Introduction

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, patients (data subjects) have the right to access their data and any supplementary information held by The Law Medical Group Practice; this is commonly known as a data subject access request (DSAR). Data subjects have a right to receive:

• Confirmation that their data is being processed
• Access to their personal data
• Access to any other supplementary information held about them

Options for access

As of April 2016, practices have been obliged to allow patients access to their health record online. This service will enable the patient to view coded information held in their health record. Prior to accessing this information, you will have to visit the practice and undertake an identity check before being granted access to your records.

In addition, you can make a request to be provided with copies of your health record. To do so, you must submit a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) form; this can be submitted electronically and the DSAR form is available on the practice website.

Alternatively, a paper copy of the DSAR is available from reception. You will need to submit the form online or return the completed paper copy of the DSAR to the practice. Patients do not have to pay a fee for copies of their records.

Time frame

Once the DSAR form is submitted, The Law Medical Group Practice will aim to process the request within 21 days; however, this may not always be possible. The maximum time permitted to process DSARs is one calendar month.

Exemptions

There may be occasions when the data controller will withhold information kept in the health record, particularly if the disclosure of such information is likely to cause undue stress or harm to you or any other person.

Data controller

At The Law Medical Group Practice the data controller is Sheraz Khan and should you have any questions relating to accessing your medical records, please ask to discuss this with the named data controller.

Sheraz Khan                                       The Law Medical Group Practice Data controller

Published: 02/07/2018                        Review: 30/06/2019

You are very welcome to be accompanied by a trusted friend or relative at your consultation if you wish, and this is all the more important if English is not your first language, or if you feel you might not be able to express what you need clearly to the doctor or nurse.

In addition, for intimate examinations, you will be offered the choice of having another professional clinician present at the examination. This is called chaperoning.

Because we are a small practice this might not be possible at all times. If we can’t allocate a chaperone when you wish one to be there, then we can reschedule your examination to another time.

At times you may be asked to complete a patient questionnaire in order to maintain our record of all patients. The computer requires good discipline in maintaining accurate records which is to everyone’s advantage and holds the key to many benefits, particularly in preventative medicine.

The practice is registered under the Data Protection Act and confidentiality will remain our prime concern. For routine audit purposes, representatives from the Clinical Commissioning Group or NHS England will be required to look at patients’ medical records. The auditors may not be medically qualified but are all bound by their contract of employment to respect confidentiality. However, if you do not wish your notes to be used in this way, please inform us at the front desk and your notes will be annotated accordingly.

Insurance companies and solicitors will ask for access to your medical records in certain circumstances, eg mortgage applications and accidents. We will only release this information if we have your signed authority to do so. Equally, we will only release prescriptions, letters or any other information to relatives, neighbours or friends provided you have given your consent in writing to the practice first.

Under the Data Protection Act you have the right to get a copy or have sight of the information that is held about you. This is known as a subject access request. Please check the charge for this with the receptionist.

NHS Digital Data Provision Notice for Individual GP Level Data – Information for Patients

Freedom of Information (FOI)

The practice complies with Information Commissioner’s Office stipulations. Before requesting information, patients are asked to consult the ICO’s website and consider whether this information is already or more easily available elsewhere.

ICO home page

Approximately 300 appointments per month are ‘Did Not Attend’ (DNA).
Wasted appointments have an enormous impact on the practice in terms of:

• Significant costs
• Frustration for both patients who cannot see the Doctor of their choice and have to wait to be seen, and members of staff
• Potential risk to the health of patient

DNA Policy

GP earnings 2019/20

NHS England requires that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is published, and the required disclosure is shown below:

However, it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earning is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working at the practice and should not be used to form judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

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 The Law Medical Group Practice in the last financial year was £76,253 before tax and national insurance. During that financial year the practice had 4 full time GPs and 5 part time GPs who were working in the practice for more than six months.

What we will do We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days and we aim to have fully investigated and replied within 20 working days of the date it was received. If we expect it to take longer we will explain the reason for the delay and tell you when we expect to finish. When we look into your complaint, we will investigate the circumstances, make sure you receive an apology if this is appropriate, and take steps to make sure any problem does not arise again. You will receive a final letter setting out the result of any investigations and asking you to contact us again if you have any remaining questions regarding your complaint.

Confidentiality

All complaints must be treated in the strictest confidence

Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, the Complaints Manager must inform the patient or person acting on his/her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the Practice or an employee of the Practice.

The practice must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints, but such records must be kept separate from patients’ medical records.

Statistics and Reporting

The Practice must submit to the local primary care organisation periodically/at agreed intervals details of the number of complaints received and actioned.

We all have bad days, and when we feel ill we may feel ‘down’ and a little more irritable than normal. All our staff are here to help you. Reception staff are following procedures that help the practice to function efficiently. Staff have the right to work in a safe and secure environment and we, as employers, have the legal responsibility to provide that safe and secure environment.

The practice will not tolerate:

• Verbal abuse to staff which prevents them from doing their job or makes them feel unsafe.
• Threats of violence or actual violence to a GP or a member of his or her staff.

The GPs have the right to remove from their list with immediate effect any patient who behaves in the above manner.