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 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. See the separate section below. We are able to provide you with a separate complaints form to register your complaint and this includes a third-party authority form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else. Please ask at reception for this. You can provide this in your own format providing this covers all the necessary aspects.

For a copy of our latest patient complaint information leaflet, check ‘Our Documents’ section. This is also available in large print. Glebe House Surgery is registered with the Care Quality Commission. To contact the CQC, or for more information, please visit the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Send Your Written Complaint to:
Rachel Mudd
Operational Manager
Glebe House Surgery
19 Firby Road
Bedale
North Yorkshire
DL8 2AT

What we do next
We look to settle complaints as soon as possible.
We will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days, and aim to have looked into the matter within 10 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 also 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 direct with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party, and this depends on the wording of the authority provided.

Getting Further Help With Your Complaint:
If you need any support with your complaint you can get help and advice from :

North Yorkshire NHS Complaints Advocacy Service
(Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)
Tower Court, Oakdale Road
Clifton Moor
YORK
YO30 4XL

Telephone:0300 012 4212 Fax: 01924 438444

E-Mail: helpwithnhscomplaintsnorthyorks@cloverleaf-advocacy.co.uk

Or complete an enquiry form on the Website: www.helpwithnhscomplaintsnorthyorks.org/.

NHS England
If you do not wish to complain directly to the practice you can direct your complaint to NHS England. You can contact NHS England at:

NHS England (For the attention of The Complaints Manager)
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT

Telephone: 0300 311 2233

england.contactus@nhs.net

The NHS Commissioning Board can help refer unresolved complaints – write to:

Independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower,
Millbank,
London
SW1P 4QP

or call 0345 015 4033 www.ombudsman.org.uk

Rachel Mudd, Operational Manager is the initial contact for complaints at Glebe House Surgery

For a copy of the Practice Patient’s Charter, please click Check ‘Our Documents’ section

 Your Comments and Right to Complain

If you have any comments or criticisms of the service you have received from the surgery, please contact our Practice Manager (Mrs Diane Buckingham) by telephoning 01677 422616. There is also a practice complaints leaflet available on request.

Under the new NHS arrangements, the CCG is no longer the commissioner for primary care and therefore no longer has a role to play in any new complaint about primary care. If a patient, carer or relative wishes to complain about our practice and does not wish to make the complaint direct to us, please contact the National Commissioning Board.

Complaints to the National Commissioning Board are to be made to the Central Contact Centre, details below.

Telephone – 0300 311 22 33

E-Mail – nhscommissioningboard@hscic.gov.uk

Post:NHS Commissioning Board,

PO Box 16738,

REDDITCH,

B97 9PT

Care Quality Commission

Glebe House Surgery is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide healthcare services. You can raise any concerns with them by telephoning: 03000 616161, emailing them at: enquiries@cqc.org.uk or using the online found on their website: http://www.cqc.org.uk/public

Policy for Violent and Abusive Patients

Our practice staff are here to help you. Our aim is to be as polite and helpful as possible to all patients. If your consider that you have been treated unfairly or inappropriately, please ask the reception staff who will be happy to address your concerns and direct you in the most appropriate course of action to ensure your complaint is quickly and fairly dealt with. However, shouting and swearing at Practice staff will not be tolerated under any circumstances and patients who are abusive may be removed from the patient list. Please help us to help you.

Smoking Policy

Glebe House is a No Smoking Area

Privacy and confidentiality of your Medical Records

Your medical record is a lifelong history of your consultations, illnesses, investigations, prescriptions and other treatments. The doctor-patient relationship sits at the heart of good general practice and is based on mutual trust and confidence. The story of that relationship over the years is your medical record. At Glebe House we store some of our patients’ medical records on our practice computer system.

Your GP is responsible for the accuracy and safekeeping of your medical records. You can help us to keep it accurate by informing us of any change in your name, address etc. and be ensuring that we have full details of your important medical history. We take regular action to protect your records from accidental loss or damage. We keep secure “back-up” copies of all our computer records.

The North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors provides your urgent out of hour’s medical care. To ensure that your records are complete, details of out-of-hours consultations are passed to the practice and are retained in our own medical records system. If you move to another area or change GP, we will send your medical records to the Health Authority to be passed on to your new practice. However, we will keep a copy of all computer entries into your records whilst you were registered with us.

Your Right to Privacy

You have a right to keep your personal health information confidential between you and your doctor. This applies to everyone over the age of 16 years and in certain cases to those under 16. The law does impose a few exceptions to this rule, but apart from those (listed in details Below), you have a right to know who has access to your medical records.

Who Else Sees My Records

There is a balance between your privacy and safety, and we will normally share some information with others involved in your health care, unless you ask us not to. This could include doctors, nurses, therapists and technicians involved in the treatment or investigation of your medical problems.

This practice is involved in the teaching of medical students and the training in General Practice of young doctors. If you see a medical student or GP Registrar during a consultation, they may be given supervised access to your medical records.

Our practice and district nurses, midwives and health visitors all have access to the medical records of their patients. It is our policy to have a single medical and nursing record for each patient. We firmly believe that this offers the best opportunity for delivering the highest quality of care from a modern primary care team. Our practice staff have limited administrative access to the medical records system. They notify the Health Authority of registration and claim details and perform various filing tasks on the medical records. All our doctors, nurses and staff have a legal, ethical contractual duty to protect your privacy and confidentiality.

Where Else Do We Send Patient Information

We are required by law to notify the government of certain diseases (e.g. meningitis) for public health reasons. The law and Coroners courts can also insist that GPs disclose medical records to them. Doctors cannot refuse to co-operate with the courts without risking serious punishment. We are often asked for medical reports from solicitors. These will always be accompanied by the patient’s signed consent for us to disclose information. We will not normally release any details about other people that are contained in your records, (e.g. wife, children, parents etc.) unless we also have their consent.

Limited information is shared with health authorities to help them organise national programmes for public health such as childhood immunisations, cervical smear tests and breast screening. GPs must keep the health authorities up to date with all registration changes, additions and deletions. We also notify the health authority of certain procedures that we carry out on patients (contraceptive and maternity services, minor operations, night visits, booster vaccinations) and other “item of service” procedures, where we are paid for performing these procedures.

Social Services, the Benefits Agency and other Government agencies may require medical reports on you from time to time. These may not include you signed consent to disclose information. Failure to co-operate with these agencies can lead to patient’s loss of benefit or other support. We will normally assume that you wish us to complete these reports in your best interest unless you specifically ask us not to do so.

Life Assurance companies frequently ask for medical reports on prospective clients from the GP. These are always accompanied by your signed consent form. GPs must disclose ‘all relevant medical conditions’ in the report unless you ask us not to do so. In that case, we would have to inform the insurance company that you had instructed us ‘not to make a full disclosure’ to them.

How Can I Find Out What’s In My Medical Records?

We are required by law to allow you access to your computer and written medical records. If you wish to see your records, please contact our Practice Manager for further advice. All requests to view medical records MUST be made in writing to the surgery. We are allowed to charge a small fee to cover our administration and costs. We have a duty to keep your medical records accurate and up-to-date. Please mention any errors of fact that may have crept into your medical records over the years. After all the records are yours and it is important that they are as accurate as possible!

What We Will Not Do!

To protect your privacy and confidentiality, we will not normally disclose any medical information over the telephone or fax unless we are sure we are talking to you. This means that we will not disclose information to family, friends or colleagues about any medical matters at all, unless we know that we have your consent to do so. Our staff will not disclose any details at all about patients over the telephone. Please do not ask them to – they are instructed to protect your privacy!

Finally, if you have any further queries, comments or complaints about privacy and your medical records, then please contact the Practice Manager, at the surgery, or talk to your own GP.

Glebe House Surgery

Privacy Notice

We understand how important it is to keep your personal information safe and secure and we take this very seriously. We have taken steps to make sure your personal information is looked after in the best possible way and we review this regularly. Please read this privacy notice (‘Privacy Notice’) carefully, as it contains important information about how we use the personal and healthcare information we collect on your behalf.

Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic and Your Information

The ICO recognises the unprecedented challenges the NHS and other health professionals are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ICO also recognise that ‘Public bodies may require additional collection and sharing of personal data to protect against serious threats to public health. The Government have also taken action in respect of this and on 20th March 2020 the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care issued a notice under Regulation 3(4) of the Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 requiring organisations such as GP Practices to use your information to help GP Practices and other healthcare organisations to respond to and deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please note that this notice has now been revised and extended by a further notice from 29th July 2020 until 31st March 2021.

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 either treating you or a member of your family and enable us and other healthcare organisations to monitor the disease, assess risk and manage the spread of the disease. Additionally, the use of your information is now required to support NHS Test and Trace.

Please be assured that we will only share information and health data that is necessary to meet yours and public healthcare needs.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has also stated that these measures are temporary and will expire on 31st March 2021 unless a further extension is required. Any further extension will be will be provided in writing and we will communicate the same to you.

Please also note that the data protection and electronic communication laws do not stop us from sending public health messages to you, either by phone, text or email as these messages are not direct marketing. It may also be necessary, where the latest technology allows us to do so, to use your information and health data to facilitate digital consultations and diagnoses and we will always do this with your security in mind.
If you are concerned about how your information is being used, please contact our DPO using the contact details provided in this Privacy Notice.

Why we Are Providing This Privacy Notice

We are required to provide you with this Privacy Notice by Law. It explains how we use the personal and healthcare information we collect, store and hold about you. If you are unclear about how we process or use your personal and healthcare information, or you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or any other issue regarding your personal and healthcare information, then please do contact our Data Protection Officer (details below).

The Law says:

• We must let you know why we collect personal and healthcare information about you;
• We must let you know how we use any personal and/or healthcare information we hold on you;
• We need to inform you in respect of what we do with it;
• We need to tell you about who we share it with or pass it on to and why; and
• We need to let you know how long we can keep it for.

The Data Protection Officer

The Data Protection Officer at the Surgery is Dr Rachael Emison. You can contact them at Glebe House Surgery, 19 Firby Road, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8 2AT if:

• You have any questions about how your information is being held;
• If you require access to your information or if you wish to make a change to your information;
• If you wish to make a complaint about anything to do with the personal and healthcare information we hold about you;
• Or any other query relating to this Policy and your rights as a patient.

About Us

We, at Glebe House Surgery situated at 19 Firby Road, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8 2AT, are a Data Controller of your information. This means we are responsible for collecting, storing and handling your personal and healthcare information when you register with us as a patient. There may be times where we also process your information. That means we use it for a particular purpose and, therefore, on those occasions we may also be Data Processors. The purposes for which we use your information are set out in this Privacy Notice.

Information We Collect From You

The information we collect from you will include:

• Your contact details (such as your name and email address, including place of work and work contact details);
• Details and contact numbers of your next of kin;
• Your age range, gender, ethnicity;
• Details in relation to your medical history;
• The reason for your visit to the Surgery;
• Medical notes and details of diagnosis and consultations with our GPs and other health professionals within the Surgery involved in your direct healthcare.

Information About You From Others

We also collect personal information about you when it is sent to us from the following:

A hospital, a consultant or any other medical or healthcare professional, or any other person involved with your general healthcare.

Your Summary Care Record

Your summary care record is an electronic record of your healthcare history (and other relevant personal information) held on a national healthcare records database provided and facilitated by NHS England. This record may be shared with other healthcare professionals and additions to this record may also be made by relevant healthcare professionals and organisations involved in your direct healthcare.

You may have the right to demand that this record is not shared with anyone who is not involved in the provision of your direct healthcare. If you wish to enquire further as to your rights in respect of not sharing information on this record then please contact our Data Protection Officer. To find out more about the wider use of confidential personal information and to register your choice to opt out if you do not want your data to be used in this way, please visit: https://nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

Note if you do choose to opt out, you can still consent to your data being used for specific purposes. However, if you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. You may however change your choice at any time.

Who we may Provide Your Personal Information to, and Why

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care Services, important information about you is collected to help ensure you get the best possible care and treatment. This information may be passed to other approved organisations where there is a legal basis, to help with planning services, improving care, research into developing new treatments and preventing illness. All of this helps in providing better care to you and your family and future generations. However, as explained in this Privacy Notice, confidential information about your health and care is only used in this way where allowed by law and would never be used for any other purpose without your clear and explicit consent.

We may pass your personal information on to the following people or organisations, because these organisations may require your information to assist them in the provision of your direct healthcare needs. It, therefore, may be important for them to be able to access your information in order to ensure they may properly deliver their services to you:

• Hospital professionals (such as doctors, consultants, nurses, etc);
• Other GPs/Doctors;
• Pharmacists;
• Nurses and other healthcare professionals;
• Dentists;

Any other person that is involved in providing services related to your general healthcare, including mental health professionals.

Other People who we Provide Your information to

• Commissioners;
• Clinical Commissioning Groups;
• Local authorities;
• Community health services;
• For the purposes of complying with the law e.g. Police, Solicitors, Insurance Companies;

Anyone you have given your consent to, to view or receive your record, or part of your record. Please note, if you give another person or organisation consent to access your record we will need to contact you to verify your consent before we release that record. It is important that you are clear and understand how much and what aspects of, your record you give consent to be disclosed.

Extended Access – we provide extended access services to our patients which means you can access medical services outside of our normal working hours. In order to provide you with this service, we have formal arrangements in place with the Clinical Commissioning Group and with other practices whereby certain key “hub” practices offer this service on our behalf for you as a patient to access outside of our opening hours. This means, those key “hub” practices will have to have access to your medical record to be able to offer you the service. Please note to ensure that those practices comply with the law and to protect the use of your information, we have very robust data sharing agreements and other clear arrangements in place to ensure your data is always protected and used for those purposes only.

The key Hub practices are as follows:

• Lambert Medical Centre – Thirsk
• Thirsk Doctors Surgery – Thirsk
• Topcliffe Surgery – Thirsk

Data Extraction by the Clinical Commissioning Group – the clinical commissioning group at times extracts medical information about you, but the information we pass to them via our computer systems cannot identify you to them. This information only refers to you by way of a code that only your practice can identify (it is pseudo-anonymised). This therefore protects you from anyone who may have access to this information at the Clinical Commissioning Group from ever identifying you as a result of seeing the medical information and we will never give them the information that would enable them to do this.

There are good reasons why the Clinical commissioning Group may require this pseudo-anonymised information, these are as follows:

• To protect the identity of the data subject
• Primary Care Network

We are a member of Hambleton South Primary Care Network (PCN). This means we will be working closely with a number of other Practices and health and care organisations to provide healthcare services to you. During the course of our work we may share your information with these Practices and health care organisations/professionals. We will only share this information where it relates to your direct healthcare needs.

When we do this, we will always ensure that appropriate agreements are in place to protect your information and keep it safe and secure. This is also what the Law requires us to do. If you would like to see the information the PCN holds about you please contact the Data Protection Officer.

Anonymised Information

Sometimes we may provide information about you in an anonymised form. If we do so, then none of the information we provide to any other party will identify you as an individual and cannot be traced back to you.

Your Rights as a Patient

The Law gives you certain rights to your personal and healthcare information that we hold, as set out below:

• Access and Subject Access Requests
• You have the right to see what information we hold about you and to request a copy of this information.

If you would like a copy of the information we hold about you please email our Data Protection Officer. We will provide this information free of charge however, we may in some limited and exceptional circumstances have to make an administrative charge for any extra copies if the information requested is excessive, complex or repetitive. We have one month to reply to you and give you the information that you require. We would ask, therefore, that any requests you make are in writing and it is made clear to us what and how much information you require.

Medicines Management

Your GP Practice supports a medicines management review service of medications prescribed to its patients. This service involves a review of prescribed medications to ensure patients receive the most appropriate, up to date and cost-effective treatments. This service is provided by qualified and registered healthcare professionals from within the GP practice, our NHS Primary Care Network, NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group or by external partners approved by the GP practice. Patient identifiable information does not leave the practice system but is accessed to ensure only appropriate clinical recommendations or decisions are made for each patient. Each patient can opt out of (or back into) the practice using their data for anything other than specified purposes or where there is a lawful requirement to do so.

INRstar Migration to New Cloud-First Technology

This information relates to patients that have regular INR testing and their details are recorded on INR star. LumiraDx Care Solutions are planning to migrate INR star from its current location to a new Cloud-First technology. This move aligns with the NHS Architectural principle of Public Cloud First. Cloud-First technology offers enhanced security, increased reliability, and improved system performance at peak times. Enabling us to provide a robust service for our clinicians and patients whilst providing confidence that the data we have is held safely and securely.
During this move, the data residency will remain in England in a UK Government approved data centre. The data will not be modified in any way, and the way it is processed will remain the same following the migration.
As these changes affect the data held for patients who have undergone or currently undergoing anticoagulant care, it is important that we inform them about  their data being moved and to remind them (as the Data Subjects) of their Data Subject rights under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018. If patients wish to exercise their rights under GDPR, please contact the practice in the first instance.

ACR project for patients with diabetes (and/or other conditions)

The data is being processed for the purpose of delivery of a programme, sponsored by NHS Digital, to monitor urine for indications of chronic kidney disease (CKD) which is recommended to be undertaken annually for patients at risk of chronic kidney disease e.g., patients living with diabetes. The programme enables patients to test their kidney function from home. We will share your contact details with Healthy.io to enable them to contact you and send you a test kit.  This will help identify patients at risk of kidney disease and help us agree any early interventions that can be put in place for the benefit of your care. Healthy.io will only use your data for the purposes of delivering their service to you. If you do not wish to receive a home test kit from Healthy.io we will continue to manage your care within the Practice. Healthy.io are required to hold data we send them in line with retention periods outlined in the Records Management code of Practice for Health and Social Care. Further information about this is available at: https://lp.healthy.io/minuteful_info/.

Call Recording

We record all calls both from and to the surgery for training and monitoring purposes. If you would like any more information about this please ring the surgery.

Online Access

You may ask us if you wish to have online access to your medical record. However, there will be certain protocols that we have to follow in order to give you online access, including written consent and production of documents that prove your identity. Please note that when we give you online access, the responsibility is yours to make sure that you keep your information safe and secure if you do not wish any third party to gain access.

Correction

We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. You may ask us to correct any information you think is inaccurate. It is very important that you make sure you tell us if your contact details including your mobile phone number has changed.

Removal

You have the right to ask for your information to be removed however, if we require this information to assist us in providing you with appropriate medical services and diagnosis for your healthcare, then removal may not be possible.

Objection

We cannot share your information with anyone else for a purpose that is not directly related to your health, e.g. medical research, educational purposes, etc. We would ask you for your consent in order to do this however, you have the right to request that your personal and healthcare information is not shared by the Surgery in this way. Please note the Anonymised Information section in this Privacy Notice.

Transfer

You have the right to request that your personal and/or healthcare information is transferred, in an electronic form (or other form), to another organisation, but we will require your clear consent to be able to do this.

Third Parties Mentioned on Your Medical Record

Sometimes we record information about third parties mentioned by you to us during any consultation. We are under an obligation to make sure we also protect that third party’s rights as an individual and to ensure that references to them which may breach their rights to confidentiality, are removed before we send any information to any other party including yourself. Third parties can include: spouses, partners, and other family members.

How we use the Information About You

We use your personal and healthcare information in the following ways:

• When we need to speak to, or contact other doctors, consultants, nurses or any other medical/healthcare professional or organisation during the course of your diagnosis or treatment or on going healthcare;
• When we are required by Law to hand over your information to any other organisation, such as the police, by court order, solicitors, or immigration enforcement.

We will never pass on your personal information to anyone else who does not need it, or has no right to it, unless you give us clear consent to do so.

Legal Justification For Collecting and Using Your Information

The Law says we need a legal basis to handle your personal and healthcare information.

Contract: We have a contract with NHS England to deliver healthcare services to you. This contract provides that we are under a legal obligation to ensure that we deliver medical and healthcare services to the public.

Consent: Sometimes we also rely on the fact that you give us consent to use your personal and healthcare information so that we can take care of your healthcare needs. Please note that you have the right to withdraw consent at any time if you no longer wish to receive services from us.

Necessary Care: Providing you with the appropriate healthcare, where necessary. The Law refers to this as ‘protecting your vital interests’ where you may be in a position not to be able to consent.

Law: Sometimes the Law obliges us to provide your information to an organisation (see above).

Special Categories

The Law states that personal information about your health falls into a special category of information because it is very sensitive. Reasons that may entitle us to use and process your information may be as follows:

Public Interest: Where we may need to handle your personal information when it is considered to be in the public interest. For example, when there is an outbreak of a specific disease and we need to contact you for treatment, or we need to pass your information to relevant organisations to ensure you receive advice and/or treatment;

Consent: When you have given us consent;

Vital Interest: If you are incapable of giving consent, and we have to use your information to protect your vital interests (e.g. if you have had an accident and you need emergency treatment);

Defending a claim: If we need your information to defend a legal claim against us by you, or by another party;

Providing you With Medical Care: Where we need your information to provide you with medical and healthcare services

How Long we Keep Your Personal Information

We carefully consider any personal information that we store about you, and we will not keep your information for longer than is necessary for the purposes as set out in this Privacy Notice.

Under 16s

There will be a separate privacy notice for patients under the age of 16, a copy of which may be obtained on request. We are currently working on producing a separative privacy notice for the under 16s, and in the meantime the contents of this privacy notice will apply. However, if any individual under the age of 16 is concerned about their information or has any queries about their rights or anything else relating to their information, then please contact the DPO.

If English is not Your First Language

If English is not your first language you can request a translation of this Privacy Notice. Please contact our Data Protection Officer.

Complaints

If you have a concern about the way we handle your personal data or you have a complaint about what we are doing, or how we have used or handled your personal and/or healthcare information, then please contact our Data Protection Officer. However, you have a right to raise any concern or complaint with the UK information regulator, at the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk/.

Our Website

The only website this Privacy Notice applies to is the Surgery’s website. If you use a link to any other website from the Surgery’s website then you will need to read their respective privacy notice. We take no responsibility (legal or otherwise) for the content of other websites.

Cookies

The Surgery’s website uses cookies. For more information on which cookies we use and how we use them, please see our Cookies Policy.

Security

We take the security of your information very seriously and we do everything we can to ensure that your information is always protected and secure. We regularly update our processes and systems and we also ensure that our staff are properly trained. We also carry out assessments and audits of the information that we hold about you and make sure that if we provide any other services, we carry out proper assessments and security reviews.

Text Messaging And Contacting You

Because we are obliged to protect any confidential information we hold about you and we take this very seriously, it is imperative that you let us know immediately if you change any of your contact details. We may contact you using SMS texting to your mobile phone in the event that we need to notify you about appointments and other services that we provide to you involving your direct care, therefore you must ensure that we have your up to date details. This is to ensure we are sure we are actually contacting you and not another person.

Where to Find Our Privacy Notice

You may find a copy of this Privacy Notice in the Surgery’s reception, on our website, or a copy may be provided on request.

Changes to our Privacy Notice

We regularly review and update our Privacy Notice. This Privacy Notice was last updated on 17^th May 2022

Sharing Your Records: Your Personal Information

Information about you is used in a number of ways by the NHS and social care services to support your personal care and to improve health and social care services for everyone. The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is the national NHS organisation with a legal responsibility to collect data as people make use of NHS and social care services. The data is used both at a local level and nationally to help with planning, managing your care, supporting research into new treatments, identifying trends and issues and so forth, and is used to try to make services better for all.

You can, however, choose not to have information about you shared or used for any purpose beyond providing your own treatment or care.

Your Right to Opt Out

You can choose not to have anything that could identify you shared beyond your GP practice. You can also choose for the HSCIC not to share information it collects from all health providers any further. If you have previously told your GP practice that you don’t want the HSCIC to share your personal confidential information for purposes other than your own care and treatment, your opt-out will have been implemented by the HSCIC from April 29 2016. It will remain in place unless you change it.

Simply contact your GP either to register an opt-out or end an opt-out you have already registered and they will update your medical record. Your GP practice will also be able to confirm whether or not you have registered an opt-out in the past. You can find more information about how the HSCIC handles your information and choices and how it manages your opt-out on the HSCIC website www.hscic.gov.uk/yourinfo