We will always respect your privacy, dignity and your religious and cultural beliefs particularly when intimate examinations are advisable – these will only be carried out with your express agreement and you will be offered a chaperone to attend the examination.

You may also request a chaperone when making the appointment, on arrival at the surgery or at any time during the consultation.

We do try to provide you with the best services possible but realise that on occasion you may not feel this has happened.  We have an in-house complaints procedure.  If you have any complaint regarding any member of the staff, doctors, or about any other service we provide, please contact the Practice Manager – Mrs Jacci Rowley who will be pleased to help in any way possible.

In our practice we regularly monitor all aspects of the service that we provide so we are more than happy to receive all feedback whether it be positive or negative.

You can be assured that anything you discuss with any member of the surgery staff, whether Doctor, Nurse or receptionist, will remain confidential. Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone, including parents, other family members, care workers or teachers, without your permission. The only reason we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect either you or someone else from serious harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you have any worries or queries about confidentiality, please ask a member of staff.

If you would like to discuss matters of a confidential nature with our receptionists we have an area available for this.

Children under 16 can give their own consent if the medical practitioner attending the child considers the child capable of understanding the nature and possible consequences of the procedure or treatment.  If the child is judged capable, the practitioner must seek the consent of the child rather than of the parent.

The practice is registered with the CQC. Click here to see our registration details.

We also have a Statement of Purpose which is available on request from the Practice Manager.

Dr Marcus Jacobs is the practice lead for all CQC outcomes and all of the five CQC areas (safe, effective, caring, responsive & well-led care).  His deputy is Jacci Rowley the Practice Manager.

Your Data Matters to the NHS

Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments.  The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.

How your data is used

Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnosis is collected about you whenever you use health and care services.  It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of Doctors and Nurses in your local hospital.  It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.

Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.

You have a choice

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used.  If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt-out securely online.  You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?

No, choosing to opt-out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment.  You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.

What do you need to do?

If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.

To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make / change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

We make every effort to make the surgery accessible for disabled patients. There is access through the main door.

Hearing Difficulties

If you are experiencing hearing difficulties when being called in to see the Doctor or Nurse, please do let us know when you book in for your appointment.

NHS England require that the net earning of Doctors in the Practice is published 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.

All GP Practices are required to declare the mean (average) earnings for GPs working to deliver NHS services to Patients at each Practice. The average pay for GPs working at Dr Baghdjian & Dr Jacobs in the last financial year was £71,010.84 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 2 full time GPs and 1 Locum GP who worked at the Practice for more than 6 Months.

We utilise an electronic system for transferring patient records to and from other GP surgeries called GP2GP.

GP2GP enables patients’ electronic health records to be transferred directly and securely between GP practices. It improves patient care as GP’s will usually have full and detailed medical records available to them for a new patient’s first consultation.

The practice has an infection control policy in place which is reviewed on a regular basis. If you are concerned about any areas of infection control please contact the Practice Manager.

The practice will ensure that an interpreter or other form of translation service is available for all patients who need these services.  Please enquire at reception prior to your appointment so this service can be arranged. 

Our Practice is committed to preserving, as far as is practical, the security of data used by our information systems. This means that we will take all reasonable actions to;

Maintain the Confidentiality of all data within the practice by:

• Ensuring that only authorised persons can gain access to our systems
• Not disclosing information o anyone who has no right to see it

Maintain the integrity of all data within the practice by:

• Taking care over input
• Ensuring that all changes are reported and monitored
• Checking that the correct record is on the screen before updating
• Reporting all apparent errors and ensuring that they are resolved

Maintain the availability of all data by:

• Ensuring that all equipment is protected from intruders
• Ensuring that backups are taken at regular, predetermined intervals
• Ensuring that contingency is provided for possible failure or equipment theft and that any such contingency plans are tested and kept up to date

Additionally we will take all reasonable measure to comply with our legal responsibilities under;

• The Data Protection Act (2018) 
• The Health and Safety at Work Act (1992) 
• The Access to Health Records Act (1990) 

This privacy notice lets you know what happens to any personal data that you give to us, or any that we may collect from or about you.

This privacy notice applies to personal information processed by or on behalf of the Practice.

This notice explains

• Who we are, how we use your information and our Data Protection Officer
• What kinds of personal information about you do we process?
• What are the legal grounds for our processing of your personal information (including when we share it with others)?
• What should you do if your personal information changes?
• For how long your personal information is retained by us?
• What are your rights under data protection laws?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was incorporated into the UK’s Data Protection Act on 25^th May 2018. This is a single EU-wide regulation on the protection of confidential and sensitive information.

For the purpose of applicable data protection legislation (including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (the “GDPR”), and the Data Protection Act 2018 the Practice responsible for your personal data.

This Notice describes how we collect, use and process your personal data, and how, in doing so, we comply with our legal obligations to you. Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to protecting and safeguarding your data privacy rights.

How we use your information and the law.

The Practice will be what’s known as the “Controller” of the personal data you provide to us.

We collect basic personal data about you which does not include any special types of information or location-based information. This does however include name, address, contact details such as email and mobile number etc.

We will also collect sensitive confidential data known as “special category personal data”, in the form of health information, religious belief (if required in a healthcare setting), ethnicity, and sex during the services we provide to you and or linked to your healthcare through other health providers or third parties.

Why do we need your information?

The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. NHS Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-In Clinic etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

NHS health records may be electronic, on paper, or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Records which the Practice hold about you may include the following information;

• Details about you, such as your address, carer, legal representative, emergency contact details
• Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments etc.
• Notes and reports about your health
• Details about your treatment and care
• Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays etc.
• Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you

To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS. Information may be used within the GP Practice for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided.

How do we lawfully use your data?

We need to know your personal, sensitive and confidential data in order to provide you with healthcare services as a General Practice, under the General Data Protection Regulation we will be lawfully using your information in accordance with:

Article 6, (e) processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;

Article 9, (h) processing is necessary for the purposes of preventative or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems

This Privacy Notice applies to the personal data of our patients and the data you have given us about your carers/family members.

Risk Stratification

Risk stratification data tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person’s risk of suffering a condition, preventing an unplanned or (re)admissions and identifying a need for preventative intervention. Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP Practice. A risk score if then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identifed information is only provided back to your GP, as data controller, in an identifiable form. Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. If necessary, your GP may be able to offer you additional services. Please note that you have the right to opt out of your data being used in this way.

Medicines Management

The Practice may conduct Medicines Management Reviews of medications prescribed to its patients. This service performs a review of prescribed medications to ensure patients receive the most appropriate, up to date and cost-effective treatments.

How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records?

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:

• Data Protection Act 2018
• The General Data Protection Regulations 2016
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
• Health and Social Care Act 2012
• NHS Codes of Confidentiality, Information Security and Records Management
• Information: To Share or Not to Share Review

Every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.

We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), where the law requires information to be passed on and/or in accordance with the information sharing principle following Dame Fiona Caldicott’s information sharing review (Information To Share or Not to Share) where “The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.” This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out by the Caldicott principles.

Our Practice Policy is to respect the privacy of our patients, their families and our staff and to maintain compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and all UK specific Data Protection Requirements. Our policy is to ensure all personal data related to our patients will be protected.

All employees and sub-contractors engaged by our Practice are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. The Practice will, if required, sign a separate confidentiality agreement if the client deems it necessary. If a sub-contractor acts as a data processor for the Practice an appropriate contract (art 24-28) will be established for the processing of your information.

In certain circumstances you may have the right to withdraw your consent to the processing of data. Please contact the Data Protection Officer in writing if you wish to withdraw your consent. In some circumstances we may need to store your data after your consent has been withdrawn to comply with legislative requirement.

Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.

Where do we store your information electronically?

All the personal data we process if processed by our staff in the UK however for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance this information may be located on servers within the European Union.

No third parties have access to your personal data unless the law allows them to do so and appropriate safeguards have been put in place. We have a Data Protection regime in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your personal and/or special category (sensitive, confidential) data.

Who are our partner organisations?

We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations;

• NHS Trusts / Foundation Trusts
• GP’s
• Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
• Private Sector Providers
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Ambulance Trusts
• Integrated Care Boards
• Social Care Services
• NHS England (NHSE) and NHS Digital (NHSD)
• Local Authorities
• Education Services
• Fire and Rescue Services
• Police and Judicial Services
• Other “data processors” which you will be informed of

You will be informed who your data will be shared with and in some cases asked for consent for this to happen when this is required.

How long will we store your information?

We are required under UK law to keep your information and data for the full retention periods as specified by the NHS Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care and National Archives requirements.

How can you access, amend or move the personal data that you have given to us?

Even if we already hold your personal data, you still have various rights in relation to it. To get in touch about these, please contact us. We will seek to deal with your request without undue delay, any in any event in accordance with the requirements of any applicable laws. Please note that we may keep a record of your communications to help us resolve any issues which you raise.

Right to object: If we are using your data because we deem it necessary for our legitimate interests to do so, and you do not agree, you have the right to object. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases). Generally, we will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we have obtained your consent to process your personal data for certain activities, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

Right to erasure: In certain situations (for example, where we have processed your data unlawfully), you have the right to request us to “erase” your personal data. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases) and will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.

Right of data portability: If you wish, you have the right to transfer your data from us to another data controller. We will help with this with a GP2GP data transfer and transfer of your hard copy notes.

Access to your personal information

Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR)@ You have a right under Data Protection legislation to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information the Practice holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate.

To request this, you need to do the following:

• Your request should be made to the Practice – for information from the hospital you should contact them direct
• There is no charge to have a copy of the information held about you
• We are required to respond within 30 days
• You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, NHS number and details of your request) so that your identity can be verified

What should you do if your personal information changes?

You should tell us so that we can update our records. This is especially important for changes of address or contact details. The Practice will from time to time ask you to confirm that the information we currently hold is accurate and up-to-date.

Your patient record is held securely and confidentially on the electronic system. If you require treatment in another NHS healthcare setting such as Emergency Department or Minor Injury Unit, those treating you would be better able to give you appropriate care if some of the information from the GP Practice were available to them.

This information can now be shared electronically via: The Summary Care Record used nationally across England.

The information will be used only by authorised health care professionals directly involved in your care. Your permission will be asked before the information is accessed, unless the clinician is unable to ask you and there is clinical reason for access.

If you would like to opt-out, please fill in the below form and return to reception.

• SCR Consent Form

A parent or guardian can request to opt-out children under 16 but ultimately it is the GP’s decision whether to create the records or not, because of their duty of care to the child. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 and feel that they are able to understand, then you should make this information available to them.

Who has access?

Across all healthcare settings including Urgent Care, community care and outpatient departments in England.

Information Source

GP record

Content

• Your current medications
• Any allergies you have
• Any bad reactions you have had to medicines
• Additional information (upon request to your GP)

For more information visit:

Summary Care Record – NHS Digital