If you feel you would like a Chaperone during your appointment for any reason, please speak to one of the team. 

This policy is designed to protect both patients and staff from abuse or allegations of abuse and to assist patients to make an informed choice about their examinations and consultations.

Guidelines

Clinicians (male and female) should consider whether an intimate or personal examination of the patient (either male or female) is justified, or whether the nature of the consultation poses a risk of misunderstanding.

• The clinician should give the patient a clear explanation of what the examination will involve.
• Always adopt a professional and considerate manner – be careful with humour as a way of relaxing a nervous situation as it can easily be misinterpreted.
• Always ensure that the patient is provided with adequate privacy to undress and dress.
• Ensure that a suitable sign is clearly on display in each consulting or treatment room offering the chaperone service.

This should remove the potential for misunderstanding. However, there will still be times when either the clinician, or the patient, feels uncomfortable, and it would be appropriate to consider using a chaperone. Patients who request a chaperone should never be examined without a chaperone being present. If necessary, where a chaperone is not available, the consultation/examination should be rearranged for a mutually convenient time when a chaperone can be present.

Complaints and claims have not been limited to doctors treating/examining patients of the opposite gender – there are many examples of alleged assault by female and male doctors on people of the same gender.

Consideration should also be given to the possibility of a malicious accusation by a patient.

There may be occasions when a chaperone is needed for a home visit. The following procedure should still be followed.

Who Can Act as a Chaperone?

A variety of people can act as a chaperone in the practice, but staff undertaking a formal chaperone role must have been trained in the competencies required. Where possible, it is strongly recommended that chaperones should be clinical staff familiar with procedural aspects of personal examination. Where suitable clinical staff members are not available, the examination should be deferred.

Where the practice determines that non-clinical staff will act in this capacity, the patient must agree to the presence of a non-clinician in the examination, and be at ease with this. The staff member should be trained in the procedural aspects of personal examinations, comfortable in acting in the role of chaperone, and be confident in the scope and extent of their role. They will have received instruction on where to stand and what to watch and instructions to that effect will be laid down in writing by the practice.

Confidentiality

• The chaperone should only be present for the examination itself, and most discussion with the patient should take place while the chaperone is not present.
• Patients should be reassured that all practice staff understand their responsibility not to divulge confidential information.

Click here to link to the latest GMC guidelines for intimate examinations: GMC Guidlelines

Procedure

• The clinician will contact reception to request a chaperone.
• Where no chaperone is available, a clinician may offer to delay the examination to a date when one will be available, as long as the delay would not have an adverse effect on the patient’s health.
• If a clinician wishes to conduct an examination with a chaperone present but the patient does not agree to this, the clinician must clearly explain why they want a chaperone to be present. The clinician may choose to consider referring the patient to a colleague who would be willing to examine them without a chaperone, as long as the delay would not have an adverse effect on the patient’s health.
• The clinician will record in the notes that the chaperone is present, and identify the chaperone.
• The chaperone will enter the room discreetly and remain in the room until the clinician has finished the examination.
• The chaperone will attend inside the curtain/screened-off area at the head of the examination couch and observe the procedure.
• To prevent embarrassment, the chaperone should not enter into conversation with the patient or GP unless requested to do so, or make any mention of the consultation afterwards.
• The chaperone will make a record in the patient’s notes after examination. The record will state that there were no problems, or give
  details of any concerns or incidents that occurred. The chaperone must be aware of the procedure to follow if they wish to raise concerns.
• The patient can refuse a chaperone, and if so, this must be recorded in the patient’s medical record.
• Signage in each consulting room along with details on the web site and in reception offering a chaperone should a patient need one be clear.
• Chaperones should be DBS checked

From 1st July 2021, GP practices nationwide will be required to supply patients’ personal and confidential medical information, on a regular and continuous basis, to NHS Digital, a project known as GPDPR.

There has been some reports of misinformation circulating around the ‘selling’ of patient data, and this, released by NHS England, may be helpful:-

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/national-data-opt-out/mythbusting-social-media-posts

The bare facts of the information contained in the above link are:-

• You can opt out at any time – there is no deadline
• We only share data to improve health and care
• Health and care data helps the NHS respond to emergencies like the coronavirus outbreak
• There are lots of protections in place to make sure patient data is used securely and safely

• We do not sell health and care data
• We do not share data with marketing and insurance companies

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, GP practices have no choice but to allow NHS Digital to extract this information – it is a legal obligation.   The information will consist of your full (historic) GP record, as well as new information added to it on an ongoing basis.   NHS Digital will become the data controller for that information, will administer the data, and intends to use it for planning health services, commissioning, population health management and for research. This is known as secondary uses of your medical records.

Medical staff treating you in GP surgeries, hospitals, A&E and out-of-hours centres will not use, or be able to use, this database. They have access to all relevant medical information about you in other ways.

Although GP practices cannot object to this information leaving the practice, individual patients and their families can instruct their practice to prohibit the transfer of their personal data, i.e.  you have the right to opt-out.

Opting out of GPDPR involves registering an objection at the surgery to all secondary uses of your personal identifiable data, where your explicit consent is not being sought beforehand. This is known as a Type 1 opt-out.    You have the right to control how medical information about you is shared,  disseminated or sold, for purposes other than your direct medical care – so called  secondary uses (or purposes).

Secondary uses include projects involved in risk stratification, “population health

management”, national clinical audits, research, healthcare planning, commissioning

of healthcare services by CCGs, commercial and even political uses.

You can control your personal confidential information by expressing an objection, or

opt-out, to your GP surgery, who will then add a special read-code, or electronic flag,

to your GP record.    When present in your GP record, the special read code should prevent identifiable information about you being extracted from your GP record, and uploaded to any other organisation, for purposes other than your direct care.

This opt out should then prohibit extraction and uploading for all of the following secondary uses:

General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) extraction

• Risk stratification schemes

• National clinical audits (such as the National Diabetes Audit)

• Extraction of de-identified information about you concerning any eMed3 Statement

of Fitness to Work reports (i.e. sick notes), uploaded to NHS Digital, and

subsequently passed by NHS Digital to the Department of Work and Pensions

• All extractions and uploading of identifiable information about you to NHS Digital,

for any secondary purpose (so-called GPES extractions)

A Type 1 secondary use objection will in no way affect how healthcare professionals

provide you with direct medical care or prevent them from accessing your medical

record if and when appropriate, and with your explicit consent. The Opt Out form is available below, or via the surgery.

You will still need to opt out to prevent secondary processing even if you have already opted out of The Summary Care Record.

You can also express a National Data Opt Out (NDOO) as well and with both the Type 1 and National Data opt-outs in force:

• No record-level information whatsoever will be uploaded from your GP record to

NHS Digital

• NHS Digital will have no information from your GP record to release, in any format,

to any organisation, for any purpose

• NHS Digital will only continue to hold information extracted from your hospital

records, as well as aggregate information (i.e. numbers) from your GP practice

• NHS Digital will not be able to release any information that clearly identifies you

from the information extracted from your hospital records

However, the surgery cannot do the National Data Opt Out for you – this must be done either by accessing the website here:-

Make your choice about sharing data from your health records – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Or, if you don’t have internet access, you can phone NHS digital on: 0300 303 5678.

We hope that this information is helpful to you to make an informed decision.

(see below the opt out form)

TYPE 1  OPT OUT FORM – MEDICAL RECORDS

Dear Cober Valley Health,

I do not wish to allow my medical records to be used for any purpose other than my medical care.

Please ensure my dissent to secondary uses is recorded which includes adding the following code to my GP record:

Type 1 objection:

dissent from secondary use of GP patient identifiable data         XaZ89

I understand that I can opt back in to any or all of these at any time in the future.

Name:……………………………………………………………………………… DoB:………………….

(please print in capital letters)

Signature:………………………………………………………………………..  Dated ………………

What a DNA is

A DNA appointment is when a patient does not turn up for appointments, and does not contact the surgery to cancel or change the appointment.

This creates a significant strain on the NHS.

We understand that there are situations that can make it impossible for you to cancel your appointment, for example being admitted to hospital.

Our DNA policy

1. If you fail to attend 2 or more appointments in the the previous month, you will get a warning letter.
2. If you’ve had a warning letter and you miss another appointment, you’ll get another letter. This will say that you can only book appointments on the day, and not in advance.
3. If you do not attend same day appointments, we will invite you to discuss a contract and an appointment plan. This will include you calling to confirm an appointment, if not it will be cancelled.

Warning letters last 12 months.

Cancelling appointments

To avoid DNA appointments, you can use the NHS app or online services to cancel your appointments.

You can also get a text reminder of your appointment. Please make sure we have the right mobile number for you.

Contact us

NHS England requires that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and 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 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.

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 Cober Valley health in the last financial year was £71,982 before tax and national insurance. This is for 0 full time GPs, 23 part time GPs and 0 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible care.

This information may be used for management and audit purposes. However, it is usually only available to, and used by, those involved in your care. You have the right to know what information we hold about you. If you would like to see your records please contact the Practice Manager.

Your confidentiality is important to us

You can be sure that anything you discuss with any member of this practice – family doctor, nurse, receptionist – will stay confidential.

Even if you are under 16 nothing will be said to anyone – including parents, other family members, carer workers or tutors – without your permission. The only reason why we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission, would be to protect you or someone else from serious harm. We would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you are being treated elsewhere – for example at a hospital or Brook centre – it is best if you allow the doctor or nurse to inform the practice of any treatment you are receiving.

If you have any worries about confidentiality please feel free to ask a member of staff.

For the purpose of applicable data protection legislation including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679) and the Data Protection Act 2018, the GP practice responsible for your personal data is We, Helios Health Partnership, will be known as the ‘Controller’ of the personal data you provide to us.

Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to protecting and safeguarding your data privacy rights.

Data Protection Privacy Notice for Patients

Introduction

For the purpose of applicable data protection legislation including the General Data Protection
Regulation (EU 2016/679) and the Data Protection Act 2018, the GP practice responsible for your personal data is

We, Helios Health Partnership, will be known as the ‘Controller’ of the personal data you provide to us.

Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to protecting and safeguarding your data
privacy rights.

This Privacy Notice applies to personal information processed by or on behalf of the Practice. It
applies to the personal data of our patients and to the data you have given us about your
carers/family members. It covers the following topics:
• Why do we need your data?
• What data do we collect about you?
• What is the legal basis for using your data?
• How do we store your data?
• How do we maintain the confidentiality of your data?
• How long do we keep your data?
• What are your data protection rights?
• Who do we share your data with?
• Are there other projects where your data may be shared?
• When is your consent not required?
• How can you access or change your data?
• What should you do if your personal information changes?
• Changes to our privacy policy
• Our Data Protection Officer
• How to contact the appropriate authorities

Why do we need your data?

As your General Practice, we need to know your personal, sensitive and confidential data in order to provide you with appropriate healthcare services. Your records are used to facilitate the care you receive, and to ensure you receive the best possible healthcare.

Information may be used within the GP practice for clinical audit, to monitor the quality of the service provided.

What data do we collect about you?

Personal data: We collect basic personal data about you which does not include any special types of information or location-based information. This includes your name, postal address and contact details such as email address and telephone number.

By providing the Practice with your contact details, you are agreeing to the Practice using those
channels to communicate with you about your healthcare, i.e. by letter (postal address), by voice-mail or voice-message (telephone or mobile number), by text message (mobile number) or by email (email address). If you are unhappy or have a concern about our using any of the above channels, please let us know.

Special Category personal data: We also collect confidential data linked to your healthcare which is known as “special category personal data”, in the form of health information, religious belief (if required in a healthcare context) ethnicity and gender. This is obtained during the services we provide to you and through other health providers or third parties who have provided you with treatment or care, e.g. NHS Trusts, other GP surgeries, Walk-in clinics etc.

Records which the Practice holds about you may include the following information:
• Details about you, such as your address, carer, legal representative, emergency contact
details
• Any contact the Practice has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency
appointments etc.
• Notes and reports about your health
• Details about your treatment and care
• Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays etc
• Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you

NHS records may be electronic, on paper, or a mixture of both.

Use of CCTV: Closed circuit television is utilised to protect the safety of our patients, staff and
members of the public. To maintain privacy and dignity, CCTV is not in place where examinations or procedures are being undertaken. The Practice remains the data controller of this data and any disclosures or requests should be made to the Practice Manager.

What is the legal basis for using your data?

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in
accordance with:
• Data Protection Act 2018
• The General Data Protection Regulations 2016
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
• Health and Social Care Act 2012
• NHS Codes of Confidentiality, Information Security and Records Management

Under the General Data Protection Regulation we will lawfully be using your information in
accordance with:
Article 6 (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”
Overarching Privacy Policy October 2024

Article 9 (h) – “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”

For the processing of special categories data, the basis is:

Article 9 (2) (b) – “processing is necessary for the purposes of carrying out the obligations
and exercising specific rights of the controller or of the data subject in the field of employment
and social security and social protection law”

These articles apply to the processing of information and the sharing of it with others for specific purposes.

How do we store your data?

We have a Data Protection regime in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your
personal and special category (sensitive, confidential) data. No third parties have access to your
personal data unless the law allows them to do so and appropriate safeguards have been put in
place.

In certain circumstances you may have the right to withdraw your consent to the processing of data. These circumstances will be explained in subsequent sections of this document.

In some circumstances we may need to store your data after your consent has been withdrawn, in order to comply with a legislative requirement.

How do we maintain the confidentiality of your data?

Our Practice policy is to respect the privacy of our patients, their families and our staff and to maintain compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and all UK specific Data Protection requirements. Our policy is to ensure all personal data related to our patients will be protected.

We use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure.

Every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.

All employees and sub-contractors engaged by our Practice are asked to sign a confidentiality
agreement. The Practice will, if required, sign a separate confidentiality agreement if the client deems it necessary. If a sub-contractor acts as a data processor for Carn to Coast Health Centres an appropriate contract will be established for the processing of your information.

Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where this happens, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.

Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes. The Practice will always gain your consent before releasing the information for this purpose in an identifiable format. In some circumstances you can Opt-out of the Practice sharing any of your information for research purposes.

How long do we keep your data?

We are required under UK law to keep your information and data for the full retention periods as specified by the NHS Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care and in accordance with National Archives requirements.

More information on records retention can be found online at: Records Management Code of
Practice – NHS Transformation Directorate (england.nhs.uk)

What are your data protection rights?

If we already hold your personal data, you have certain rights in relation to it.

Right to object: If we are using your data because we deem it necessary for our legitimate interests to do so, and you do not agree, you have the right to object. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases). Generally, we will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we have obtained your consent to process your personal data for certain activities (for example a research project), or consent to market to you, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

Right to erasure: In certain situations (for example, where we have processed your data unlawfully), you have the right to request us to erase your personal data. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases) and will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.

Right of data portability: If you wish, you have the right to transfer your data from us to another data controller. We will help with this with a GP to GP data transfer and transfer of your hard copy notes.

National Data Opt-Out: The National Data Opt-Out is a service introduced on 25 May 2018 that allows people to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for research and planning purposes. The National Data Opt-Out replaces the previous Type 2 Opt-Out, which required NHS England not to share a patient’s confidential patient information for purposes beyond their individual care. Any patient who had a Type 2 Opt-Out has had it automatically converted to a National Data Opt-Out from 25 May 2018 and has received a letter giving them more information and a leaflet explaining the new service. If a patient wants to change their choice, they can use the new service to do this. You can find out more from the Practice or by visiting: https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/

If you wish to raise a query or request relating to any of the above, please contact us. We will seek to deal with it without undue delay, and in any event in accordance with the requirements of any applicable laws. Please note that we may keep a record of your communications to help us resolve any issues which you raise.

Who do we share your data with?

We consider patient consent as being the key factor in dealing with your health information.

To provide around-the-clock safe care, we will make information available to trusted organisations for specific purposes unless you have asked us not to. We refer to these organisations to Data Processors.

To support your care and improve the sharing of relevant information to our partner organisations when they are involved in looking after you, we will share information to other systems. The general principle is that information is passed to these systems unless you request that this does not happen, but that system users should ask for your consent before viewing your record.

Our partner organisations are:
• NHS Trusts / Foundation Trusts
• GPs
• NHS Commissioning Support Units
• Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
• Private Sector Providers
Overarching Privacy Policy October 2024
Page 6 of 8
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Ambulance Trusts
• Integrated Commissioning Boards (ICBs)
• Social Care Services
• NHS England (NHSE) and NHS Digital (NHSD)
• Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
• Local Authorities
• Education Services
• Fire and Rescue Services
• Police and Judicial Services
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Private Sector Providers
• Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of

You will be informed who your data will be shared with, and in cases where your consent is required you will be asked for it.

Below are some examples of when we would wish to share your information with trusted partners.

Primary Care Networks: We have formed a Primary Care Network. This means we work closely with a number of local practices and care organisations for the purpose of direct patient care. They will only be allowed to access your information if it is to support your healthcare needs. If you have any concerns about how your information may be accessed within our primary care network, we would encourage you to speak or write to us.

Extended Access: We provide extended access services to our patients which means you can
access medical services outside of our normal working hours. In order to provide you with this
service, we have formal arrangements in place with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and with other practices whereby certain practice(s) may offer this service on our behalf for you as a patient to access outside our opening hours. Those practices will need to have access to your medical record to be able to offer you the service. We have robust data sharing agreements and other clear arrangements in place to ensure your data is always protected and used for those purposes only.

Devon and Cornwall Care Record: Health and social care services in Devon and Cornwall have developed a system to share patient data efficiently and quickly and, ultimately, improve the care you receive. This shared system is called the Devon and Cornwall Care Record.
It’s important that anyone treating you has access to your shared record so they have all the
information they need to care for you. This applies to your routine appointments and also in urgent situations such as going to A&E, calling 111 or going to an out-of-hours appointment.

It’s also quicker for staff to access a shared record than to try to contact other staff by phone or email. Only authorised health and care staff can access the Devon and Cornwall Care Record and the information they see is carefully checked so that it relates to their job. Also, systems do not share all your data – just data that services have agreed is necessary to include.

For more information about the Devon and Cornwall Care Record, please go to
https://www.devonandcornwallcarerecord.nhs.uk

Medicines Management: The Practice may conduct medicines management reviews of medications prescribed to its patients. This service performs a review of prescribed medications to ensure patients receive the most appropriate, up-to-date and cost-effective treatments. Our local NHS Integrated Care Board employs specialist pharmacists and they may at times need to access your records to support and assist us with prescribing. This reason for this is to help us manage your care and treatment.

Individual Funding Requests: An Individual Funding Request is a request made on your behalf, with your consent, by a clinician, for the funding of specialised healthcare which falls outside the range of services and treatments that ICB has agreed to commission for the local population. An Individual Funding Request is considered when a case can be set out by a patient’s clinician that there are exceptional clinical circumstances which make the patient’s case different from other patients with the same condition who are at the same stage of their disease, or when the request is for a treatment that is regarded as new or experimental and where there are no other similar patients who would benefit from this treatment. A detailed response, including the criteria considered in arriving at the decision, will be provided to the patient’s clinician.

Are there other projects where your data may be shared?

Local Research: We regularly work with local health, pharmaceutical and academic organisations to conduct research studies with the aim of improving care for the general population. We will always ask for your permission to take part, except in situations where we can demonstrate that your information has been anonymised (where you cannot be identified) and your privacy is protected. In these situations we are not required to seek consent from individuals.

Risk Stratification: Risk stratification data tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person’s risk of suffering a condition, preventing an unplanned admission or re-admission and identifying a need for preventive intervention. Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP practice. A risk score arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information is provided back to your GP practice as data controller in an identifiable form. Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. If necessary, your GP may be able to offer you additional services. Please note that you have the right to opt out of your data being used in this way.

Other research projects: With your consent we would also like to use your name, contact details and email address to inform you of services that may benefit you. There may be occasions when authorised research facilities would like to invite you to participate in research, innovations, identifying trends or improving services. At any stage where we would like to use your data for anything other than the specified purposes and where there is no lawful requirement for us to share or process your data, we will ensure that you have the ability to consent or to opt out prior to any data processing taking place. This information is not shared with third parties or used for any marketing and you can unsubscribe at any time via phone, email or by informing the Practice.

When is your consent not required?

We will only ever use or pass on information about you to others involved in your care if they have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances.

There are certain circumstances where we are required by law to disclose information, for example:
• where there is a serious risk of harm or abuse to you or other people
• where a serious crime, such as assault, is being investigated or where it could be
prevented
• notification of new births
• where we encounter infectious diseases that may endanger the safety of others, such
as meningitis or measles (but not HIV/AIDS)
• where a formal court order has been issued
• where there is a legal requirement, for example if you had committed a Road Traffic
Offence

We are also required to act in accordance with Principle 7 of the Caldicott Review (Revised version 2013) which states: “The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.” This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out by the Caldicott Principles.

How can you access or change your data?

You have a right under the Data Protection legislation to request access to view or to obtain copies of the information the Practice holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate.

Your request should be made to the Practice and we have a form (SAR – Subject Access Request)
which you will need to complete. We are required to respond to you within one calendar month.

For information from the hospital you should write direct to them. You will need to give adequate information (full name, address, date of birth, NHS number and details of your request) so that your identity can be verified and your records located.

There is no charge to receive a copy of the information held about you.

What should you do if your personal information changes?

Please contact the Practice as soon as any of your details change. This is especially important for
changes of address or contact details (such as your mobile phone number).

The Practice will from time to time ask you to confirm that the information we currently hold is
accurate and up-to-date.

Changes to our privacy policy

It is important to point out that we may amend this Privacy Notice from time to time.
Our Data Protection Officer

The Practice has appointed Umar Sabat as its Data Protection Officer.

He can be contacted on the following e-mail address:
ciosicb.dpo@nhs.net

If you have any concerns about how your data is shared, or if you would like to know more about your rights in respect of the personal data we hold about you, then please contact the Practice Data Protection Officer.

How to contact the appropriate authorities

If you have any concerns about how your information is managed at your GP Practice, please contact the our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (C2C.pals@nhs.net or via the Practice switchboard) or the Data Protection Officer in the first instance.

If you are still unhappy following a review by the GP Practice, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), at the following address:

Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545745
Email: https://ico.org.uk

As an employer, the practice has a duty to care for the health and safety of its staff.

The practice also has a legal responsibility to provide a safe and secure working environment for staff.

All patients are expected to behave in an acceptable manner and violent or abusive behaviour towards staff or patients may result in removal from our practice list or even criminal proceedings. The practice follows the NHS guidance concerning zero tolerance.

The practice has a policy of zero tolerance of verbal and physical violence towards GPs, staff or other patients.

The practice will request the removal of any patient from the practice list who is aggressive or abusive towards a doctor, member of staff, other patient, or who damages property.

We report all physical abuse to the police as an assault.

We expect all patients to be responsible and avoid attending the surgery under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs.

Any alteration of prescriptions is illegal and will not be tolerated.

If you’re unhappy with the quality of service you have the right to register with another practice without notifying us.

On the very rare occasions when a patient repeatedly ignores their responsibilities to the Practice, we have the right to remove the patient from our Practice list.

Unacceptable behaviour

Examples of unacceptable behaviour include:

• violence
• excessive noise eg recurrent loud or intrusive conversation or shouting
• threatening or abusive language involving swearing or offence remarks
• derogatory racial or sexual remarks
• malicious allegations relating to members of staff, other patients or visitors
• offensive sexual gestures or behaviours
• abusing alcohol or drugs on practice premises
• drug dealing on practice premises
• wilful damage to practice property
• threats or threatening behaviour
• theft

Zero tolerance

Our staff have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times.

They should be able to do their jobs without being physically or verbally abused.

Anyone found abusing the staff in person or on the telephone will be asked to leave the practice.

This behaviour will not be tolerated.

Removal from the patient list

In exceptional circumstances, a breakdown may occur between a doctor and their patient.

If the breakdown is serious, for example physical or verbal abuse to any member of the practice team, the doctors may feel that the relationship has been compromised.

We may take steps to remove the patient from the doctor’s list. Where possible, we prefer to discuss with the patient to try to find a solution.

We give reasons for removal in writing.