Click here to see more information

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

This practice is supporting vital health and care planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. For more information about this see the GP Practice Privacy Notice for General Practice Data for Planning and Research.”

As of 25th May 2018, new data protection regulations are being introduced. Keeping your data safe and secure is our top priority. The changes won’t alter the way we use and protect your personal information, but it will make it easier for you to find out how we use it.

There is no action that you need to take. However, the surgery has produced literature and guidance to support patients in this field.  Please see these attachments or speak to the team if you have any queries or questions.

HGP Patient information re GDPR

Child Privacy Notice August 2019

HGP Privacy Notice August 2019

What this means for you: informing patients – Practice obligations

The Practice is required under data protection law to ensure that patients are aware of how their data is used. This Programme involves new processing of data and Practices are advised to update their Privacy Notice materials and use whatever other means you have to inform patients about it e.g. through patient participation groups, newsletters etc.

The Programme offers patients the opportunity to opt-out of their data being included in the Programme, even though the analysis is done using de-identified data. It is important that patients are made aware of this too.

HVCCG extracts medical information about you for population health management and risk stratification purposes, the information we pass to them via our computer systems cannot identify you to them. This information only refers to you by way of a code that only your practice can identify (it is pseudo-anonymised). This therefore protects you from anyone who may have access to this information at the Clinical Commissioning Group from ever identifying you as a result of seeing the medical information and we will never give them the information that would enable them to do this.

There are good reasons why the Clinical Commissioning Group may require this pseudo-anonymised information, these are as follows:

• To assist in analysing current health services and proposals for developing future services.
• To develop risk stratification models to help GP’s to identify and support patients with long term conditions and to help to prevent unplanned hospital admissions or reduce the risk of certain diseases developing, such as diabetes.
• Using risk stratification to help the CCG to understand the health needs of the local population in order to plan and commission the right services.

NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (AGEM) are commissioned by the CCG to carry out this process. The risk stratification tool that AGEM use for this process is called Jemima.

What if I do not want information about me to be included (opt out)?

If you do not wish your data to be included in this process (even though it is in a format which does not directly identify you) you can choose to opt-out.  In this case, please inform the Receptionist who will apply an opt-out code to your record to ensure that your information is not included.

Why we collect information about you

Health care professionals who provide you with care are required by law to maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received within any NHS organisation. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

We collect and hold data for the sole purpose of providing healthcare services to our patients. In carrying out this role we may collect information about you which helps us respond to your queries or secure specialist services. We may keep your information in written form and/or in digital form. The records may include basic details about you, such as your name and address. They may also contain more sensitive information about your health and information such as outcomes of needs assessments.

Details we collect about you

The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously or elsewhere (e.g. NHS Hospital Trust, other GP Surgery, Out of Hours GP Centre, A&E, Walk-in clinic, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

Records which we may hold about you may include the following: 

• Details about you, such as your address and next of kin, emergency contacts
• Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, immunisations, 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 (including that provided via our surgery website)

How we keep your information confidential and safe

All your GP NHS health records are kept electronically. Our GP records database is hosted by EMIS Health Ltd, who is acting as a data processor, and all information is stored in a safe and secure manner in a third parties data centre which acts on the instructions of EMIS and has been approved by NHS Digital. Access is restricted to authorised personnel.

We also make sure that data processors that support us are legally and contractually bound to operate and prove security arrangements are in place where data that could or does identify a person are processed.

We only email you, or use your mobile number to text you, regarding matters of medical care, such as appointment reminders and (if appropriate) test results. Unless you have separately given us your explicit consent, we will not email you for non-medical matters (such as surgery newsletters and other information).

We maintain our duty of confidentiality to you always. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), or where the law requires information to be passed on.

How we use information about you

Confidential patient data will be shared within the healthcare team at the practice, including nursing staff, admin staff, secretaries and receptionists, and with other healthcare professionals to whom a patient is referred. Those individuals have a professional and contractual duty of confidentiality.

Details of who is authorised to access your GP record can be found in our “Your Medical Records” section.

Referrals for specific health care purposes

We sometimes provide your information to other organisations for them to provide you with medical services. We will always inform you of such a referral and you always have the right not to be referred in this way.

These include:

• Referrals for home oxygen services (“HOOF”)
• Referrals for Diabetes dietary advice (“DESMOND”)
• Referrals for Diabetes Eye Screening (DRS)
• Referrals for Prediabetes advice (“Healthier You”)

Data Sharing Schemes

A number of data sharing schemes are active locally, enabling healthcare professionals outside of the surgery to view information from your GP record, with your explicit consent, should that need arise.

Details of these schemes, and of your right to opt-out of any or all of them, can be found in our “Your Medical Records” section.

Mandatory disclosures of information

We are sometimes legally obliged to disclose information about patients to relevant authorities. In these circumstances, the minimum identifiable information that is essential to serve that legal purpose will be disclosed.

That organisation will also have a professional and contractual duty of confidentiality. Data will be anonymised if at all possible before disclosure if this would serve the purpose for which the data is required.

Organisations that we are sometimes obliged to release information to include:

• NHS Digital (e.g. the National Diabetes Audit)
• CQC
• DVLA
• GMC
• HMRC
• NHS Counter Fraud
• Police
• The Courts
• Public Health England
• Local Authorities (Social Services)
• The Health Service Ombudsman

In the event of actual or possible legal proceedings, we may need to disclose information from an individual’s GP record to a medical defence organisation.

Permissive disclosures of information

Only with your explicit consent, Harvey Group Practice can release information about you, from your GP record, to relevant organisations. These may include:

• Your employer
• Insurance companies
• Solicitors
• Local Authorities
• Police

Accessing your information on other databases

We can access certain medical information about you, when relevant or necessary, that is held on other databases (i.e. under the control of another data controller). This includes the NHS Digital’s Open Exeter database. Accessing such information would only be for your direct medical care.

Research

We sometimes undertakes accredited research projects. Where this involves accessing identifiable patient information, we will only do so with the explicit consent of the individual and Research Ethics Committee approval. All studies we agree to work with have a gone through stringent processes before going live, this includes how data from the study will be processed and managed. An example of this is https://www.information-compliance.admin.cam.ac.uk/data-protection/research-participant-data. If you have any queries about research studies, please direct them to Dr Matt Parfitt in the first instance.

Your right to opt-out of sharing your information

You have the right to opt-out (or object) to ways in which your information is shared, both for direct medical care purposes (such as the national NHS data sharing schemes), i.e. primary uses of your information, or for purposes other than your direct medical care – so called secondary uses.

Details of these purposes, and how you can opt out, can be found in our “Your Medical Records” section.

Accessing your own medical information

You have the right to access your own GP record. You can also sign up to have secure online access to your electronic GP record.

Lawful bases for processing and the EU GDPR

Detailed information (individual privacy notices) about all our data processing activities, including lawful bases, can be found on our website, upon request from the surgery, or from the Data Protection Officer (Dr Neil Bhatia).

We rely upon Article 6(1)(e) Official Authority and Article 9(2)(h) Provision of Health for much of our processing, in particular:

• Maintaining your electronic GP record
• Sharing information from, or allowing access to, your GP record, for healthcare professionals involved in providing you with medical care
• Referrals for specific health care purposes
• The NHS data sharing schemes
• Our data processors
• Organising your prescriptions, including sending both paper and electronic prescriptions to your chosen pharmacy
• Some permissive disclosures of information
• Accessing your information on other NHS organisation databases

We rely upon Article 6(1)(d) Vital Interests and Article 9(2)(h) Provision of Health to share information about you with another healthcare professional in a medical emergency.

We rely upon Article 6(1)(c) Legal Obligation and Article 9(2)(h) Provision of Health for mandatory disclosures of information (such as to NHS Digital, CQC).

We rely upon Article 6(1)(a) Consent and Article 9(2)(h) Provision of Health for certain permissive disclosures of information (such as to insurance companies).

We rely upon Article 6(1)(e) Official Authority and Article 9(2)(j) Research for accredited research undertaken in the surgery, with your explicit consent.

Notification

The Data Protection Act 1998 requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal and sensitive information.

We are registered as a data controller and our registration can be viewed online in the public register at https://ico.org.uk/

Data Protection Officer (DPO)

Mr Barry Moult is Data Protection Officer for the surgery. He can be contacted at [email protected]

Case Finding and Profiling – CCG wide

Sometimes your information will be used to identify whether you need particular support from us. Those involved in your care might look at particular ‘indicators’ (such as particular conditions) and contact you or take action for healthcare purposes.

For example, this might be to prevent you from having to visit accident and emergency by supporting you in your own home or in the community. We will use automated technology to help us to identify people that might require support but ultimately, the decision about how or whether to provide extra support you is made by those involved in your care. Our Data Protection Officer will be happy to speak to you about this if you have concerns or objections. Charlotte Earl, Senior Pharmaceutical Advisor

Complaints

If you have concerns or are unhappy about any of our services, please contact the Practice Manager.

For independent advice about data protection, privacy, and data sharing issues, you can contact: 

The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Phone: 08456 30 60 60
Website:www.ico.gov.uk

DPIA – e consult online consultations

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 Harvey Group Practice in the last financial year was £53,9087 before Tax and National Insurance. This is for 4 full time GPs, 6 part time GPs and 1 Locum GP who worked in the practice for more than six months.

An integrated care board (or ICB) is a statutory NHS organisation which is responsible for developing a plan for meeting the health needs of the population, managing the NHS budget and arranging for the provision of health services in a geographical area

The ICB for the area is the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB

For more information click the button below:

NHS Data Sharing

The NHS shares information from your medical records in a number of ways.

In Hertfordshire, a number of data sharing schemes are running that involve either extracting and uploading information from your GP record to a 3rd party data controller, or making information from your GP record visible to other healthcare professionals.

You have the right to control how your personal information is used and who has access to it.

You can do this by opting out of any or all of these schemes. And you can opt back into any of the schemes, at any time.

The Summary Care Record (SCR)

This is a national centralised database of limited medical information (allergies and medication only), extracted and uploaded from your GP record to NHS Digital.
That information is then potentially available to medical staff nationwide.

There are no secondary uses of the SCR, and data uploaded to the SCR database is neither shared nor used beyond that required to provide direct medical care.

EMIS Enterprise

Patients registered with a GP Practice in the St Albans and Harpenden area can now make an appointment to see a GP at the weekend, Saturdays 9am-1pm and 3pm-7pm, Sundays 9am-1pm and in weekday evenings until 8pm.   During these appointments your health record may be accessed and viewed by clinical staff other than your GP or a GP at your practice. Please be advised that your confidentiality will be maintained.  Your information is only available locally with this scheme.

No data from your GP record is extracted, uploaded or “sent” anywhere with this system – it is “viewed” in real time.

Secondary uses of your medical record

Secondary purposes are those unrelated to your direct medical care.

Examples include using your information for research, audit, healthcare planning, risk profiling (or “stratification”), “population health management”, extraction of sick note data to the DWP, commercial and even political uses.

Mandatory data collections

GP surgeries are sometimes required by law to extract and upload data to NHS Digital. We are required by law to let patients know about these and of their right to opt-out (fair processing information).

One such mandatory extraction is for Individual GP Level Data – you can read about it here.

Another mandatory data collection is the National Diabetes Audit – you can read about it here.

The other mandatory data collection is the extraction of sick note data to NHS Digital (and thereafter to the DWP), as mentioned above.

If you have opted out of secondary uses of your GP record, then data from your GP record will not be extracted and uploaded to NHS Digital for these purposes.

Data Processors

EMIS Health Ltd hosts our electronic GP patient records database at their secure servers in Leeds. As such, EMIS is acting as the data processor.

When we do a large scale mailout to our patients, e.g. newsletter or health campaign, Docmail Ltd – a registered and secure service used by many NHS providers support us in sending out letters from the surgery. We provide names and addresses only, and a template letter, to Docmail, who then create and post the letters out.

Confidentiality

We provide a confidential service to all our patients, including under 16s. This means that you can tell others about a visit to the surgery, but we won’t.

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

Even if you are under 16 nothing will be said to anyone – including parents, other family members, care workers or tutors – without your permission. The only reason why we might have 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.

Confidential patient data will be shared with the healthcare team at the practice, including nursing staff, admin staff, secretaries and receptionists, and with other healthcare professionals to whom a patient is referred. Those individuals have a professional and contractual duty of confidentiality.

Access to your medical record (the Right of Access)

You have the right to get a copy of the information that is held about you.  This is known as a subject access request.

Please note:

• You can sign up for Patient Access to view your full GP electronic record.
• You can then look at your medical record whenever you want.

If you do wish to make a subject access request then:

• You can do this in writing (letter, email, fax)
• You can make such a request verbally to a member of staff or a doctor or nurse that you are consulting with at the surgery
  Please let us know exactly what information you would like.

We will provide the information within 28 calendar days and there is usually no fee for this.

We ask all our patients to provide us with their mobile phone numbers and their email address, if they have them and should they so wish.

We use your mobile phone number in two ways:

• to contact you, as an alternative to your landline number
• to send you SMS text messages

The texts that we send are only ever related to your medical care – for example, reminding you of a forthcoming appointment at the surgery, an invitation for a check-up or immunisation, or to inform you that a blood test or x-ray result is back.

We do not use SMS for direct marketing in any way.

If you would prefer us not to ring you on your mobile phone then please say so and we will either not add your mobile phone number to your record, or remove any existing mobile phone number.

If you would prefer us not to send you SMS text messages – but you are happy for us to ring you on your mobile phone (when needed) – then please say so and we will mark your record as “no SMS text messages”.

We occasionally use email to communicate with our patients, again for matters related to your direct medical care.

If you would prefer us not to email you then please say so and we will either not add your email address to your record, or remove any existing email address.

My Care Record

My Care Record is a new scheme to allow other healthcare professionals to access part of your medical record with your permission. To find out more about this scheme, please open up the attached link:

• http://www.mycarerecord.org.uk/
• MCR Posters

See the links below for frequently asked questions about My Care Record:

• FAQ’s
• FAQ easy read

Fair processing notice CCG Fair processing notice for patients reference

From the 1st April 2015 the NHS requires that every patient is allocated a named GP. All registered patients have been allocated a named GP and any newly registered patients will be allocated a named GP within 20 days. This is for administrative purposes only and you will still be able to book an appointment with any of our GP depending on availability at the time.

If you are a registered patient, but are unsure who your usual GP is, please contact our reception team to find out.

If you wish to change your named GP, please contact us, putting your request in writing. If you have a preference as to which GP you would prefer, the practice will make every reasonable effort to accommodate this request. However, this may not always be possible.

The Data Protection Act/GDPR gives you certain rights when it comes to your GP medical record.

The Right to be Informed

Harvey Group Practice provides full and detailed fair processing information about how your personal and sensitive data is processed by the surgery. Details can be found in this “Medical Record” section, with external links to more detailed information.

The Right to Rectification

You have to right to ask for factual inaccuracies in your GP record to be corrected.

The Right of Access

You have to right to access your own GP medical record.

You can:

• Make a Subject Access Request, or
• Ask for online access to your full electronic GP record – see online services section of our website.
  

The Right to Object

You have right to control how information from your GP record is shared outside of Harvey Group Practice and used by the surgery.

You have the right to opt-out – to “object” – to any or all of the data sharing schemes (and the right to opt back in, whenever you like, if you choose to).

How do I opt-out of the Summary Care Record?

Fill in OPT OUT

How do I opt-out of all secondary uses of my GP record?

Fill in the opt out form above

For Harvey Group, the Type 1 (9Nu0) secondary uses objection will prohibit your information from being uploaded to NHS Digital for:

• The National Diabetes Audit submissions
• Individual GP level Data submissions
• FGM submissions
• NHS Health Checks submissions
• De-identified sick note (med3) data submissions

The Type 2 (9Nu4) secondary uses objection will prohibit personal confidential information being shared/disseminated/sold by NHS Digital for purposes other than for your own direct care. From 25th May, the Type 2 objection is replaced by the National Data Opt Out.

www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

What is the National Data Opt Out (NDOO)?

The NDOO is a mechanism by which individuals in England can control, to a limited degree, certain aspects of their confidential medical information and, in particular, what NHS Digital can do with it once in their possession.

The NDOO only applies to confidential information, that is medical information that can identify you, for example by containing your name, DOB, address, NHS number etc.

And the NDOO only applies to uses of your confidential medical information for secondary purposes, that is unrelated to, and beyond, the direct medical care that GP surgeries and other healthcare organisations provide you with when you are unwell, or to keep you well. Secondary purposes include healthcare planning, audit, population analytics, “risk stratification”, research, “commissioning”, commercial and even political uses.

The NDOO is not limited to electronic data and so includes paper records.

It directly replaces the Type 2 (9Nu4) opt-out that has been in force for some years, and which you were able to express via the surgery.

If I set, or keep, my NDOO status at “do not share”, what will this mean?

• Confidential medical information obtained by NHS Digital from GP surgeries, hospital trusts, mental health providers and social care, will not be released or disseminated by them in a format that can identify you.
• In addition, and in time, the NDOO will prohibit certain data extractions from your GP record, where this involves confidential medical information, such as where your permission or consent has not been sought before your data was released (so-called section 251 approval). Section 251 approval is often used to permit unconsented data extractions for varieties of research, healthcare planning, risk stratification and population analytics.
• The NDOO will, eventually, prevent confidential medical information leaving the Cancer Registry, certain other disease registries, the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD); and
• By 2020, hospitals and other healthcare providers.

What will the NDOO not do?

• The NDOO will in no way affect the sharing of information for the purposes of an individual’s care and treatment, e.g. where information is shared between a GP surgery and a hospital.
  It will not stop your GP using the Electronic Referral Service (eRS), the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS), or GP2GP transfers of medical records.
• The NDOO will in no way affect the National Summary Care Record (SCR).
• The NDOO will in no way affect situations where the surgery, or other healthcare organisation, is legally required to share your information (such as a court order or when mandated under section 259 of the Health and Social Care Act – but see later).
• The NDOO will in no way affect you being invited, when appropriate, for any of the National Screening Programmes, such as cervical/breast/bowel/abdominal aortic aneurysm/diabetic eye screening.
• The NDOO will in no way affect situations where the surgery, or any other healthcare organisation, shares data in an anonymised or aggregate (numbers only) format, in other words where that data cannot identify an individual.
• The NDOO will not stop:
  • Commercial sales of hospital data (HES) by NHS Digital
  • Lifelong linked medical histories being disseminated by NHS Digital
  • Onwards release of data by non-NHS bodies (once provided with your information by NHS Digital)

What about Research?

The NDOO will in no way prevent you from taking part in accredited medical research, at your GP surgery/local hospital/other health organisation, where you have given your explicit consent to be involved (i.e. you have been asked first).

The NDOO will in no way prevent you from:

• Giving blood
• Joining the NHS Organ Donor Register
• Signing up to the Anthony Nolan register to donate your blood stem cells or bone marrow
• Donating your DNA for medical research
• Joining the 100K Genomes project
• Taking part in clinical drug trials
• Donating your body to medical science after your death
• Giving money (in a tax-efficient way) to any medical charity of your choosing

Will the NDOO stop my confidential GP information being uploaded to NHS Digital in the first place?

No.

NHS Digital does not rely upon section 251 approval (anymore) for data gathering, preferring instead to make such data collections compulsory under section 259 of the Health and Social Care Act.

However, the existing secondary uses, Type 1 (9Nu0), opt-out that many people have in force on their GP record will prohibit data (confidential and, in some cases, de-identified) from being extracted and uploaded from your GP record to NHS Digital.

In addition, the Type 1 opt-out will also prohibit section 251 approved data extractions, for example for “risk stratification”, as well as the mandatory section 259 extractions.

So how do I maximally limit secondary uses of my medical records, beyond my direct medical care, should I wish to?

• Set your NDOO status to “do not share”,  Or ensure that you have a Type 2 objection in force

• Make sure you have a secondary uses, Type 1 (9Nu0) objection in force on your GP record

What about preventing NHS Digital releasing or disseminating anonymised and pseudonymised data about me?

You cannot – directly. And you have no control over why they are doing this, for what purpose(s), and to which organisation they are releasing your information to.

But you can limit how much information NHS Digital gathers about you from healthcare organisations, by maximally limiting the secondary uses of your medical records, as described above.

So how do I set, check, or update my National Data Opt Out status?

If you had previously requested a Type 2 objection to be in force, via the surgery, then this will have automatically have set your NDOO status to “do not share”. You will receive a letter from NHS Digital, confirming this, in due course. Any children aged 13 yrs or over will receive their own letter as well.

It is not possible to directly view, set or change your NDOO status at your GP surgery, although you set it indirectly by expressing a Type 2 objection to your GP surgery – but only until October 2018.
This will automatically set your NDOO status to “do not share”.

Anyone aged 13 yrs or over can set their NDOO status via an online service at www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

Anyone aged 12 yrs or younger, or if you are acting on behalf of another individual (i.e. as a proxy, perhaps with lasting power of attorney authority) cannot do this online but will have to ring 0300 330 9412 instead (or via other so-called “non-digital” methods).

Accordance with GDPR our Privacy notice is reviewed and updated regularly.

Our latest policy can be viewed in full here.

Confidentiality & Medical Records

The practice complies with medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

• To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
• To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
• When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

What is Purple Star Accreditation?

The Purple Star brand was developed in 2014 by the Hertfordshire Community Learning Disability Services through the Health Liaison Team [Herts County Council] in partnership with people with a learning disability, people who support them and the University of Hertfordshire Business School.

The Purple Star is a Trademark which is accredited to Primary health services who demonstrate the delivery of high quality reasonably adjusted services to adults with learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, in line with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

Like a “kite mark” the presence of a Purple Star at a health service provider indicates that a defined set of standards, as set out in the Purple Star Promise, have been achieved by that health service provider and are consistently being maintained.

Click here to see more information

There is a new 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.

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. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by looking at our interactive map or by asking your GP.

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 complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.

At The Harvey Group Practice we’re proud to support our Armed Forces community as an accredited Veteran Friendly GP Practice.

Veteran Friendly accreditation provides important reassurance that a practice understands veterans health needs and can support them.

If you have served in the Armed Forces and would like information or Advice and Support please let our staff know.

Veterans UK – to seek information on claiming AFCS, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Medical Discharges and Pension Forecast Requests.

If you have served in the Armed Forces and would like information or Advice and Support please click on the link below

The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety.

In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.

Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments.

The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.

How your data is used

Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnosis is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital.

It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.

Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.

You have a choice

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service.

You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?

No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.

What do you need to do?

If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.

To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

Download a copy of the patient leaflet