Accessing someone else’s information

As a parent, family member or carer, you may be able to access services for someone else. We call this having proxy access. We can set this up for you if you are both registered with us.

To requests proxy access:

• collect a proxy access form from reception from 10am to 6pm

Linked profiles in your NHS account

Once proxy access is set up, you can access the other person’s profile in your NHS account, using the NHS App or website.

The NHS website has information about using linked profiles to access services for someone else.

We aim to offer a friendly, personal, comprehensive and high standard of family health care to all our patients. We always welcome your feedback and value your comments and suggestions. Please get in touch via our online form or by telephone and let us know your thoughts. We endeavour to listen to your comments and act appropriately on the constructive feedback to deliver the best for you and your family.

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 [PRACTICE TO ADD SPECIFIC CONTACT DETAILS]. 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

Need help making a complaint?

If you want help making a complaint, Healthwatch Hounslow can help you find independent NHS complaints advocacy services in your area.

Alternatively, POhWER is a charity that helps people to be involved in decisions being made about their care. Call POhWER’s support centre on 0300 456 2370 for advice.

Your information – how we use it

Why we collect information about you

Ashburn Medical Centre keeps records about the healthcare and treatment patients receive. This helps to ensure that patients receive the best possible care from us.

How we keep your records confidential

Everyone working for the NHS must comply with the Common Law Duty of Confidence. Information you provide in confidence will only be used for the purposes explained to you and to which you consented, unless there are other circumstances covered by the law.

Ashburn Medical Centre complies with the NHS Confidentiality Code of Conduct. All our staff are required to protect your information, inform you of how your information will be used, and allow you to decide if and how your information can be shared.

Ashburn Medical Centre holds information about you in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

How your personal information is used to improve the NHS

Your information will also help us manage the NHS and protect the health of the public by :

• review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standard and quality, e.g. through audit or service improvement
• ensure our services can meet patient needs in the future
• investigate patient queries, complaints and legal claims
• prepare statistics on performance
• audit accounts and services
• undertake health research and development (with your consent – you may choose whether or not to be involved)
• train and educate healthcare professionals

Sharing information with other NHS organisations

We share your personal information with other NHS organisations. For example, we may share your information for healthcare purposes with health authorities, other NHS trusts, general practitioners (GPs), ambulance services and primary care agencies

Information sharing with non-NHS organisations

We may need to share information from your health records with other non-NHS organisations from which you are also receiving care, such as Social Services. However, we will not disclose any health information to third parties without your explicit consent unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as when the health or safety of others is at risk or where the law requires it.

We may also be asked by other statutory bodies to share basic information about you, such as your name and address, but not sensitive information from your health records. This would normally be to assist them to carry out their statutory duties. In these circumstances, where it is not practical to obtain your explicit consent, we are informing you through this notice, which is referred to as a Fair Processing Notice, under the Data Protection Act.

These non-NHS organisations may include, but are not restricted to:

• Social Services
• education services
• local authorities
• the police
• voluntary sector providers
• private sector providers

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and the required disclosure is shown below.
However it should be noted that the prescribed method for 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 to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make
any comparison with any other practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Ashburn Medical Centre in the last financial year was £55311 before tax and National Insurance.
This is for 0 full time GPs, 3 part time GPs and 3 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and the required disclosure is shown below.
However it should be noted that the prescribed method for 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 to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make
any comparison with any other practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Ashburn Medical Centre in the last financial year was £55311 before tax and National Insurance.
This is for 0 full time GPs, 3 part time GPs and 3 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months

All patients have now been allocated a named, accountable GP with overall responsibility for the care and support that our surgery provides to you.  However this does not prevent you from seeing any GP in the practice as you currently do. You do not need to take any further action but if you have any queries please contact the surgery on 0191 5671035.

The practice is taking part in the National Diabetes Audit (NDA).  The NDA collects information about diabetes care from GP practices and hospitals and is used to help the NHS to improve care for patients.

It is managed by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), working with Diabetes UK and Public Health England.  The information the audit collects is controlled by law and strict rules of confidentiality.

The NDA only uses information about your diabetes care that is already recorded.  For example, type of diabetes, latest blood pressure result and results of HbA1c, or eye screening tests.  The NDA is not a research project.  No extra blood tests, appointments or scans are needed.  You can choose not to take part if you have any concerns.

If you do not want your information to be used, please inform the receptionist, your GP or nurse.  They will make sure that this is noted on your medical records, so your information is not included.  This will not affect your care in any way.

For further information please see http://www.hscic.gov.uk/nda and https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Professionals/Resources/National-Diabetes-Audit/

This GP Practice, as the data controller may collect personal information from visitors to this site. This will not include any information that can be used to identify any individual. This information is used only to respond to enquiries, monitor site usage and to enhance the use of certain technologies – such as activity based information. Cookies and logging of IP addresses are used to enable the GP Practice to monitor site traffic and repeat visitor statistics. The GP Practice will at all times comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Website Privacy Policy

This GP Practice, as the data controller may collect personal information from visitors to this site. This information is used only to respond to enquiries, monitor site usage and to enhance the use of certain technologies – such as activity based information. Cookies and logging of IP addresses are used to enable the GP Practice to monitor site traffic and repeat visitor statistics. Statistics will not include information that can be used to identify any individual.

The GP Practice will at all times comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Use of Personal Information Provided by the User

Where personal information (e.g. name, address, telephone number etc) is provided to the GP Practice via its website for whatever purpose (e.g. registration, survey, feedback), it is made clear to the individual what the information collected will be used for and who it will be provided to. The GP Practice will only use the information collected for the stated purpose.

At this current time, any personal information provided, is only used by the GP Practice. It will not sell, trade, provide or rent personal information to third parties. Specific personal information will be released where the NHS is required to do so by law, e.g. court order. Transfer of data will be done so on the express permission of the supplying individual.

When you submit personal information, you consent to our use of the information as set out in this privacy policy.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This privacy policy only covers sites belonging to and operated by the GP Practice. Links within this site to other websites are not covered by this policy.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

The GP Practice may amend this policy from time to time. If substantial changes are made to the way in which the Council obtains and uses your personal information the website will show prominently any announcement to this effect.

Electronic Patient Summary Care Records (SCR) have been uploaded to the national spine to give other healthcare staff faster, easier access to essential information about you, but only with your permission.  This information consists only of Medications, Allergies & Adverse Reactions and some coded entries.  Information leaflets are available in surgery and a copy is attached.  Also listed are details of organisations who can provide more information.

Your SCR is also available to view on-line when you log in to book an appointment or order a repeat prescription.  Please let us know if you do not wish your information to be available.

As well as access to the SCR, patients can now have on-line access to view parts of their medical records which includes e.g coded entries & test results.

Summary Care Record

SCR helpline : 0300 123 3020
www.pals.nhs.uk
www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk.

Our practice has signed up to the NHS Zero Tolerance Campaign which makes verbal abuse, threat and physical violence to all NHS staff unacceptable. Any such behaviour from any patients may result in their removal from our practice list.