Policy and Access to Health Records

Aim:

The aim of this policy is to ensure that the telephone call recording is operated in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations 2018. This will involve the recording of telephone conversations, which are subject to the Telecommunications Act 1984.

Process:

The Practice will make every reasonable effort to advise Patients that their call will be recorded and for what purpose the recording may be used.

Where a patient requests a copy of a recording then this is authorised under the general provisional of data subject access requests part of the GDPR.

Playback / Monitoring of Recorded Calls:

Call recordings are securely stored as encrypted files with access restricted to the Practice Manager by use of login credentials. The monitoring of the call recordings will be undertaken by the Practice Manager. Any playback of recordings will take place in a secure and confidential environment.

The practice manages the confidentiality of your medical records in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Our Primary Care Trust may require some of this data for auditing and research purposes. You may request that your data is excluded from these audits and research at any time. Please speak with reception for more information.

Please treat our staff and other patients as you would like to be treated yourself. Equally, our staff will treat you with the same courtesy and respect.

Abusive, aggressive or threatening behavior directed towards Doctors, staff or other patient will NOT be tolerated and may result in removal from the practice list and possible legal action being taken.

The Arch Medical Practice aims to provide high quality healthcare and we will treat all patients with respect and dignity.

Unfortunately, there has been an increase in verbal and physical attacks on staff and this is unacceptable.

The Arch Medical Practice and Manchester Health and Care Commissioning support The NHS Zero Tolerance Policy. This policy recognises the increasing problem of violence against staff working in the NHS and ensures that doctors and healthcare staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused.

Patients also have a right to access services without fear of violence at their practice. In line with this policy, we have a zero tolerance approach to aggression, abuse, violence or anti-social behaviour.

What do we mean by zero tolerance?

We understand that when patients feel ill, they do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint. We ask you to treat healthcare professionals and practice staff courteously and act reasonably.

Whilst it is not possible to list all types of incidents, some examples of unacceptable behaviour are provided below:

• offensive language, verbal abuse and swearing
• racist and hate comments
• loud and intrusive conversation
• unwanted or abusive remarks
• negative, malicious or stereotypical comments
• carrying weapons or using objects as weapons
• damage, defacing or vandalism of NHS property
• threats or risk of injury to NHS staff
• intimidation
• stalking
• unreasonable behaviour and non-cooperation

This relates to any form of abuse from patients or staff which includes (but is not limited to) sexism, racism homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and ageism, or harassment or abuse on basis of disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief.

Such behaviour or verbal abuse causing distress and or constituting harassment will not be tolerated and could lead to the person being removed from the practice list. In extreme cases the police will be contacted if the patient is posing a threat to staff or others.

If you wish to provide feedback or make a complaint, https://www.thearchmedicalpractice.co.uk/practice-information/patient-opinion/

Removal from the practice list

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship.

When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of the practice, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the Police are involved.

Removing other members of the household

In rare cases if there is a possible need to visit patients at home, it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household.

The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family.

This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.

For more information and the latest news, please visit our home page https://www.thearchmedicalpractice.co.uk/