Practice Policies & Patient Information

Complaint Procedure

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.

Confidentiality & Medical Records

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

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.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Data Protection Act 2018 + GDPR

Data Regulations

Addison House Surgery – Patient Privacy and Data Procedures

How Addison House Surgery uses your information to provide you with healthcare

This practice keeps medical records confidential and complies with the General Data Protection Regulation.

We hold your medical record so that we can provide you with safe care and treatment.

We will also use your information so that this practice can check and review the quality of the care we provide. This helps us to improve our services to you.

We will share relevant information from your medical record with other health or social care staff or organisations when they provide you with care. For example, your GP will share information when they refer you to a specialist in a hospital. Or your GP will send details about your prescription to your chosen pharmacy.
Healthcare staff working in A&E and out of hours care will also have access to your information. For example, it is important that staff who are treating you in an emergency know if you have any allergic reactions. This will involve the use of your Summary Care Record. For more information see: https://digital.nhs.uk/summary-care-records or alternatively speak to the practice.
You have the right to object to information being shared for your own care. Please speak to the practice if you wish to object. You also have the right to have any mistakes or errors corrected.

Other important information about how your information is used to provide you with healthcare

Registering for NHS care

All patients who receive NHS care are registered on a national database.
This database holds your name, address, date of birth and NHS Number but it does not hold information about the care you receive.
The database is held by NHS Digital, a national organisation which has legal responsibilities to collect NHS data.
More information can be found at: www.digital.nhs.uk or the phone number for general enquires at NHS Digital is 0300 303 5678.

Identifying patients who might be at risk of certain diseases

Your medical records will be searched by a computer programme so that we can identify patients who might be at high risk from certain diseases such as heart disease or unplanned admissions to hospital.
This means we can offer patients additional care or support as early as possible.
This process will involve linking information from your GP record with information from other health or social care services you have used.
Information which identifies you will only be seen by this practice.

Safeguarding

Sometimes we need to share information so that other people, including healthcare staff, children or others with safeguarding needs, are protected from risk of harm.
These circumstances are rare.
We do not need your consent or agreement to do this.

We are required by law to provide you with the following information about how we handle your information.

Data Controller
contact details

Dr John Onuorah, Addison House Surgery, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex CM20 1DS. Telephone 01279 621900

Data Protection Officer
contact details

Renier van Zyl, Stellar Healthcare, Building 1, Spencer Close, St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping, Essex, CM16 6TN, telephone: 01992 660272

Purpose of the processing

To give direct health or social care to individual patients.
For example, when a patient agrees to a referral for direct care, such as to a hospital, relevant information about the patient will be shared with the other healthcare staff to enable them to give appropriate advice, investigations, treatments and/or care.
To check and review the quality of care (this is called audit and clinical governance).

Lawful basis for processing

These purposes are supported under the following sections of the GDPR:

Article 6(1)(e) ‘…necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’
and Article 9(2)(h) ‘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 and services…”

Healthcare staff will also respect and comply with their obligations under the common law duty of confidence.

Recipient or categories of recipients of the processed data

The data will be shared with:

healthcare professionals and staff in this surgery;
local hospitals;
out of hours services;
diagnostic and treatment centres;
or other organisations involved in the provision of direct care to individual patients.

Rights to object

You have the right to object to information being shared between those who are providing you with direct care.
This may affect the care you receive – please speak to the practice.
You are not able to object to your name, address and other demographic information being sent to NHS Digital.
This is necessary if you wish to be registered to receive NHS care.
You are not able to object when information is legitimately shared for safeguarding reasons.
In appropriate circumstances it is a legal and professional requirement to share information for safeguarding reasons. This is to protect people from harm.
The information will be shared with the local safeguarding service: West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, Building 4, Spencer Close, The Plain, Epping CM16 6TN.

Right to access and correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected.
We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention period

GP medical records will be kept in line with the law and national guidance. Information on how long records are kept can be found at:
digital.nhs.uk/article/1202/Records-Management-Code-of-Practice-for-Health-and-Social-Care-2016

or speak to the practice.

Right to complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain follow this link ico.org.uk/global/contact-us

or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

Data we get from other organisations

We receive information about your health from other organisations who are involved in providing you with health and social care. For example, if you go to hospital for treatment or an operation the hospital will send us a letter to let us know what happens. This means your GP medical record is kept up-to date when you receive care from other parts of the health service.

How your information is used for medical research and to measure the quality of care

Medical research

Addison House Surgery shares information from medical records:

to support medical research when the law allows us to do so, for example to learn more about why people get ill and what treatments might work best;
we will also use your medical records to carry out research within the practice.

This is important because:

the use of information from GP medical records is very useful in developing new treatments and medicines;
medical researchers use information from medical records to help answer important questions about illnesses and disease so that improvements can be made to the care and treatment patients receive.

We share information with the following medical research organisations with your explicit consent or when the law allows: e.g. RCGP Research

You have the right to object to your identifiable information being used or shared for medical research purposes. Please speak to the practice if you wish to object

Checking the quality of care – national clinical audits

Nuffield House Surgery contributes to national clinical audits so that healthcare can be checked and reviewed.

Information from medical records can help doctors and other healthcare workers measure and check the quality of care which is provided to you.
The results of the checks or audits can show where hospitals are doing well and where they need to improve.
The results of the checks or audits are used to recommend improvements to patient care.
Data are sent to NHS Digital, a national body with legal responsibilities to collect data.
The data will include information about you, such as your NHS Number and date of birth and information about your health which is recorded in coded form – for example the code for diabetes or high blood pressure.
We will only share your information for national clinical audits or checking purposes when the law allows.
For more information about national clinical audits see the Healthcare Quality Improvements Partnership website: https://www.hqip.org.uk/ or phone 020 7997 7370.
You have the right to object to your identifiable information being shared for national clinical audits. Please contact the practice if you wish to object.

We are required by law to provide you with the following information about how we share your information for medical research purposes.

Data Controller
contact details

Dr John Onuorah, Addison House Surgery, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex CM20 1DS. Telephone 01279 621900

Data Protection Officer
contact details

Renier van Zyl, Stellar Healthcare, Building 1, Spencer Close, St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping, Essex CM16 6TN

Telephone: 01992 660272

Purpose of the processing

Medical research and to check the quality of care which is given to patients (this is called national clinical audit).

Lawful basis for processing

The following sections of the GDPR mean that we can use medical records for research and to check the quality of care (national clinical audits)

Article 6(1)(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’.

For medical research: there are two possible Article 9 conditions.

Article 9(2) (a) – ‘the data subject has given explicit consent…’

Article 9(2) (j) – ‘processing is necessary for… scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) based on Union or Member States law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and interests of the data subject’.

To check the quality of care (clinical audit):

Article 9(2) (h) – ‘processing is necessary for the purpose of preventative…medicine…the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…’

Recipient or categories of recipients of the processed data

For medical research the data will be shared with e.g. RCGP Research

For national clinical audits which check the quality of care the data will be shared with NHS Digital.

Rights to object and the national data opt-out

You have a right to object under the GDPR and the right to ‘opt-out’ under the national data opt-out model. The national data opt-out model provides an easy way for you to opt-out of:

information that identifies you being used or shared for medical research purposes and quality checking or audit purposes.

Please contact the practice if you wish to opt-out.

To opt-out of your identifiable information being shared for medical research or to find out more about your opt-out choices please go to NHS Digital’s website: digital.nhs.uk/

Right to access and correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected.
We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention period

Or speak to the practice.

Right to complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain follow this link:

ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

How your information is shared so that this practice can meet legal requirements

The law requires Addison House Surgery to share information from your medical records in certain circumstances. Information is shared so that the NHS or Public Health England can, for example:

plan and manage services;
check that the care being provided is safe;
prevent infectious diseases from spreading.

We will share information with NHS Digital, the Care Quality Commission and local health protection team (or Public Health England) when the law requires us to do so. Please see below for more information.

We must also share your information if a court of law orders us to do so.

NHS Digital

NHS Digital is a national body which has legal responsibilities to collect information about health and social care services.
It collects information from across the NHS in England and provides reports on how the NHS is performing. These reports help to plan and improve services to patients.
This practice must comply with the law and will send data to NHS Digital, for example, when it is told to do so by the Secretary of State for Health or NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
More information about NHS Digital and how it uses information can be found at: digital.nhs.uk/home
NHS Digital sometimes shares names and addresses of patients suspected of committing immigration offences with the Home Office. More information on this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/information-requests-from-the-home-office-to-nhs-digital

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

The CQC regulates health and social care services to ensure that safe care is provided.
The law says that we must report certain serious events to the CQC, for example, when patient safety has been put at risk.
For more information about the CQC see: www.cqc.org.uk/

Public Health

The law requires us to share data for public health reasons, for example to prevent the spread of infectious diseases or other diseases which threaten the health of the population.
We will report the relevant information to local health protection team or Public Health England.
For more information about Public Health England and disease reporting see:
www.gov.uk/guidance/notifiable-diseases-and-causative-organisms-how-to-report

We are required by law to provide you with the following information about how we handle your information and our legal obligations to share data.

Data Controller
contact details

Dr John Onuorah, Addison House Surgery, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex CM20 1DS. Telephone 01279 621900

Data Protection Officer
contact details

Renier van Zyl, Stellar Healthcare, Building 1, Spencer Close, St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping, Essex CM16 6TN

Telephone: 01992 660272

Purpose of the processing

Compliance with legal obligations or court order.

Lawful basis for processing

The following sections of the GDPR mean that we can share information when the law tells us to.

Article 6(1)(c) – ‘processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject…’

Article 9(2)(h) – ‘processing is necessary for the purpose of preventative…medicine…the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…’

Recipient or categories of recipients of the processed data

The data will be shared with NHS Digital.
The data will be shared with the Care Quality Commission.
The data will be shared with our local health protection team or Public Health England.
The data will be shared with the court if ordered.

Rights to object and the national data opt-out

There are very limited rights to object when the law requires information to be shared but government policy allows some rights of objection as set out below.

NHS Digital

You have the right to object to information being shared with NHS Digital for reasons other than your own direct care.
This is called a ‘Type 1’ objection – you can ask your practice to apply this code to your record.
Please note: The ‘Type 1’ objection, however, will no longer be available after 2020.
This means you will not be able to object to your data being shared with NHS Digital when it is legally required under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

The national data op-out model provides you with an easy way of opting-out of identifiable data being used for health service planning and research purposes, including when it is shared by NHS Digital for these reasons.

To opt-out or to find out more about your opt-out choices please go to NHS Digital’s website: https://digital.nhs.uk/

NHS Digital sharing with the Home Office

There is no right of objection to NHS Digital sharing names and addresses of patients who are suspected of having committed an immigration offence.

Public health

Legally information must be shared under public health legislation. This means that you are unable to object.

Care Quality Commission

Legally information must be shared when the Care Quality Commission needs it for their regulatory functions. This means that you are unable to object.

Court order

Your information must be shared if it ordered by a court. This means that you are unable to object.

Right to access and correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected.
We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention period

or speak to the practice.

Right to complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain follow this link ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

National screening programmes

The NHS provides national screening programmes so that certain diseases can be detected at an early stage.
These screening programmes include bowel cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, aortic aneurysms and a diabetic eye screening service.
The law allows us to share your contact information with Public Health England so that you can be invited to the relevant screening programme.
More information can be found at: www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmesor speak to the practice.

We are required by law to provide you with the following information about how we handle your information in relation to our legal obligations to share data.

Data Controller
contact details

Dr John Onuorah, Addison House Surgery, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex CM20 1DS. Telephone 01279 621900

Data Protection Officer
contact details

Renier van Zyl, Stellar Healthcare, Building 1, Spencer Close, St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping, Essex CM16 6TN

Telephone: 01992 660272

Purpose of the processing

The NHS provides several national health screening programmes to detect diseases or conditions early such as cervical and breast cancer, aortic aneurysm and diabetes.
The information is shared so that the correct people are invited for screening. This means those who are most at risk can be offered treatment.

Lawful basis for processing

The following sections of the GDPR allow us to contact patients for screening.

Article 6(1) (e) – ‘processing is necessary…in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller…’’

Recipient or categories of recipients of the processed data

The data will be shared with those who provide bowel screening, breast screening, cervical screening and retinal eye screening services

Rights to object

For national screening programmes: you can opt so that you no longer receive an invitation to a screening programme.

See: www.gov.uk/government/publications/opting-out-of-the-nhs-population-screening-programmes

Or speak to the practice.

Right to access and correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected.
We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention period

GP medical records will be kept in line with the law and national guidance.

Information on how long records can be kept can be found at:
digital.nhs.uk/article/1202/Records-Management-Code-of-Practice-for-Health-and-Social-Care-2016

Or speak to the practice.

Right to complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain follow this link ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

Or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

Data we get from other organisations

GP Net Earnings

2021/22 Publication of Earnings – Addison House Surgery

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 Addison House Surgery in the last financial year was £83,287 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 3 full time GPs, 2 part time GPs and 3 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

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.

2020/21 Publication of Earnings – Addison House Surgery

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 Addison House Surgery in the last financial year was £116,632 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 4 full time GPs, 2 part-time GPs and 1 locum who worked in the practice for more than six months.

Home Visiting Policy

Our home visiting policy is based on RCGP guidelines. You cannot insist that a GP visits you at home.

A GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it. A GP can also decide how urgently a visit is needed.

Due to increasing demand GPs can no longer automatically visit any patient who requests a home visit. All visits must now be triaged and dealt with according to clinical need.

GPs are better able to assess patients in the surgery where they have access to specialist equipment, good lighting and examination facilities and therefore it is always the preferable site for any consultation.

GPs having to visit inappropriate house call patients are delayed from visiting those patients who are in genuine need of a visit and therefore this poses an unacceptable clinical risk.

GPs are not responsible for ensuring that a patient has financial means to attend the surgery nor that the patient chooses to register with a practice that is difficult for them to get to in bad weather or without a car.

GPs are not obliged to visit a patient if they have assessed the patient’s clinical need on the telephone and found them to be suitable for an alternative method of healthcare.

As long as the GP has provided a plan for a patient (which may be an appointment the same day, a future day, telephone advice or attendance at other healthcare site such as A&E, a message communicated via reception) then the partners of The Addison House Surgery will support any such decision made.

All telephone calls are recorded. Admin and clinical staff are expected to make good records of all patient contact within the clinical record.

The Surgery has weekly MDT (multidisciplinary team) meetings with community clinical staff where relevant clinical management matters including home visit requests/feedback are discussed.

Summary Care Record

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who can see it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I know if I have one?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by looking at our interactive map or by asking your GP

Do I have to have one?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.

Download the opt out form

Violence Policy

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation 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.