Practice Policies, Statements and Certification

PRIVACY INFORMATION & POLICIES

How We Use Your Medical Records - Important Information for Patients 

This practice handles medical records in-line with laws on data protection and confidentiality. We share medical records with those who are involved in providing you with care and treatment.  In some circumstances we will also share medical records for medical research, for example to find out more about why people get ill. We share information when the law requires us to do so, for example, to prevent infectious diseases from spreading or to check the care being provided to you is safe. You have the right to be given a copy of your medical record. You have the right to object to your medical records being shared with those who provide you with care.   You have the right to object to your information being used for medical research and to plan health services. You have the right to have any mistakes corrected and to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. 

Please see the practice privacy notice on the website or speak to a member of staff for more information about your rights. 

Our Privacy Notice can be viewed HERE

Our Privacy Information Leaflet can be viewed HERE - Alternatively you can ask Reception for a copy.

Our Children's Privacy Notice can be viewed HERE

Our Candidates Privacy Notice can be viewed HERE

Our Employees Privacy Notice can be viewed HERE

Our Community Pharmacy Consultation Scheme (CPCS) Privacy Notice can be viewed HERE

Our Covid-19 Privacy Notice can be viewed HERE

Our Data Security and Protection Toolkit Certificate can be viewed HERE

SAFEGUARDING LEAFLET

To view our practice Safeguarding Leaflet, please click HERE

INFECTION CONTROL ANNUAL STATEMENT

To view our latest Infection Control Annual Statement please click HERE

ANAPHYLAXIS ANNUAL STATEMENT

To view our latest Anaphylaxis Annual Statement please click HERE

DISPLAY ENERGY CERTIFICATE (DEC)

To view our latest Infection Control Annual Statement please click HERE

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.

ZERO TOLERANCE

The Practice takes it very seriously if a member of staff or one of the doctors or nursing team is treated in an abusive or violent way.

The Practice supports the government's 'Zero Tolerance' campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. To successfully provide these services a mutual respect between all the staff and patients has to be in place. All our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. They would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time.  The staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.

In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the occasional types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable:

• Using bad language or swearing at practice staff
• Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, such as pushing or shoving
• Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting the staff
• Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice
• Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted. Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot
• Causing damage/stealing from the Practice's premises, staff or patients
• Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently

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, however, because of the 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.

In these situations, 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.

PATIENTS RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

You have the right to :

• Register and receive treatment regardless of your age, sex or sexuality, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, disability or nature of your health problems, as long as you reside within the practice boundary and quality for NHS treatment.
• Consult with a GP within 24 hours for urgent medical problems.
• Have your treatment explained to you.
• Confidentiality.
• Receive information on health services.
• Complain, without discrimination, if there is a problem.
• Have a relative, friend or chaperone with you (except in extreme cases when specifically asked not to.

You are responsible for :

• Making and keeping appointments
• Behaving in an acceptable manner
• Keeping young children in your care under constant supervision and ensuring that they behave appropriately.
• Switching off mobile phones whilst on the surgery premises.
• Informing the practice of any change of name, address or telephone number.

DUTY OF CANDOUR

Charlton Medical Centre has issued a Duty of Candour document which is available to download HERE.

CALL RECORDING

Calls to and from the surgery are recorded and processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2016 and the Data Protection Act 2018, calls are recorded for monitoring, training and dispute resolution purposes. The purpose of call recording is to provide an exact record of the call which will:

•  Protect the interests of both parties,
•  Help improve Practice performance and best practice,
•  Help protect Practice staff from abusive or nuisance calls,
•  Establish the facts in the event of a complaint either by a patient or a member of   staff and so assist in resolving it,
•  Establish the facts and assist in the resolution of any medico-legal claims made         against the practice or its clinicians,
•  A call recording may also be used as evidence in the event that an employee’s   telephone conduct is deemed inacceptable.  In this situation the recording will be   made available to the employee’s manager, to be investigated as per the Practice   Disciplinary Policy. 

For further information please contact the surgery.