Practice Policies & Patient Information

Access to Medical Records and Patient Confidentiality

Access to your Medical Records

You are entitled to access data that the practice holds on you.

You can make a request for a copy of your personal data at reception. You can make this request verbally and do not need to give written consent, however you would need to provide photo identification (ID) proof of who you are e.g. passport or driving licence. We will provide a copy within 28 days of your request. There is no fee for this.

Please note that we do not have to provide multiple copies of personal data or to respond to repeated requests for the same personal data.

You can also view your summary personal data if you have patient online access.

You can also view your full personal data at the practice. Please ask at reception to arrange an appointment to do this.

Non NHS Forms, Reports and Letters

If a doctor writes a medical report for an outside agency such as an insurance company or solicitors, you are entitled to view the report before it is sent. Please note there is a time limit of 21 days for you to view any reports so please ask at reception for details.

You will need to provide your explicit consent for us to share your confidential data with any other organisation. This consent must be in written form.

When a doctor writes a letter about you, you are entitled to a copy; please discuss with the doctor or ask at reception for details.

Please note that we charge a fee for all non nhs contracted work such as writing medical reports. Please ask at reception for details of the range of fees. We accept cash or cheques only and all fees must be paid in advance of the work being completed.

Accessibility and Facilities

Wheelchair and Disabled Access

Our building is fully accessible for wheelchair users as well as pram users.

Electronically assisted entrance doors
Wide access and turning spaces
Entrance ramp
Lift to all floors
Split level reception desk

Hearing and Language Access

Audio hearing loop and microphone on the reception desk.
Translation and sign language services.

Sight Access

Guide dogs are welcome in the surgery.

Other Facilities

Baby changing facilities
Cycle hoops for cyclists to lock bikes to
Street parking is by pay meter only

Carers

It is helpful to know if you have a carer (someone who takes on an unpaid caring role for you) or if you are a carer for someone else. We know how important it is that carers are supported both practically and emotionally.

We also may need to liaise with carers on how best to support the person needing care. So by letting us know we can ensure you are getting the right support for your role and are able to connect you with local support services and community networks.

Carers need caring for too!

Additional Information for Carers.

Chaperones

The consultation that takes place between a patient and their Doctor or Nurse is private and confidential. Quite often an examination is required to help make a diagnosis. This may be straightforward or sometimes can be more personal or of a sensitive nature.

Under these circumstances your Doctor will normally seek your agreement to a Nurse or other staff member being present or, if a relative or friend has accompanied you to the Surgery, they may be able to act as a Chaperone if you wish.

If a chaperone is not offered but you would like someone to be present, do not be afraid to tell your doctor.

Procedures which are generally regarded as being of a sensitive nature are:

Cervical cytology
Gynaecological
Testicular
Breast Examination
Rectal Examination

GP Annual Earnings

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised and that the required disclosure is shown below. 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 working in the practice and should not be used for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make comparisons with other practices.

The average pay for GPs working at Villa Street Medical Centre in the last financial year was £62,608 before tax and National Insurance.

This is for 1 full-time GP, 7 part-time GPs and 1 locum GP who worked in the practice for more than six months.

How to make a subject access request for yourself

We require proof of your identity before we can disclose personal data. This should include copies of two documents such as:

your birth certificate
your passport
your driving licence
an official letter addressed to you at your address (e.g. bank statement, recent utility bill or council tax bill)

The documents should include your name, date of birth and current address. If you have changed your name please supply relevant documents evidencing the change.

To make a Subject Access Request (SAR) please contact the practice.

NHS Summary Care Records

As part of a mandatory, national programme GP Practices have to make a Summary Care Record (SCR) for every patient. The SCR allows other healthcare professionals such as ambulance staff or Accident and Emergency (A and E) staff to see key medical information about you to enable them to provide safe and effective care.

Current medications
Allergies and any bad reactions in the past to medications
Name, address and NHS number

Patients have the option to ‘opt out’ of the SCR. Please let a receptionist know if you would like to ‘opt out’.

Patients also have the option to ‘opt in’ to sharing more detailed information on the SCR. The enriched detail listed below is to better help healthcare professionals provide safe and effective care, particularly for people who may be frail of living with multiple health conditions.

Significant medical history (past and present)
Reason for medication
Anticipatory care information such as managing long term conditions
Immunisations
End of life care information

Please see the links to further information below.

If you wish to opt out download and complete the opt out form and return to the practice or you can ask at reception.

Information Website

Summary Care Records on the NHS Digital.

Information Leaflets and Opt Out Form

Patient Complaints

If for any reason you are not happy with the service provided the first thing to do would be to raise your concern with a member of staff or ask to speak to our Practice Manager.

If you prefer, you can either write to us or complete a complaints form and send to the Practice Manager who will review as appropriate. Where possible, we aim to respond to you in writing within 10 working days of receipt of the complaint however, some complaints can take longer to investigate depending on the specific details and the number of staff involved, and therefore we will respond within a reasonable timeframe that is at least within 6 months of receipt of the complaint.

If you prefer not to raise your complaint directly with the practice you can choose to take your complaint directly to NHS England. The NHS Complaints procedure states that you can submit a complaint EITHER to the practice OR to NHS England but not both. This is referred to as a first stage local resolution.

If you are not satisfied with the first stage complaint response you can escalate to a second stage directly to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

If you would like independent advice on how to make a complaint then you can contact the POhWER the NHS Complaints Advocacy service that is free, confidential and independent of the NHS.

Patient Complaints Form

Patient Complaints Form (also obtainable from reception).

NHS England

How do I feedback or make a complaint about an NHS service?

Practice Policy

Our responsibilities

We aim to promote good health and encourage prevention of disease.
Our aim is to treat all our patients with respect and therefore we expect our patients to treat all our Staff in the same manner.
We will endeavour to maintain patients’ medical records up to date and will respect patients’ right of access to same.
We offer Annual reviews on Medication, Asthma, Chronic Heart Disease (CHD), Diabetics, Mental Health and Learning disabilities.
We offer clinics for ante natal, post natal, child Immunisation, cervical smears, CHD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Diabetes, Asthmatic, Influenza (Flu), travel advice including travel vaccinations.
If any of our clinics need to be cancelled we will try wherever possible to give at least 24 hours notice.
We will endeavour as a team to see you as close as possible to your allotted appointment time, however please bear in mind that there will be occasions when this is not possible.

How you can help us

It is the patients’ responsibility to keep their appointments and to inform us as early as possible if unable to attend.
Patients need to inform us of any past medical history, hospital admissions and any other details they feel relevant to be documented in their records.
When making appointments please be aware that the doctors can only see one patient per consultation, if more than one patient i.e. family members needs to be seen a further appointment must be booked.
Treatment facilities are better at the surgery please do not request a home visit unless it is absolutely necessary.
Do not for any reason share your medication with anybody else. In doing so this could prove to be dangerous.
Accident and Emergency (A&E) visits and out of hours services should only take place when urgent medical attention is required. Out of hours services should not be used to gain a second opinion.
If you should have any difficulties within the practice, the Practice Manager would appreciate if this is brought to her immediate attention.

Privacy Notice

Villa Street Medical Centre collects and holds data about our patients for the purpose of providing safe and effective healthcare. We recognise that our patients entrust sensitive and personal information to us and we have a responsibility to keep it accurate, up to date and secure.

We keep your recent medical records digitally on a secure clinical system – EMIS Web. To access EMIS Web users need a password and use of EMIS Web is audited. Your older medical records are summarised digitally, and the paper copies are kept in secure off site storage. If you register at a different surgery, your paper records are forwarded via a secure transit system managed by Primary Care Services England (PCSE). Electronic copies are forwarded to your new surgery via a secure digital link called GP2GP.

We use Surgery Connect telephone system called X-on Health Network that is registered with the ICO and integrates with our secure clinical system EMIS Web. Calls are recorded and stored securely for up to 3 years. Named staff have access to the recordings using a log in protected by a password. When you call us the message informs you that all calls are recorded and you agree to this recording with implied consent. This information is also available on notices in our practice, in our practice leaflet and here on our website.

All staff members who have access to your data have signed a confidentiality agreement and an employment contract that references confidentiality. All staff complete information governance training within their induction period and refresh this training on an annual basis.

Our clinical team use automated algorithms to help inform their clinical decision making, for example when deciding on appropriate prescribing.

Your Summary Care Record (SCR) is shared with health and care staff through a secure web portal. This contains your name, address, NHS number, current medication and allergies. Access is audited and is used to make prescribing medication safer. You can decide to opt out of sharing your SCR at any stage, by completing a form at the point of registration, emailing the practice on souccg.villastreetadmins@nhs.net or informing a member of our team in person.

Your London Care Record (LCR) also known as the Cerna portal is shared with London hospitals. It is a secure system that contains your electronic patient record and is accessible to professionals directly involved in your care. Certain sensitive information is not included on the LCR. You can decide to opt out of sharing your LCR at any stage by emailing the practice on souccg.villastreetadmins@nhs.net or informing a member of our team in person.

When we make a referral to another service we will share relevant or ‘need to know’ information about you with them. When you agree to a referral there is implied consent that you would like us to share this information. Please let us know at the time of the referral if you do not want us to share specific information, this may limit your treatment options.

In order to support the effective management of immunisation and screening programs we share relevant information with other NHS organisations. Your information will be kept securely and confidentially.

We are a member of the North Southwark Primary Care Network and North Southwark GP Federation, Quay Health Solutions CIC. They provide some services on our behalf and we have signed a data sharing agreement with them to share your clinical information on a ‘need to know’ basis for using their services for example when you have an appointment at the Extended Access Hub.

We are a part of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). We share health anonymised data for use in ethically approved research studies. You can decide to opt out of this at any stage by emailing the practice on souccg.villastreetadmins@nhs.net or informing a member of our team in person.

In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies. For example we would break confidentiality to prevent death of serious harm being caused to you or another. This includes preventing infectious diseases from spreading. We will only do this if there is a legal basis and will only disclose ‘need to know’ information.

Where you give us written consent, for example when applying for medical insurance, we will share your data with other organisations.

You have the right to be given a copy of your medical record. You can access your current medical records via online access. If you would like to see historical records please request either in person or by email on souccg.villastreetadmins@nhs.net and allow 28 days from submission of the completed form for us to process the request.

You have the right to request access to recorded calls you were party to. Requests for access to a recorded call will be assessed by the named Information Governance Lead or Caldicott Guardian (or in their absence a named Partner). Note recording of calls began in October 2023 and calls are stored securely for up to 3 years. If you would like access to the recording please request either in person or by email on souccg.villastreetadmins@nhs.net

You have the right to object for your call to be recorded at any point during the call by informing the person you are talking to. This may mean they need to end the call and arrange to call you back at a later time.

You have the right to object to your medical records being shared with those who provide you with care. You can opt out either in person or by email souccg.villastreetadmins@nhs.net .

You have the right to have any mistakes corrected and to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Please see the practice privacy notice on the website or speak to a member of staff for more information about your rights.

For more information ask at reception for a leaflet OR visit our website.

Our Caldicott Guardian is Dr Nancy Kuchemann. Our Information Governance Lead is Ms Tilly Wright. Both can be contacted on 020 7703 7393 or via email on souccg.villastreetadmins@nhs.net .

Transferring Your Electronic Health Record

Your GP practice holds copies of your patient health record electronically and in paper format. Both contain the healthcare information about you that your GP needs including your medical history, medications, allergies, immunisations and vaccinations.

If you have previously registered with a different GP in England, upon registering at this practice your electronic health record will, where possible, be transferred automatically from your previous practice through the use of an NHS system called GP2GP.

Transferring Your Electronic Health Record Leaflet

Your Health Information and How We Use It

Patient Data Management

We collect, hold and process data about our patients for the purpose of providing you with safe and effective healthcare.

We are responsible for keeping your sensitive and personal data up to date, accurate and secure.

We use secure NHS England (NHSE) Information Technology (IT) networks and systems that are password protected to manage patient data.

We use encrypted and password protected NHS.net for all email communications.

Patient medical records are kept digitally on a secure clinical IT system. Older paper records are either kept in a locked cupboard on site or at an NHS approved archive facility offsite.

All of our staff are fully trained on Information Governance (IG) procedures and mandatory training is completed on an annual basis. IG training is included in our induction programme for all new starters and all staff sign a confidentiality agreement.

We only share relevant and necessary information with other health professionals and here are some examples of how we do this:

Summary Care Record via a secure web portal allowing other healthcare professionals. For example ambulance staff or Accident and Emergency (A&E) clinicians to access key health information to enable them to provide safe and effective immediate care. Please inform a receptionist if you would like more information or would prefer to ‘opt out’. You can also decide to ‘opt in’ to share more detailed data.
Local Care Record via a secure electronic data transfer system. This allows GPs and hospitals to have immediate access to necessary and relevant health data. For example GPs can view requested test results or x-rays without waiting for the hospital to send them to the practice. Please inform a receptionist if you would like more information or would prefer to ‘opt out’ of this service.
Remote consultations at the Extended Primary Care Service via our secure clinical IT system. This allows clinical staff at the Extended Primary Care Service based at Spa Medical to view your medical records when you have an appointment with them. You will be asked give your consent for them to do this before your appointment starts.
Referrals via encrypted nhs.net email or via our secure eReferrals IT system. When you agree to a clinician making a referral you are giving us your consent to do this.
National immunisation and screening programmes collect data via secure NHS IT systems to help the NHS and Department of Health plan for population based health and prevention programmes.
ACR Project for patients with diabetes (and / or other conditions): The data is being processed for the purpose of delivery of a programme, sponsored by NHS Digital, to monitor urine for indications of chronic kidney disease (CKD) which is recommended to be undertaken annually for patients at risk of chronic kidney disease e.g., patients living with diabetes. The programme enables patients to test their kidney function from home. We will share your contact details with Healthy.io to enable them to contact you and send you a test kit. This will help identify patients at risk of kidney disease and help us agree any early interventions that can be put in place for the benefit of your care. Healthy.io will only use your data for the purposes of delivering their service to you. If you do not wish to receive a home test kit from Healthy.io we will continue to manage your care within the Practice. Healthy.io are required to hold data we send them in line with retention periods outlined in the Records Management code of Practice for Health and Social Care. Further information about this is available at: https://lp.healthy.io/minuteful_info/.

Please be aware that there are some circumstances that we are legally required to break confidentiality without your consent in order to prevent death or serious harm or if there is a risk to the public. However, we will only do this if there is a legal basis and will disclose the minimum information required.

If we receive a request to share your data with other organisations we will act according to standard protocols. For instance, if a solicitor contacts us on your behalf, it is they that will need to have checked your ID and confirm to us that they are acting on your behalf with your knowledge and consent. Alternatively, if an insurance company requests information about you we would need to check with you directly to ensure you are aware of the request and happy for us to share your data.

Your information will only be shared in accordance with your rights under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR), the UK Data Protection Act Law (under review 2018), the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality, the NHS Constitution and in keeping with the NHS Codes of Practices that guide the use of information.

For the last 10 years, patient data from GP surgeries has been collected (where a patient has not opted out) via a central general practice extraction service, this service is in the process of being replaced by an improved system called General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDGR) that is managed by NHS Digital. This practice is supporting vital health and care planning and research by sharing your data with NHS digital. For more information about this service and advice on how to opt out if you don’t want your data shared see the GP Practice Privacy Notice for General Practice Data for Planning and Research.

To find out more about how the NHS uses your data for research and planning, and how to set your preferences for whether it can be used or not then please see Choose if data from your health records is shared for research and planning.

To find out more information about how the NHS manages and uses patient information then see the Our Healthier South East London (OHSEL) Privacy Notice.

Information Governance Lead

Tilly Wright

Caldicott Guardian

Dr Nancy Kuchemann

For more information please ask at reception for a time to meet with our Practice Manager, Tilly Wright.

Zero tolerance to violence or abusive behaviour policy

All practices, in line with government guidelines, have a ‘zero tolerance to violence or abusive behaviour’ policy. This means that any violent or abusive behaviour or perceived threatening behaviour, whether verbal or otherwise to staff or members of the public on practice premises will not be tolerated.

Verbal abuse includes anything that could be perceived as derogatory towards another human being with regards to their gender, race, religion or sexual orientation.

We can refuse to provide a service, report the incident to the police and request that the patient be removed from our practice list.