Practice Policies & Patient Information

Access for the Disabled

Charlotte Medical Practice Privacy Notice

Data controller

Charlotte Medical Practice

Lochfield Road Primary Care Centre

12-28 Lochfield Road

Dumfries

DG2 9BH

01387 267626

[email protected]

For any data protection matters please contact Suzanne Robson, Practice Manager

Charlotte Medical Practice has a legal duty to explain how we use any personal information we collect about you, as a registered patient at the practice. Practice Staff and Health Board employed staff, (i.e. Pharmacists, Mental Health workers, District Nurses, Immunisation team Nurses) maintains records about your health and the treatment you receive in electronic and paper format.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:

Processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of the health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services on the basis of union or Member State law or pursuant to contract with a health professional and subject to specific condition and safeguards.

What information do we collect about you?

We will collect information such as personal details, including name, address, next of kin, records of appointments, visits, telephone calls, your health records, treatment and medications, test results, X-rays, etc. and any other relevant information to enable us to deliver effective medical care.

How we will use your information

Your data is collected for the purpose of providing direct patient care; however, we can disclose this information if it is required by law, if you give consent or if it is justified in the public interest. The practice may be requested to support research; however, we will always gain your consent before sharing your information with medical research databases such as the Information Services Division Scotland (ISD Scotland) or others when the law allows.

In order to comply with its legal obligations, this practice may send data to ISD Scotland when directed by the Secretary of State for Health under the The Public Health (Scotland) Act 2008. Additionally, this practice contributes to national clinical audits and will send the data that is required by ISD Scotland when the law allows. This may include demographic data, such as date of birth, and information about your health which is recorded in coded form; for example, the clinical code for diabetes or high blood pressure.

Processing your information in this way and obtaining your consent ensures that we comply with Articles 6(1)(c), 6(1)(e) and 9(2)(h) of the GDPR.

Maintaining confidentiality and accessing your records

We are committed to maintaining confidentiality and protecting the information we hold about you. We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security, as well as guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You have a right to access the information we hold about you, and if you would like to access this information, you will need to complete a Subject Access Request (SAR). Please ask at reception for a SAR form

We use a processor, iGPR Technologies Limited (“iGPR”), to assist us with responding to report requests relating to your patient data, such as subject access requests that you submit to us (or that someone acting on your behalf submits to us)and report requests that insurers submit to us under the Access to Medical Records Act 1988 in relation to a life insurance policy that you hold or that you are applying for.
iGPR manages the reporting process for us by reviewing and responding to requests in accordance with our instructions and all applicable
laws, including UK data protection laws. The instructions we issue to iGPR include general instructions on responding to requests and specific instructions on issues that will require further consultation with the GP responsible for your care. Furthermore, should you identify any inaccuracies; you have a right to have the inaccurate data corrected.

Risk stratification

Risk stratification is a mechanism used to identify and subsequently manage those patients deemed as being at high risk of requiring urgent or emergency care. Usually this includes patients with long-term conditions, e.g. cancer. Your information is collected by a number of sources, including SPIRE (NHS NATIONAL SERVICES SCOTLAND), NHS Dumfries and Galloway and Local Intelligence Support Team; this information is processed electronically and given a risk score which is relayed to your GP who can then decide on any necessary actions to ensure that you receive the most appropriate care.

Invoice validation

Your information may be shared if you have received treatment to determine which NHS Area Health Board is responsible for paying for your treatment. This information may include your name, address and treatment date. All of this information is held securely and confidentially; it will not be used for any other purpose or shared with any third parties.

Opt-outs

You have a right to object to your information being shared. Should you wish to opt out of data collection, please contact a member of staff who will be able to explain how you can opt out and prevent the sharing of your information; this is done by registering a Type 1 opt-out, preventing your information from being shared outside this practice.

Retention periods

In accordance with the NHS Codes of Practice for Records Management, your healthcare records will be retained for 10 years after death, or if a patient emigrates, for 10 years after the date of emigration. *Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) – GP only- must not be destroyed, or deleted, for the foreseeable future. See link for further clarification of retention periods:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2010/04/20142935/8

What to do if you have any questions

Should you have any questions about our privacy policy or the information we hold about you, you can:

Contact the practice’s data controller via email at [email protected] (GP practices are data controllers for the data they hold about their patients)
Write to the data controller at: Charlotte Medical Practice, Lochfield Primary care Centre, Lochfield Road, Dumfries DG2 9BH
Ask to speak to the practice manager Mrs Suzanne Robson

The Data Protection Officer (DPO) for Charlotte Medical Practice is Mr. Colin McClelland and he is based at NHS Dumfries & Galloway, I M & T – Floor 2, Mountainhall Treatment Centre, Dumfries, DG1 4AP.

Complaints

In the unlikely event that you are unhappy with any element of our data-processing methods, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO. For further details, visit ico.org.uk and select ‘Raising a concern’.

Changes to our privacy policy

We regularly review our privacy policy and any updates will be published on our website, in our newsletter and on posters to reflect the changes. This policy is to be reviewed 01/06/2020.

Charlotte Street Patient’s Charter

What you can expect from us:

We aim:

To provide a high quality service at all times, intended to meet the health needs of you and our family, and to treat you with courtesy and respect
To offer quickly the most appropriate care given by suitably qualified people who will explain your condition and treatment in an understandable way
To provide a non-urgent appointment with a suitable clinician within 10 working days
To provide for emergency conditions, a consultation with a suitable clinician on the same day
To provide repeat prescriptions, within two working days
To provide home visits for those too ill to attend surgery
To treat all information and details in the strictest confidence, and to give you access to your health records subject to any limitations of the law

What we expect from you:

To attend appointments on time, or to give adequate notice of you have to cancel, as non-attendance is very wasteful
To request a home visit only when too ill to attend surgery and not for social convenience. If possible requests should be made by 10a.m. to allow us to plan the day’s work
To request an “Out-of-Hours” consultation or visit “A&E” only when truly necessary
To treat staff with the courtesy you would expect to receive
To try to attend Health Promotion Clinics when invited
To request repeat prescriptions well in advance
To try to maintain a healthy lifestyle

Data Protection

Our Practice is registered with the Data Protection Registrar. Typical Activities are: The Administration of Patient Records; The Provision of General Medical Services; Other Medical, Pharmaceutical, Nursing or Ophthalmic Treatment or Care; Pathology or Other Investigative Services; Diagnosis, Therapy, Rehabilitation, Preventative Care, Screen And Follow Up Health Services; Analysis of Management Purposes and Statutory Returns etc. Data subjects are: Current, Past and Prospective Patients, Current, Past and Potential Employees, Survey and Research Organisations. To provide you with the care you need, we hold details of your consultation, illnesses, tests, prescriptions and other treatments that have been recorded by everyone involved in your care and treatment e.g. GP, practice nurse, district nurse or health visitor. This information may be stored on paper or electronically on computer files.

We will provide an “Emergency Care Summary (ECS) to Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments and to Out of Hours (OOH) on request. The ECS contains basic information about you such as prescribing and allergy information, and is designed to enhance your care in an emergency situation. The practice commends this system, which can be accessed electronically by OOH and A&E departments throughout Scotland. You can however opt out of this service by writing to the Practice Manager.

Our practice participates in regional and national programmes such as the cervical cytology and breast-screening services. Your name, address, date of birth and Community Health Index (CHI) number may be provided to these organisations so you can be included in these NHS health screening initiatives. We are required to provide basic details about you to NHS Dumfries & Galloway and also to NHS Services Scotland in order to receive payment for any services provided to you. These organisations have a duty to protect public funds, and are authorised to verify that payments are being properly made. We are required to co-operate with these checks and the disclosure of your basic data is a necessary part of our provision of health care services. Sometimes we may participate in studies that are designed to improve the way services are provide to you or to check that our performance meets required standards and benchmarks. Whenever we take part in activities such as these we will ensure that information is anonymised and any details that may identify you are not disclosed.

Our use of your personal health information is protected by a duty of confidentiality and is regulated by the Data protection Act. The Act gives you a number of rights in relation to how your personal information is used, including a right to access information we hold about you. See the leaflet “How to see your Health Records” available in the surgery or visit the following web sites: www.scotconsumer.org.uk/hris or www.show.scot.nhs.uk/healthrights.

Everyone working in the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential and adheres to a code of practice on protecting patient confidentiality. Further information on this can be found at http://www.confidentiality.scot.nhs.uk/. If you have any queries or concerns on how we use you personal health information, or would like to access you information, please contact our Practice Manager.

Freedom of Information Act

NHS Zero Tolerance Policy

This practice strongly supports the Scottish Executive’s Policy on zero tolerance.

Violence and abuse is a growing concern within the NHS. The Doctors and their staff have the 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 be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner whatsoever. Should a patient be violent, abusive or aggressive to a doctor or any member of their staff, we will ask that their name be removed from our list of patients with immediate effect. They will then have to contact the local Health Board (0845 300 1024) to register with a new Practice. We will not hesitate to summon the police to remove offenders from the practice premises. In the event of the individual having already left the premises, they will always be reported to the police.

Patient Information

In order to improve patient care, our surgery continually reviews its patient health care and prescribing policies. To facilitate these reviews, it will be necessary for the Prescribing Support Pharmacist or other Health Care Professionals to visit or contact the practice on a regular basis and offer advice on improvements to patient care or to collate information. These reviews will be carried out in the following way: checking of individual patient manual/computer records and the sharing of information between health care agencies. If any patient objects to this, or they wish to discuss any aspect of this policy, please ask to speak to the Practice Manager.

Practice Documents

Practice Fire Alarm Testing

We test our fire alarm every Wednesday at approximately 9.15 a.m. The fire signal is a loud ringing and should be silenced after a couple of rings. If it continues to sound you should evacuate the building as quickly as possible by the nearest exit and wait at the assembly point until directed by the responsible officer. The assembly point is located on the grass at the far side of the car park and is marked by a green notice. Our staff will assist you if required.

Recording of Telephone Calls

Suggestions and Complaints Procedure

Our aim is continuously to improve our service to our patients and we welcome comments and suggestions. The surgery adheres to the NHS Scotland Complaints Handling Procedure for dealing with complaints. Our system meets national criteria and our Practice Manager will give you further information on request. Our practice complaints leaflet gives details of the procedure and is available here.

Please complete the online form below to inform us of a complaint, compliment or comment.