Practice Policies & Patient Information
Chaperone Policy
We will always respect your privacy, dignity and your religious and cultural beliefs particularly when intimate examinations are advisable – these will only be carried out with your express agreement and you will be offered a chaperone to attend the examination if you so wish.
You may also request a chaperone when making the appointment or on arrival at the surgery (please let the receptionist know) or at any time during the consultation.
Complaints
Importance of having a complaints procedure
In spite of the efforts of all staff it is likely that a complaint will be made by a patient at some point. To reduce the anxiety and apprehension for both patients and staff it is crucial to have a procedure for handling complaints.
How complaints can be made
Complaints may be received in writing or orally. Where a patient is unable to communicate a complaint by either means on their own then arrangements will be made to facilitate the giving of the complaint.
Persons who can complain
Complaints can be made by patients, former patients, someone who is affected, or likely to be affected, by the action, omission or decision of individuals working at the practice, or by a representative of a patient who is incapable of making the complaint themselves.
When a complaint is made on behalf of a child, there must be reasonable grounds for the complaint being made by the representative rather than the child and the complaint must be being made in the best interests of the child. If this is not the case, then written notification of the decision not to investigate the complaint must be sent to the representative.
Time limit for making a complaint
Complaints can be made up to 12 months after the incident that gave rise to the complaint, or from when the complainant was made aware of it. Beyond this timescale it is at the discretion of the practice as to whether to investigate the matter.
Persons responsible for handling complaints
Responsible Person: The Responsible Person is a partner responsible for the supervision of the complaints procedure and for making sure that action is taken in light of the outcome of any investigation. Dr Poonian.
Complaints Manager: The Complaints Manager is responsible for the handling and investigation of complaints. Joanne Beanland
Initial handling of complaints
When a patient wishes to make an oral complaint then the Complaints Manager is to arrange to meet the complainant in private to make an assessment of the complaint. The complainant is to be asked whether they would like to be accompanied at this meeting.
The complaint should be resolved at this meeting if possible. If the complaint is resolved then it should be recorded in the complaints register and the implicated staff member is to be told about the details of the complaint.
When the complaint cannot be resolved the patient is to be asked to make a written complaint. If necessary the Complaints Manager is to write down the complaint on their behalf verbatim. The written complaint is to be recorded in the complaints register.
The Complaints Manager is to acknowledge a written complaint in writing within 3 working days, stating the anticipated date by which the complainant can expect a full response.
Investigation of complaint
The Complaints Manager is to discuss the complaint with the implicated member of staff to establish their recollection of events.
If the complaint is against the Complaints Manager, then the complaint is to be referred to the Responsible Person for investigation.
The complainant is to be invited to a meeting to discuss the complaint with the Complaints Manager and asked if they would like to be accompanied at this meeting. If appropriate and with prior consent from the complainant the staff member complained about can be present at that meeting. Minutes should be taken.
The timescale to respond (maximum of 6 months) is to be agreed with the complainant at that meeting and documented in the complaints register.
The full response to the complainant is to be signed by the responsible person, and include:
an explanation of how the complaint was considered;
the conclusions reached in relation to the complaint and any remedial action that will be needed;
confirmation as to whether the practice is satisfied that any action has been taken or will be taken.
If it is not possible to send the complainant a response in the agreed period it is necessary to write to the complainant explaining why. Then a response is to be sent to the complainant as soon as is reasonably practicable.
If the complainant is dissatisfied with the handling of the complaint then they are to be advised to contact the Health Service Ombudsman and how to do so.
Recording complaints and investigations
A record must be kept of:
each complaint received;
the subject matter of the complaint;
the steps and decisions taken during an investigation;
the outcome of each investigation;
when the practice informed the complainant of the response period and any amendment to that period;
whether a report of the outcome of the investigation was sent to the complainant within the response period or any amended period.
Review of complaints
Complaints received by the practice are to be reviewed at staff meetings to ensure that learning points are shared.
A review of all complaints will be conducted annually by the Complaints Manager to identify any patterns that are to be reported to the Responsible Person.
The Complaints Manager will notify the Responsible Person of any concerns about a complaint leading to non-compliance. The Responsible Person will identify ways for the practice to return to compliance.
A report on complaints is to be submitted to the Primary Care Trust (or replacement body) annually (year ending 31st March).
This report is to:
specify the number of complaints received;
specify the number of complaints which it was decided were well-founded;
specify the number of complaints which the practice has been informed have been referred to the Health Service Ombudsman;
summarise the subject matter of complaints received;
summarise any matters of general importance arising out of those complaints, or the way in which the complaints were handled;
summarise any matters where action has been or is to be taken to improve services as a consequence of those complaints.
This report is to be available to any person on request.
Publicity:
The practice’s arrangements for dealing with complaints and how further information about these arrangements may be obtained by patients is to be publicised by the Complaints Manager. How to contact independent advocacy services and the right of patients to approach Primary Care Trusts with complaints is also to be publicised.
Unreasonable complainants:
When faced by an unreasonable complainant staff will take action in accordance with page 34 of the DH’s Listening, responding, improving: a guide to better customer care guidance. If the patient wishes to escalate their complaint they can be given details of the CCG or the Ombudsman. Please inform Joanne Beanland who can provide them with the details.
COMPLAINING TO OTHER AUTHORITIES The practice team hope that if you have a problem you will use the Practice Complaints Procedure. However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the response received from us, you can contact any of the following bodies:
PATIENT ADVISORY LIAISON SERVICE (PALS) PALS provide a confidential service designed to help patients get the most from the NHS. PALS can tell you more about the NHS complaints procedure and may be able to help you resolve your complaint informally. Your local PALS office can be contacted on: • 0808 196 8861 • Email: PatientServices@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk HEALTHWATCH STAFFORDSHIRE Healthwatch Staffordshire is a local service that supports people who want to make a complaint about their NHS Care or treatment. Your local service is at: Suite 2, Opus House Priestly Court, Staffordshire Technology Park, Stafford ST18 0LQ Tel: 0800 161 5600 Email: advocacy@ecstaffs.co.uk
CONTACTING THE CARE QUALITY COMMISSION If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this Practice then you can contact the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161, or alternatively visit the following website: http://www.cqc.org.uk
Confidentiality
You can be assured that anything you discuss with any member of the surgery staff, whether doctor, nurse or receptionist, will remain confidential. Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone, including parents, other family members, care workers or teachers, without your permission. The only reason why we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect either you or someone else from serious harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first.
If you have any worries or queries about confidentiality, please ask a member of staff.
If you would like to discuss matters of a confidential nature, either with our receptionists or a member of the dispensary team, we have a side room available in reception for this purpose.
Data Protection
We need to hold personal information about you on our computer systems and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe-keeping. Please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.
Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with others involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record is properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.
All information about you is held securely and appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent accidental loss.
In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues. In other circumstance you may be required to give written consent before information is released – such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.
To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone or fax unless we are sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not, leave messages with others.
You have a right to see your records if you wish. Please ask at reception if you would like further details about our patient information leaflet. An appointment may be required. In some circumstances a fee may be payable.
Good Conduct Guide
Taken from the special allocation scheme
In order to be provided with Primary Medical Services patients are expected to act in a manner that does not represent a threat to GPs, practice staff, other patients and property. This guide sets out the type of conduct that is expected of all patients registered with a General Practice.
Patients are expected to behave in the following manner:
- To be polite and respectful towards all individuals and property
- Do not make threatening remarks to staff or patients at the practice
- To book routine appointments in accordance with the practice’s policy
- Request urgent appointments only for genuine urgent conditions
- Attend surgery, when a face to face is needed and when physically able to do so, rather than requesting a home visit
- Attend all appointments on time
- Cancel any booked appointments that are no longer required
- Request repeat prescriptions in good time, ensuring that all items are ordered together rather than in individual lots
- Respect surgery premises and property
- Use the clinician’s time in an appropriate manner – Do not attend surgery for minor ailments that can be self-treated e.g. coughs, colds and minor aches and pains
- Do not attend the surgery without an appointment
- Do not request a “note from the doctor” unless absolutely essential
- Patients are free to register with the practice of their choice for the provision of Primary Medical Services as long as the practice list is open for new registrations and the patient resides within the practice boundary area. Patients not intending to change their GP should not seek treatment from other practices in the locality (unless in an emergency) without consulting with their current practice.
In return, patients can expect to access a range of services provided with respect and confidentiality including:
- A single phone number for the booking of appointments
- Immediate attention for very serious illness and life threatening emergencies – only via telephone triage to 999/A&E
- Urgent attention for serious illness or very painful conditions – only via telephone triage to 999/A&E
- Appropriate appointments for non-urgent conditions
- Home visits for people too sick to attend surgery – only when deemed clinically necessary and following any associated/appropriate risk assessment
- Repeat prescriptions available within agreed time limits
- Appropriate disease management e.g. diabetes, asthma and raised blood pressure
- Clean, safe and well equipped surgery premises
- Appropriate investigation of diseases
- Appropriate treatment
- Referral to a specialist when required
If patients commit any act of violence including threatening, abusive or intimidating behaviour towards a GP, Practice staff, other patients (including damaging their property) they will be removed from the practice list and may be re-assigned to the Special Allocation Scheme.
GP Earnings
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 Mill View Surgery in the last financial year (2020/21) was £52,025 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 1 part time GPs and 2 locums who worked in the practice for more than six months.
Interpreter
If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and she will arrange this for you.
IT Policy
This practice is committed to preserving, as far as is practical, the security of data used by our information systems. This means that we will take all reasonable actions to;
Maintain the Confidentiality of all data within the practice by:
- Ensuring that only authorised persons can gain access to our systems
- Not disclosing information to anyone who has no right to see it
Maintain the integrity of all data within the practice by:
- Taking care over input
- Ensuring that all changes are reported and monitored
- Checking that the correct record is on the screen before updating
- Reporting all apparent errors and ensuring that they are resolved
Maintain the availability of all data by:
- Ensuring that all equipment is protected from intruders
- Ensuring that backups are taken at regular, predetermined intervals
- Ensuring that contingency is provided for possible failure or equipment theft and that any such contingency plans are tested and kept up to date
Additionally we will take all reasonable measures to comply with our legal responsibilities under:
Named Accountable GP
Each of our patients has a named accountable GP. This doesn’t mean that you have to see that GP each time you visit the surgery, instead it means that you can be reassured that one GP within the practice is responsible for ensuring that work is carried out on your behalf.
Patient Privacy Notice
Download a copy of our Patient Privacy Notice – Mill View Surgery
Patient Record
Increasingly, patient medical data is shared e.g. between GP surgeries and District Nursing, in order to give clinicians access to the most up to date information when attending patients. The systems we operate require that any sharing of medical information is consented to by patients beforehand. Patients must consent to sharing of the data held by a health provider out to other health providers and must also consent to which of the other providers can access their data. e.g. it may be necessary to share data held in GP practices with district nurses but the local podiatry department would not need to see it to undertake their work. In this case, patients would allow the surgery to share their data, they would allow the district nurses to access it but they would not allow access by the podiatry department. In this way access to patient data is under patients’ control and can be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis. There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). The Summary Care Record is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. Initially, it will contain just your medications and allergies. Later on as the central NHS computer system develops, (known as the ‘Summary Care Record’ – SCR), other staff who work in the NHS will be able to access it along with information from hospitals, out of hours services, and specialists letters that may be added as well. Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held on central NHS databases. As with all new systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so. On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing your personal information and wish to keep your information at the level of this practice. Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the Summary Care Record have agreed with doctors’ leaders that new patients registering with this practice should be able to decide whether or not their information is uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System. For existing patients it is different in that it is assumed that you want your record uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System unless you actively opt out.Sharing Your Medical Record
Summary Care Record
Personal Data
The following IT systems are in use at the practice:
- Referral Management (using NHS numbers in referrals)
- Electronic Appointment Booking (the facility to book routine appointments online and, similarly, to cancel appointments
- Online booking of repeat prescriptions
- Summary Care Record (uploading details of your current medication and allergies to the national “spine” so that these are available for doctors involved in your care elsewhere)
- GP to GP transfers (the electronic transfer of records from practice to practice when you re-register
- Patient Access to records (the facility to view your medical records online).
If you are not already registered for online access and would like to be please complete our online form.
If you would like access to your medical records enabled or would like to opt out of the local or national summary care record, please contact reception.
Practice Leaflet
Download the Practice Leaflet.
Statement of Purpose
Mill View Surgery
Statement of Purpose
Version 4
Joanne Beanland
20th January 2021
This is a Statement of Purpose for Mill View Surgery which sets out the following information:
- The full name of the service provider and of any registered manager together with their business address, telephone number, and where available electronic mail addresses
- The legal status of the service provider
- Details of the locations at which the services provided for the purposes of the regulated activity carried on
- Our aims and objectives in carrying on the regulated activity;
- The kinds of services provided for the purpose of carrying on of the regulated activity
- The range of service users needs which those services are intended to meet.
Mill View Surgery is a General Practice Partnership open to all patients living within our Practice boundary in Rocester, Staffordshire and the surrounding areas. We work in partnership with our patients to provide medical care for our patients.
We are a Personal Medical Services (PMS) Practice offering Primary care services for the diagnosis and prevention of disease. We help patients to manage their health and prevent illness. Our GPs assess, diagnose, treat and manage illness. They carry out screening for some diseases and promote general health and wellbeing. Our GPs act as a patient’s advocate, supporting and representing a patient’s best interests to ensure they receive the best and most appropriate health and or social care. Our GPs also provide the link to further health services and work closely with other healthcare colleagues. They may also arrange hospital admissions and referrals to other services and specialists and they link with secondary and community services about patient care, taking advice and sharing information where needed. They also collect and record important information from other healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of our patients.
Location:
The Practice main address is:
Mill View Surgery, Mill Street, Rocester, Staffordshire ST14 5JX. Tel: 01889 590208.
To deliver the Covid Vaccination Programme (CVP), the practice will use an external site:
Pirelli Stadium, Princess Way, Burton upon Trent, DE13 0AR
And a satellite site:
Uttoxeter Racecourse, Wood Lane, Uttoxeter ST14 8BD
These sites will be risk assessed and managed by PCN representatives.
Registered Managers:
Dr Satveer Poonian
Joanne Beanland
Our Mission Statement
To improve the health, well-being and lives of those we care for
Vision
To work in partnership with our patients and staff to provide the best Primary Care services possible working within local and national governance, guidance and regulations.
Our Aims and Objectives
- To provide high quality, safe, professional Primary Health Care General Practice services to our patients
- To focus on prevention of disease by promoting health and wellbeing and offering care and advice to our patients
- To work in partnership with our patients, their families and carers towards a positive experience and understanding, involving them in decision making about their treatment and care.
- To be a learning organisation that continually improves what we are able to offer patients.
- To treat patients as individuals and with the same respect we would want for ourselves or a member or our families, listening and supporting people to express their needs and wants and enabling people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control
- To work in partnership with other agencies to tackle the causes of, as well as provide the treatment for ill health and where appropriate involve other professionals in the care of our patients.
- To encourage our patients to communicate with us by talking to us, participating in surveys, and feeding back and on the services that we offer
- To ensure all staff have the competency and motivation to deliver the required standards of care ensuring that all members of the team have the right skills and training to carry out their duties competently
- To take care of our staff offering them support to do their jobs and to protect them against abuse
- Have a zero tolerance of all forms of abuse.
- To provide our patients and staff with an environment which is safe and friendly
- To operate on a financially sound basis.
Our Services
The PMS services provided by our GPs are defined under the Standard Personal Medical Services Contract. These services are mainly split into three groups:
- Essential
- Additional
- Enhanced
Essential services
We provide essential services for people who have health conditions from which they are expected to recover, chronic disease management and general management of terminally ill patients.
Our core services include:
- GP consultations
- Asthma clinics
- Chronic obstructive airways disease clinics
- Coronary heart disease clinics
- Diabetes clinics
Additional services
Our additional services include:
- Cervical cytology screening
- Contraceptive services
- Child health surveillance
- Maternity services
- Vaccinations and immunisations
Enhanced services
Our enhanced services include:
- Childhood vaccinations and immunisations
- Prostate Cancer Injection Therapy
- Minor surgery procedures
- Flu immunisation
- Shingles Immunisation
- NHS Health Check
- Chlamydia Screening and Treatment
- Pertussis Immunisation
- Phlebotomy
- Minor injury service
- MS services
- Glucose Tolerance Testing
- Shared Care Prescribing and Near Patient Testing
- Learning Disabilities Health Checks
- Avoiding Unplanned Care
- Covid Vaccination Programme
Other services
Our Practice also offers services including:
• Child health and development
• Dressings
• Ear wax and syringing
• ECGs (electrical heart trace)
• End of life care
• Epilepsy
• Lung testing (spirometry)
• Medication review
• Men’s health
• Mental health
• Pregnancy testing and contraceptive advice
• Stop smoking support
• Travel advice
• Women’s health
Non-NHS Services
Our Practice also provides services which are non NHS and are paid for by the patient. These services include:
• Insurance claims forms
• Prescription for taking medication abroad
• Private sick notes
• Pre-employment and HGV medicals
• Vaccination certificates
Summary Care Record
Your patient record is held securely and confidentially on the electronic system at your GP practice. If you require treatment in another NHS healthcare setting such as an Emergency Department or Minor Injury Unit, those treating you would be better able to give you appropriate care if some of the information from the GP practice were available to them.
This information can now be shared electronically via: The Summary Care Record, used nationally across England
The information will be used only by authorised health care professionals directly involved in your care. Your permission will be asked before the information is accessed, unless the clinician is unable to ask you and there is a clinical reason for access.
If you would like to opt out, please ask reception for our opt out form.
A parent or guardian can request to opt out children under 16 but ultimately it is the GP’s decision whether to create the records or not, because of their duty of care to the child. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 and feel that they are able to understand, then you should make this information available to them.
Who Has Access?
Across all health care settings, including urgent care, community care and outpatient departments in England.
Information Source
GP record
Content
- Your current medications
- Any allergies you have
- Any bad reactions you have had to medicines
- Additional information (upon request to your GP)
For more information visit:
www.digital.nhs.uk