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 it clinicians;
• A call recording may also be used as evidence in the event that an employee’s telephone conduct is deemed unacceptable. 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.

We are committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times.

A chaperone is a person who accompanies and looks after another person to ensure that a their privacy, safety and dignity is protected during intimate examinations and procedures.

It also maximises the healthcare professional’s safety whilst carrying out consultations (particularly those with intimate examinations/procedures) and minimises the risk of their actions being misinterpreted.

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, i.e. a trained member of staff.

Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking your appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.

Your Confidentiality

You have a right to expect that information about you will be held in confidence by your Doctors and the Appletree staff. Confidentiality is central to trust.

Within the Practice the following people can access your information: doctors, GP Registrars, nurses, health visitors, midwife, administration staff, medicines management team and medical students. Also the General Medical Council (GMC) and Deanery at the University of Nottingham Medical School (see Training Practice) can access records for quality assurance purposes, as can the financial auditor from NHS England. Each of these people/bodies has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.

Staff will maintain your right to privacy and not discuss your illness with other staff or Doctors within hearing distance of other people. If you wish to speak privately with a Receptionist, please do ask and you will be taken to a private room to talk.

However, there are circumstances when medical information may be disclosed. Information about patients is requested for a wide variety of purposes including education, research, public health surveillance, clinical audit, administration and planning. In ALL of these circumstances we apply the following rules:

• We seek patient’s consent to disclosure
• We anonymise data where unidentifiable data will serve the purpose
• We keep disclosures to the minimum necessary

You have a right of access to your health records.

You can object to information being shared with others involved in the provision of your care, except where lack of disclosure would be likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of either you or any other person.

The Practice complies with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)  & Data Protection Act 2018 and the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice.

Summary Information

You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning. To find out more visit nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.  Or read leaflet available on reception ‘Your Data Matters to the NHS’

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your confidential patient information is used. You can change your choice at any time.

Type 1 opt-out: medical records held at your GP practice

ou can tell your GP practice if you do not want your confidential patient information held in your GP medical record to be used for purposes other than your individual care. This is commonly called a type 1 opt-out. This opt-out request can only be recorded by your GP practice.

Patient Health Records – Dissent – Opt out 1 form

Type 2 opt-out (National Data Opt-out): information held by NHS Digital

Previously you could tell your GP practice if you did not want us, NHS Digital, to share confidential patient information that we collect from across the health and care service for purposes other than your individual care. This was called a type 2 opt-out.

The type 2 opt-out was replaced by the national data opt-out. Type 2 opt-outs recorded on or before 11 October 2018 have been automatically converted to national data opt-outs.

Detailed information:

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 (Type 1 objection). You can also choose for the HSCIC not to share information it collects from all health providers any further (previously known as Type 2 objection, now National Data Opt-out).

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.

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

What is the Derbyshire Shared Care Record (DSCR)?

At present, health and social care organisations in Derbyshire hold different sets of records about you. Information in different records may be duplicated or incomplete.

Whether you are having contact with your GP, being seen in your own home, or visiting a hospital or health centre, we want you to get the very best care. We can only do this if all the health and social care professionals involved in your care can see relevant information in your record. Soon this information will be shared between staff involved in your care.

The DSCR will join up different records to create a more comprehensive and up-to-date record about you, which can be safely accessed by those involved with your care. Over time this will help improve the care you receive.

For more information on the DSCR, click here: https://bit.ly/DerbyshireSCR

Approximately 100 appointments per month are classified as ‘Did Not Attend’ (DNA) – i.e. the patient did not turn up for the appointment and did not contact the surgery in advance to cancel/change the appointment. The effects of these are:

–     An increase in the waiting time for appointments

–     Frustration for both staff and patients

–     A waste of clinical resources

–     A potential risk to the health of the patient

Policy

The Practice reviews frequent non-attenders monthly to identify patients who should be excluded from the general policy for clinical reasons such as memory problems.

If a patient consistently fails to attend, a letter will be sent explaining the implications and offering assistance. We will continue to review the patient’s appointment attendance for the foreseeable future and should they continue to miss appointments, a decision will be taken with regard to their ability to pre-book routine appointments in the future.

Persistent offenders who have received previous letters within a 12 month period could risk removal from the practice.

What we can do to try and help

If you would like to receive a text reminder for your appointment, please ensure that we have your mobile telephone number.

If you have specific problems that you wish to discuss that are preventing you from informing us when you cannot attend for an appointment, then please ring the surgery and we will try and help where we can.

Please see full policy here

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 entitles you to access information held by the Practice.

You may find the information you are looking for on the Practice website under our Sharing Information section.

If you cannot see what you want or wish to find out more, you can put your request in writing and send it to:

Lianne Burke, Appletree Medical Practice, 47a Town Street, Duffield, Belper, DE56 4GG

Further information is available online on the following website:
Information Commissioners Website

ALL MEMBERS OF THE APPLETREE MEDICAL PRACTICE PRIMARY CARE TEAM ARE DEDICATED TO A QUALITY POLICY TO ACHIEVE HEALTH SERVICES WHICH MEET THE PATIENT’S REQUIREMENTS.

Patient’s Rights to General Medical Services

• To be offered a health check on joining a doctor’s list for the first time.
• To have appropriate drugs and medicine prescribed.
• To be referred to a Consultant acceptable to them when they and their GP thinks it is necessary, and to be referred for a second opinion if they and their GP think it is advisable.
• To have access to their health records, subject to any limitations of the law, and to know that those working for the NHS are under a legal duty to keep those records confidential.
• To choose whether to take part in research or medical student training.
• To receive a copy of their doctors practice leaflet, setting out the services that he or she provides.
• To receive a full and prompt reply to any complaints they make about the care they receive at the APPLETREE MEDICAL PRACTICE.

Philosophy

Our aims are to offer the highest standard of health care and advice to our patients, with the resources available to us. We have a team approach to patient care and endeavour to monitor the service provided to patients, to ensure that it meets current standards of excellence. We are dedicated to ensuring that Practice staff and Doctors are trained to the highest level and to provide a stimulating and rewarding environment in which to work.

Our Practice Charter

• You will be treated with courtesy and respect by all Practice personnel.
• An urgent appointment with a Doctor or Nurse Practitioner will be available on the same day.
• Our standard is to see 80% of patients within 30 minutes of their appointment time. If you have waited longer than this please ask the Receptionist for an explanation.
• We aim to answer the telephone as soon as possible.
• Requests for repeat prescriptions will be dealt with within 48 hours.
• All comments and suggestions about the service are welcome. Please use the box provided in the entrance foyer.
• If you have a complaint please speak to any member of staff. Your complaint will be dealt with in a professional and efficient manner.
• We wish to make the APPLETREE MEDICAL PRACTICE as accessible as possible. If you have hearing, visual or physical difficulties please let the receptionist know so that we can enable you to fully use our services.

Patient’s Responsibilities

• If you are unable to attend for an appointment please let us know so that we can offer it to someone else.
• If you are late for your appointment you may be asked to rebook at another time. Try to let us know in advance if you are going to be unavoidably delayed, so that we can make alternative arrangements to help you.
• A home visit should only be requested for those who are unable to come to the surgery because of serious illness or infirmity. Please ring the surgery before 11.00am if at all possible.
• An urgent appointment is for an urgent medical problem. Please speak to the Receptionist if you require a sick note or repeat prescription.
• We would ask you to be patient if the Doctor is running late. This is often due to unforeseeable emergencies but please ask for an explanation from the Receptionist.
• Make a separate appointment for each patient that needs to be seen. This allows the Doctor enough time to treat each patient with the time that they deserve.
• Please act in a responsible and courteous manner whilst on the Practice premises for the safety and comfort of others.
• Please treat all surgery staff, fellow patients, carers and visitors politely and with respect. Violence or verbal harassment will not be tolerated or accepted, you may be asked to register at another surgery if this behaviour occurs.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice. The average pay for GPs working in Appletree Medical Practice in the last financial year was £99,168 before tax and national insurance. This is for 3 full time GPs and 5 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

At Appletree we treat our patients with respect and dignity and do not discriminate against them in any way, on the grounds of age, sex or sexual orientation, colour, race, ethnic background, disability, religion or religious or philosophical belief.

Physical violence and verbal abuse is a growing concern. GPs, Nurses and other Practice staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. We ask that you treat your GP and Practice staff properly, without violence or abuse.

We strongly support the NHS policy on Zero Tolerance.

Anyone either phoning or attending the Practice who abuses any staff member or patient, be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner whatsoever will risk removal from the Practice list and be reallocated with the assistance of NHS England.

What is the Summary Care Record?

 The NHS in England is using an electronic record called the Summary Care Record to support patient care. All the settings where you receive healthcare keep their own medical records about you.

Appletree is proud to be an accredited Training Practice for doctors training to become GPs. The Practice is accredited by the Deanery at the University of Nottingham Medical School.

GP Registrars are fully qualified doctors who already have much experience of hospital medicines but who have decided to specialise in General Practice. They work full-time in the Practice for a period of 4 or 12 months dependent upon the stage of training they are at.

They are supervised by Appletree GP Trainers and provide the same standard of care as the GPs. We are pleased to have them with us as valuable additions to our team.

Consultations are sometimes videoed for training purposes. The recording will only take place if you agree to this; there is no obligation for you to do so. You will be notified beforehand if this is the case and will be asked to sign a consent form.

We also host final year medical students and student nurses. You may occasionally be asked whether you are willing to see your doctor in the presence of a student.

Occasionally patients may be invited to discuss their symptoms with the medical student alone, prior to further consultation and treatment with the doctor. Again, you are free to decline.

A notice will be displayed at Reception when medical students are present.