Missed Appointments/Did Not Attend (DNA) and List Removal

Did Not Attend (DNA) Policy

Due to high levels of patients not attending appointments, we have reviewed our Did Not Attend (DNA) policy.

Any patient who fails to attend for their own or their child’s appointment without informing the practice incurs a burden to the practice and to other patients in terms of lost appointments. Many appointments every day are missed without being cancelled. Every missed appointment is an appointment that could have been given to another patient who needed it.

Please help us to help you by always cancelling an appointment you are unable to attend or no longer need, well in advance, so that it may be offered to someone else.

Due to high levels of patients not attending appointments, we have reviewed our practice policy. Patients who fail to attend appointments and do not contact the surgery in advance will be managed according to the practice DNA policy as set out below:

  • Any patient who misses their appointment without cancelling in advance will be sent a standard text reminder notifying them of the missed appointment and a reminder of our policy if they continue to miss appointments.
  • If a patient fails to attend 2 appointments within the last 12 months, their case will be discussed at a practice meeting. An informal warning letter may be sent to the patient, advising them that a further missed appointment could risk removal from the practice.
  • If the patient fails to attend a third appointment within 12 months of a warning letter, the matter will be discussed at a practice meeting, and a majority agreement will be reached as to whether the patient will be removed from the practice list. The patient will be informed of the outcome of this meeting with a formal letter.
  • Warning letters are valid for a period of 12 months. Removal based on warnings greater than 12 months old will be invalid – in this case a further formal warning and period of grace will be required.
  • For parents, please note that the policy above will also apply to children who are not brought to their appointments. Missed appointments will trigger a discussion in a practice meeting and review with our safeguarding lead. Failing to bring children to their appointments can be a sign of other problems that would need further action.

 

Patient removal policy

The surgery operates on a policy of mutual respect between patients and staff. We aim to build long term relationships with our patients.  However, there may be circumstances when it would be considered reasonable, or in the best interests of the Practice or the patient, to remove patients from our list. The purpose of this policy is therefore to define the practice guidelines for patient removal ensuring that all cases are dealt with fairly.

Below are examples that will trigger the removal process and the resulting action by the practice.

Physical abuse, violence, or threats of the same, including any damage to practice premises

Will be immediately reported to the Police and the person will be immediately removed from the list and referred to the scheme for violent patients.

Crime and deception

Where a patient fraudulently obtains drugs for non-medical reasons, deliberately lies in order to obtain a service or benefit by deception, steals from the practice or attempts to use the doctor to conceal or aid any criminal activity, they will be immediately removed from the list

Verbal abuse of a member of staff

Normally one written warning will be issued with any further incident resulting in removal from the list, but the practice reserves the right to remove someone instantly depending on the severity and nature of the incident.

Persistent failure to attend appointments

Once an appointment is made, patients are expected to keep it or inform us in good time that they need to cancel or change it. Failure to do so for three appointments within one year at the surgery will trigger a warning letter. Further failure to attend will result in removal from the list.

Persistent, unreasonable demands

Examples might include pressurising clinicians to prescribe a certain medication that they deem inappropriate or demanding urgent appointments for minor problems. Persistent instances will result in the patient being issued with a warning. A further incident will result in removal.

Persistent abuse of services

If the practice is aware that a patient, or relative, persistently ignores requests to follow procedures set down to ensure safe clinical care for them and other patients, two warnings in writing will be given. On a third occasion, the removal of that patient will be made.

Irretrievable breakdown of the doctor-patient relationship

Occasionally a patient’s behaviour falls outside that which is normally considered reasonable and leads to an irretrievable breakdown of the essential doctor-patient relationship. In some cases, this can be overcome by changing GPs within the practice but in others this will not be appropriate and following written explanation the patient will be removed from the practice list. Examples include sexual advances towards a clinician, making an unfounded allegation against a GP or the practice, or falling out with several clinicians within the practice and insisting on seeing only one.

Distance

If a patient moves outside of the practice boundary, they are automatically deemed to have left the practice and will be removed from the list by the Health Authority.

 

Patient Participation Group

We would like to know how we can improve our service to you and how you perceive our surgery and staff.

To help us with this, we have a patient representation group so that you can have your say; we ask the members of this representative group some questions from time to time, such as what you think about our opening times or the quality of the care or service you receive.

We will contact you via email and keep our surveys short so it shouldn’t take too much of your time.

If you would like to become involved, please complete our Patient Participation Group Registration below.

PPG Sign Up

Email
Date of Birth
The information below will help to make sure that we receive feedback from a representative sample of the patients registered at this practice.
How would you describe how often you come to the practice?

We aim to acknowledge your request within a few days.

Disabled Access and Facilities

If you have any special needs please let our staff know so that we can help you, and also ensure you get the same support in the future.

Wheelchair access

The Practice has been specially designed to make it easier for disabled patients to visit; patients also have access to a disabled toilet.

Disabled parking – Blue badge scheme

Our car park has a disabled parking space.

The Blue Badge Scheme is for people with severe mobility problems. It allows Blue Badge holders to park close to where they need to go. For more information and an Application Form visit your local council office.

Loop system

We have a loop induction system at reception to assist the hearing impaired. For more information on the loop hearing system visit Hearing Link website.

Blind/partially sighted

If you or your family members are blind or partially sighted we can give you a CD or large print of our Practice leaflet upon request. Please ask our staff for further information.

For more advice and support for blind people please visit the following websites:

Assistance Dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome at the practice but we ask that you be aware of other patients and staff who may have an allergy or fear of dogs. Please visit the guide dog website for further information.

Privacy Notice

Who we are

Data Controller Ashcroft Surgery, 803 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 3BS
Data Protection Register Entry Z6857255
Named Data Protection Officer

 

Introduction

We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and keeping your information secure.

Personal Data is any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified from that data.  Identifiers could include name, system ID numbers and location data.

Some forms of Personal Data are considered to be sensitive and must not be processed except for certain limited purposes.  These Special Categories of Personal Data include racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health data, details of sex life or sexual orientation and biometric data for the purpose of identifying a natural person.

In order to provide our services, we will collect Personal Data, including Special Categories of Personal Data, about you.  We will refer to these collectively as data throughout this notice.  We will always treat your data with absolute care to protect your confidentiality.

This notice explains how we collect information about you, how we use that information and who we may share it with.  It also tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

How the law protects you

Data protection laws say that we are only allowed to use the data we hold about you if we have a legitimate reason for doing so, and it is necessary to do so.  There are six reasons, or lawful bases, under which we can process data.  These are:

  • Consent: you have given clear consent for us to process your data for a specific purpose.
  • Contract: the processing is necessary for a contract you have with us, or because you asked us to take specific steps before entering into a contract.
  • Legal obligation: the processing is necessary for us to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations).
  • Vital interests: the processing is necessary to protect someone’s life.
  • Public task: the processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.
  • Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s data which overrides those legitimate interests.

A legitimate interest is when we have a business or commercial need to use your information.  If we rely on this reason, then we must explain to you what our legitimate interest is.  We must consider what is right and best for you when deciding if we want to rely on a legitimate interest.

For Special Categories of Personal Data there are additional safeguards we must meet in order to use this information.  Data protection law says that processing of Special Categories of Data is prohibited unless one of ten conditions applies.  In order to provide our services we may rely on the following conditions.

  • Consent: you have given clear consent for us to process your data for a specific purpose.
  • Employment and social security: the processing is necessary to comply with obligations or rights we have in relation to employment and social protection law.
  • Vital interests: the processing is necessary to protect someone’s life where you are physically or legally unable to give consent.
  • Public domain: the information is something that you have already made public.
  • Legal: the processing is necessary for the establishments, exercise or defence of legal claims, or if required by a court of law.
  • Health and social care: the 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 health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services.
  • Public health: the processing is necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, such as protecting against serious cross-border threats to health or ensuring high standards of quality and safety of health care and of medicinal products or medical devices.
  • Archiving: the processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes

Where we collect data and the lawful basis we rely on

We collect and process data about you in order to provide the best quality healthcare to you and to audit the service that we provide.  The majority of this data will be obtained directly from you during interactions you have with our services.  However, we may also obtain data about you from other sources, as detailed in the section Categories of personal data not obtained from data subject. We generally refer to the information we hold about your as your medical record, which is made up of both paper and electronic files.

Visitors to our website and social media pages

When someone visits our website or social media pages we may collect standard internet log information such as IP address, location and pages visited. We use this data to analyse the effectiveness of our website and visitor behaviour patterns. The information is only processed in a way that does not directly identify anyone. We, and any third party provider we engage to help with the analytics, do not make any attempt to find out the identity of visitors to our website. This privacy notice does not apply to other websites we may provide a link to. We recommend you read the privacy notice on any other websites you visit.

Cookies

Our website does not use cookies or any other invasive tracking technology.

Patients who have signed up for our online services

Online services include the ability to book and cancel appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view your medical record using the internet.  There are a number of different providers that offering online service portals.  You should refer to the Privacy Notice for the service provider you are using for information about how they use the data you grant them access to.

The lawful basis under which we process Personal Data is that 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.

The lawful basis under which we process Sensitive Personal Data is that 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 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.

We may also remove all identifiers from data we hold about you to produce pseudonymised or anonymised data sets.  These are used for things such as financial claims and service review and design.  We refer to use of data in this way as for secondary uses.  Once all identifiers have been removed, data is no longer classed as Personal Data as it cannot directly or indirectly identify you.

Telephone calls

When someone calls us we collect Calling Line Identification (CLI) information.  We use this information to monitor the effectiveness of our business.  We may record calls for training and monitoring purposes.  Call recording is provided by our telephone service provider.  Access to recordings is restricted to specific practice personnel.

Our telephone system and call recording are hosted externally and provided by X-on.  For more details of this relationship, see the Data processors section below.

Lawful basis: public task.

Special categories conditions: health and social care, public health.

Emails

We may use any email, including any attachments, sent to us to support the services that we provide to you.  We may retain details from emails in an anonymised format for monitoring and business development purposes.  Emails from patients will be stored in their medical record and may be processed for the purposes of providing relevant services to them.

Our email service is operated by an external provider called Accenture under contract to NHS Digital.  For more details of this relationship, see the Data processors section below.

Lawful basis: public task.

Special categories conditions: health and social care, public health.

Personal interactions

Personal interactions include visits you make to the practice premises or when a member of the practice team visits you at home.  These interactions can be with any member of the practice team, including our reception and admin staff, doctors and nurses.

Our legitimate interests for processing (if relying on this for legal basis)

We do not rely on legitimate interests as a legal basis for processing data we hold about you.

Categories of data not obtained from data subject (including details of source)

Whilst the NHS and local authority work together as one to provide you with the best health and care possible, they are made up of many organisations who are considered as individual Data Controllers under data protection law.  We must therefore tell you about data we obtain from other sources.

 

If you attend another part of the NHS then they will usually share information about the care they provided with us.  Examples might be an extended access service, a walk-in centre, an out of hours doctor or a hospital.  We may also receive information from your local authority in relation to social care.

 

We obtain data about you from the following external organisations that provide services local to us.

We may additionally receive information from an organisation that is not local if you attend for emergency treatment.

How we may share data

Your data is treated with strict confidentiality.

We may share data about you in the following circumstances.  We will only ever share information that is relevant and needed for the purpose concerned.

Sharing within the public health and care service (NHS and local authority)

There may be occasions where you need to be seen by another health or care service.  Examples include seeing a GP in an extended access service or walk-in centre at a time that suits you, attending an urgent care service or being referred for an investigation or specialist opinion.  It is important that these organisations have access to your medical record held by us so they can provide safe and effective care to you as well.

We share data about you with these organisations through paper and electronic means.  This may be specific information or your whole medical record depending on the requirements of the service.  We only share information in this way to provide you with health and care services.

Lawful basis: public task.

Special categories conditions: health and social care, public health.

Sharing with health professionals outside the NHS

You may have private health insurance and ask us to refer you to a private professional or organisation.  This is outside the official functions permitted within our NHS contract which means we will ask for your consent to share information in this way.  We would normally share only information that is relevant and not your whole medical record.

Lawful basis: consent.

Special categories conditions: consent.

Sharing not related to health and care provision

We do not share personal data for purposes not related to your health and care provision, except where one of the following applies.

  • You have given your explicit and informed consent.
  • We believe the sharing is in your vital interests.
  • We have a legal obligation to do so.

Anonymised or de-identified data

We may remove all identifiers from data we hold about you to produce pseudonymised or anonymised data sets.  These are used for things such as financial claims and service review and design.  We refer to use of data in this way as for secondary uses.  Once all identifiers have been removed, data is no longer classed as Personal Data as it cannot directly or indirectly identify you.  This type of data is not subject to data protection law.

We will not share any data about you for any other purpose without your consent.

Details of data transfers to third countries

We do not transfer any data to third countries.

Data processors

We use a number of different systems to hold information.  Some of these are internal and under the full control of the practice and some are operated by external providers.  Where we use a system from an external provider, they are acting as a Data Processor on our behalf.  As a Data Processor, they can only act under our instructions and we have data sharing agreements in place which outline the permissions we grant them.

The data processor is generally providing a system or functionality that we need in order to provide our services to you.  There are robust procedures in place that prevent them from viewing the data that we hold within the system they provide.  The only exception to this is where we require them to provide us with support, in which case there are protections to limit what they can see.

The following are Data Processors for us.

Egton Medical Information Systems (EMIS)

EMIS provide our clinical computer system.  We hold the majority of your medical record in our clinical computer system.  Data is hosted in data centres located in the UK, and within the secure NHS network.  Our clinical computer system provides functionality to grant other organisations a view only access to the medical records we hold.  This access only works if you are also registered with the other organisation.

Accenture and NHS England

The NHS has a secure email system which is procured by NHS England through a contract with Accenture.  By default, emails are stored on servers provided by Accenture.  Even when downloaded or deleted, a copy of messages is stored for a limited period for recovery purposes.  The platform is operated using servers and infrastructure based in the UK.

X-on

We require a telephone system so that we can communicate with you.  We use a system that is hosted by X-on.  The system maintains call logs and we record calls.  These are stored on servers located in the UK.

Accurx

We use software from the above company to operate our text service to send you things such as appointment reminders, test results and clinic invitations.  Their servers store your mobile number, name and the text messages we send.  The servers are located in the UK.  Messages are routed through an email to text gateway provided by Accenture and NHS England.

Retention policy for data

We retain all data in line with the Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016.  This is available at https://digital.nhs.uk/media/1158/Records-Management-Code-of-Practice-for-Health-and-Social-Care-2016/pdf/Records-management-COP-HSC-2016.

The standard retention period for GP health records is ten years after the death or emigration of the patient.  At this point the records are reviewed to check whether any data needs to be retained for longer.

Where it is not known if a patient has died or emigrated and they do not return for any care, the records should be retained for one hundred years.

The retention period for electronic health records depends on the system in use.  If the system allows for the record to be deleted whilst retaining a marker to identify it was deleted, then the retention period should be ten years after the patient had died or emigrated.  If the system does not allow this, then the record should be archived after ten years so that it is no longer accessible to users of the system.

Your rights (including right to withdraw consent where relevant)

Right to be informed

We are informing you about how we collect and use information about you in this Privacy Notice.

Right of access

We believe in being open and transparent about the personal information we hold about you.  You can submit a subject access request under relevant Data Protection legislation to ask if we hold any information about you.  If we hold information then we will provide a description of it, explain why we are holding it and can provide a copy if requested to do so.  Requests must be made in writing and should be sent to the Data Controller at our registered office address.  We must provide a response, or the data we hold, within one month of receiving your request.

Right of rectification

If you believe the data that we hold is inaccurate or incomplete then you can ask us to update it.  You can do this verbally or in writing, and we must respond to let you know our decision within one calendar month.  If we agree the data is inaccurate we will update it, otherwise we will explain why we believe the data we hold is accurate.  This right applies to factual information.  The opinion of a healthcare professional would not normally be considered factual information and may not be covered by this right.

Right to erasure (right to be forgotten)

In certain circumstances you can ask us to delete all data we hold about you.  You can make such a request verbally or in writing and we must respond within one month.  The right to erasure does not apply where we have relied on the public task lawful basis for processing.  If we need to retain the data to defend against any legal claims, we may not be able to comply with your request.

Right to restrict processing

In certain circumstances you can ask us to stop processing any the data we hold about you.  We can still retain the data, but we cannot use it.  Such requests can be made verbally or in writing and we have one month to respond.  You can ask us to stop processing data if:

  • you believe the data is inaccurate;
  • the data has been unlawfully processed;
  • you disagree with our legitimate interests for processing your data.

We will stop processing data on receipt of your request.  This restriction may be removed once we have provided our response.

Right to object

Where we process data for our legitimate interests, direct marketing, public task or public interest, you have a right to object to this processing.  Any objection must be on grounds relating to your particular situation.  If you object to our legitimate interests then we must be able to demonstrate that our interests override your own interests, right and freedoms.  We cannot refuse your right to object to direct marketing.

If you have provided us with consent, you have a right to withdraw this consent at any time.  You will be provided with information about this right when you are asked for consent.

If you would like to discuss any of your rights with us then please contact us using the details provided above.

How to complain (including to ICO)

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, then please get in touch with us to discuss your concerns.  You can get in touch using any of the contact details provided above.

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are concerned about how we have handled data we hold about you.  Full details of how to do so can be found of their website at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/.  If you prefer you can call them on 0303 123 1113 or email casework@ico.org.uk.

Personal Data required as part of a statutory or contractual requirement and the consequences of not providing it

We have a contractual requirement to record details of the healthcare that we provide to you.  This ensures we have all relevant information to provide you with the best possible care and treatment.  If we did not record this information, then it may limit our ability to provide you with safe care and treatment as we may be unable to determine the clinical risk involved.

Information about automated processing

We do not carry out any automated processing on the Personal Data we hold about you.

Contract and Commissioner

We are commissioned by Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership (GMICP) and provide primary medical services under a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract.

Within the GMICP we are part of the Manchester Integrated Care Partnership.

Manchester Integrated Care Partnership
Ground Floor
Parkway 3
Parkway Business Centre
Princess Road
M14 7LU

gmicb-mh.micp@nhs.net

0161 213 1750

https://gmintegratedcare.org.uk/my-borough/manchester/

Your Rights and Responsibilities

Your responsibilities

The NHS belongs to all of us. There are things that we can all do for ourselves and for one another to help it work effectively, and to ensure resources are used responsibly.

  • Please recognise that you can make a significant contribution to your own, and your family’s, good health and wellbeing, and take personal responsibility for it.
  • Please register with a GP practice – the main point of access to NHS care as commissioned by NHS bodies.
  • Please treat NHS staff and other patients with respect and recognise that violence, or the causing of nuisance or disturbance on NHS premises, could result in prosecution. You should recognise that abusive and violent behaviour could result in you being refused access to NHS services.
  • Please provide accurate information about your health, condition and status.
  • Please keep appointments, or cancel within reasonable time. Receiving treatment within the maximum waiting times may be compromised unless you do.
  • Please follow the course of treatment which you have agreed, and talk to your clinician if you find this difficult.
  • Please participate in important public health programmes such as vaccination.
  • Please ensure that those closest to you are aware of your wishes about organ donation.
  • Please give feedback – both positive and negative – about your experiences and the treatment and care you have received, including any adverse reactions you may have had. You can often provide feedback anonymously and giving feedback will not affect adversely your care or how you are treated. If a family member or someone you are a carer for is a patient and unable to provide feedback, you are encouraged to give feedback about their experiences on their behalf. Feedback will help to improve NHS services for all.

Your rights and the NHS pledges to you

Everyone who uses the NHS should understand what legal rights they have. For this reason, important legal rights are summarised in the NHS Constitution and explained in more detail in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution, which also explains what you can do if you think you have not received what is rightfully yours. This summary does not alter your legal rights.

The NHS Constitution also contains pledges that the NHS is committed to achieve. Pledges go above and beyond legal rights. This means that pledges are not legally binding but represent a commitment by the NHS to provide comprehensive high quality services.

Access to health services

Your rights

  • You have the right to receive NHS services free of charge, apart from certain limited exceptions sanctioned by Parliament.
  • You have the right to access NHS services. You will not be refused access on unreasonable grounds.
  • You have the right to receive care and treatment that is appropriate to you, meets your needs and reflects your preferences.
  • You have the right to expect your NHS to assess the health requirements of your community and to commission and put in place the services to meet those needs as considered necessary, and in the case of public health services commissioned by local authorities, to take steps to improve the health of the local community.
  • You have the right to authorisation for planned treatment in the EU under the UK EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement where you meet the relevant requirements.
  • You also have the right to authorisation for planned treatment in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein or Switzerland if you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and you meet the relevant requirements.
  • You have the right not to be unlawfully discriminated against in the provision of NHS services including on grounds of gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity or marital or civil partnership status.
  • You have the right to access certain services commissioned by NHS bodies within maximum waiting times, or for the NHS to take all reasonable steps to offer you a range of suitable alternative providers if this is not possible. The waiting times are described in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution.

NHS pledges

The NHS pledges to:

  • provide convenient, easy access to services within the waiting times set out in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution;
  • make decisions in a clear and transparent way, so that patients and the public can understand how services are planned and delivered;
  • make the transition as smooth as possible when you are referred between services, and to put you, your family and carers at the centre of decisions that affect you or them.

Quality of care and environment

Your rights

  • You have the right to be treated with a professional standard of care, by appropriately qualified and experienced staff, in a properly approved or registered organisation that meets required levels of safety and quality.
  • You have the right to be cared for in a clean, safe, secure and suitable environment.
  • You have the right to receive suitable and nutritious food and hydration to sustain good health and wellbeing.
  • You have the right to expect NHS bodies to monitor, and make efforts to improve continuously, the quality of healthcare they commission or provide. This includes improvements to the safety, effectiveness and experience of services.

NHS pledge

The NHS also pledges to identify and share best practice in quality of care and treatments.

Nationally approved treatments, drugs and programmes

Your rights

  • You have the right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by NICE for use in the NHS, if your doctor says they are clinically appropriate for you.
  • You have the right to expect local decisions on funding of other drugs and treatments to be made rationally following a proper consideration of the evidence. If the local NHS decides not to fund a drug or treatment you and your doctor feel would be right for you, they will explain that decision to you.
  • You have the right to receive the vaccinations that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommends that you should receive under an NHS-provided national immunisation programme.

NHS pledge

The NHS also commits to provide screening programmes as recommended by the UK National Screening Committee.

Respect, consent and confidentiality

Your rights

  • You have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, in accordance with your human rights.
  • You have the right to be protected from abuse and neglect, and care and treatment that is degrading.
  • You have the right to accept or refuse treatment that is offered to you, and not to be given any physical examination or treatment unless you have given valid consent. If you do not have the capacity to do so, consent must be obtained from a person legally able to act on your behalf, or the treatment must be in your best interests.
  • You have the right to be given information about the test and treatment options available to you, what they involve and their risks and benefits.
  • You have the right of access to your own health records and to have any factual inaccuracies corrected.
  • You have the right to privacy and confidentiality and to expect the NHS to keep your confidential information safe and secure.
  • You have the right to be informed about how your information is used.
  • You have the right to request that your confidential information is not used beyond your own care and treatment and to have your objections considered, and where your wishes cannot be followed, to be told the reasons including the legal basis.

NHS pledges

The NHS also pledges:

  • to ensure those involved in your care and treatment have access to your health information so they can care for you safely and effectively;
  • that if you are admitted to hospital, you will not have to share sleeping accommodation with patients of the opposite sex, except where appropriate, in line with details set out in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution;
  • to anonymise the information collected during the course of your treatment and use it to support research and improve care for others;
  • where identifiable information has to be used, to give you the chance to object wherever possible;
  • to inform you of research studies in which you may be eligible to participate;
  • to share with you any correspondence sent between clinicians about your care.

Informed choice

Your rights

  • You have the right to choose your GP practice, and to be accepted by that practice unless there are reasonable grounds to refuse, in which case you will be informed of those reasons.
  • You have the right to express a preference for using a particular doctor within your GP practice, and for the practice to try to comply.
  • You have the right to transparent, accessible and comparable data on the quality of local healthcare providers, and on outcomes, as compared to others nationally.
  • You have the right to make choices about the services commissioned by NHS bodies and to information to support these choices. The options available to you will develop over time and depend on your individual needs. Details are set out in the Handbook to the NHS Constitution.

NHS pledges

The NHS also pledges to:

  • inform you about the healthcare services available to you, locally and nationally;
  • offer you easily accessible, reliable and relevant information in a form you can understand, and support to use it. This will enable you to participate fully in your own healthcare decisions and to support you in making choices. This will include information on the range and quality of clinical services where there is robust and accurate information available.

Involvement in your healthcare and the NHS

Your rights

  • You have the right to be involved in planning and making decisions about your health and care with your care provider or providers, including your end of life care, and to be given information and support to enable you to do this. Where appropriate, this right includes your family and carers. This includes being given the chance to manage your own care and treatment, if appropriate.
  • You have the right to an open and transparent relationship with the organisation providing your care. You must be told about any safety incident relating to your care which, in the opinion of a healthcare professional, has caused, or could still cause, significant harm or death. You must be given the facts, an apology, and any reasonable support you need.
  • You have the right to be involved, directly or through representatives, in the planning of healthcare services commissioned by NHS bodies, the development and consideration of proposals for changes in the way those services are provided, and in decisions to be made affecting the operation of those services.

NHS pledges

The NHS also pledges to:

  • provide you with the information and support you need to influence and scrutinise the planning and delivery of NHS services;
  • work in partnership with you, your family, carers and representatives;
  • involve you in discussions about planning your care and to offer you a written record of what is agreed if you want one;
  • encourage and welcome feedback on your health and care experiences and use this to improve services.

Complaint and redress

Your rights

  • You have the right to have any complaint you make about NHS services acknowledged within three working days and to have it properly investigated.
  • You have the right to discuss the manner in which the complaint is to be handled, and to know the period within which the investigation is likely to be completed and the response sent.
  • You have the right to be kept informed of progress and to know the outcome of any investigation into your complaint, including an explanation of the conclusions and confirmation that any action needed in consequence of the complaint has been taken or is proposed to be taken.
  • You have the right to take your complaint to the independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman or Local Government Ombudsman, if you are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been dealt with by the NHS.
  • You have the right to make a claim for judicial review if you think you have been directly affected by an unlawful act or decision of an NHS body or local authority.
  • You have the right to compensation where you have been harmed by negligent treatment.

NHS pledges

The NHS also pledges to:

  • ensure that you are treated with courtesy and you receive appropriate support throughout the handling of a complaint; and that the fact that you have complained will not adversely affect your future treatment;
  • ensure that when mistakes happen or if you are harmed while receiving health care you receive an appropriate explanation and apology, delivered with sensitivity and recognition of the trauma you have experienced, and know that lessons will be learned to help avoid a similar incident occurring again;
  • ensure that the organisation learns lessons from complaints and claims and uses these to improve NHS services.

You can read more about the NHS Constitution at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-england/the-nhs-constitution-for-england.

Sick Notes (Fit Notes)

What is it?

Although commonly referred to as a sick note, the official name of the document issued by doctors is a Statement of Fitness for Work, or Fit Note. The statement can say that you are unfit for work for a given period, or that you are fit for work subject to certain changes, such as lighter duties or different hours.  If your employer is unable to accommodate the recommended changes then the note is treated as saying you are unfit for work.

Off work due to illness for up to seven days

For the first seven days of illness you have to self–certify your illness using an SC2 form. You can obtain this form from your employer or the HMRC website. We are unable to issue sick notes for periods of illness of less than seven days. If your employer or child’s school insists on a doctor’s note then this will be a private service which we make a charge for.  See further information below.

Off work due to illness for more than seven days

If you’re off work sick for more than seven days your employer may ask you for a Fit Note. The note can be obtained from a healthcare professional who is allowed to sign it. If you have been ill for more than seven days and require a sick note then please use our online request form or call reception.

If you are off work due to a hospital admission, a sick note can be issued by the hospital to cover the period of time you were in the hospital. Once discharged, we can issue any further sick notes, based on your hospital discharge letter.

Request a sick note

The NHS App

How to count sick days

When you work out the number of days that you’ve been sick, you need to count all the days in a row you’ve been sick, including days you don’t normally work such as weekends and bank holidays.

Return to work notes

You do not need to see us again to be signed fit to go back to work.

The fit note does not have an option to say that you’re fit for work. If we want to assess your fitness for work again, we will say this on your fit note.

Some employers have their own policies that require medical evidence that you are fit for work. If this is the case, your employer should help you arrange this privately with a healthcare professional or occupational health specialist. We cannot issue a fit note for this purpose.

Find out more on the NHS website.

Private Certificates

If you need a note or certificate for periods of illness less than seven days then this is a private service and we charge £20 for a private sick note.  If your employer requests a report or further information about your illness then this is also a private service and the fee will depend on exactly what is requested. We will never give any information to your employer without your consent.

Zero Tolerance (violent and abusive behaviour)

The Practice takes it very seriously if a member of staff or one of the doctors or nursing team is treated in an abusive or violent way.

The Practice supports the government’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. To successfully provide these services a mutual respect between all the staff and patients has to be in place. All our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. They would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time.  The staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.

In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the occasional types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable:

  • Using bad language or swearing at practice staff;
  • Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, such as pushing or shoving;
  • Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting the staff;
  • Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice;
  • Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted. Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot;
  • Causing damage/stealing from the Practice’s premises, staff or patients;
  • Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently.

We ask you to treat your GPs and their staff courteously at all times.

Removal from the practice list

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship. When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of the practice, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the Police are involved.

Removing other members of the household

In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household. The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family. This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.

Teaching and Training

Our practice is associated with the medical school at the University of Manchester.

We are a training and teaching practice and support the next generation of GPs and nurses.  During your consultation, we may have one of our nursing or medical students present so they can learn and develop.  They are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the rest of our practice team.  If you’d prefer them not to present then please let us know.

We also support the training of qualified doctors on their journeys to becoming a GP.  You may be seen independently by one of our GP trainees and we assure you that they are fully qualified doctors and have regular supervision and support from our experiences GPs.

Summary Care Record

There is a 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. Please visit our Opening Hours Page.

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.

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 let the surgery know.

Complete a Summary Care Record Opt-Out form

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.