Chaperone 

Whilst you have a face to face appointment read here about our our Chaperone Policy. 

Discrimination 

The Practice and all Clinicians are committed to provide all of our Services to all Patients, regardless of their personal beliefs, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, sexuality, marital status, disability, socio-economic circumstances.  These do not influence the treatment we arrange or provide. We will treat all Patients equally and will respect their dignity and integrity. All Patients will be treated equally and all patient data confidentially.

Freedom of Information Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 aims to produce a culture of openness in public bodies, by providing members of the public with the right to access information held. The main purpose behind this is to show how public money is being used.

The Practice has developed a publication scheme. It is a guide to information, routinely published and gives indication of information intended to be published. The publication scheme describes the form in which the information is published and any fees that will be charged. A request can be made from information listed in this publication scheme.

The Practice’s publication scheme follows the model scheme for GP Practices approved by the Information Commissioners Office.

Here is our Freedom of Information Act Leaflet

Violence and Aggression 

The Practice in line with NHS Guidelines  operates 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.

Zero Tolerance 

As a Practice we do not tolerate any abuse or violence towards our staff or patients see our Zero Tolerance policy and Poster .

We are constantly seeking to improve our services and welcome feedback, both positive and negative. Please complete a feedback form and place it in the suggestion box in reception or send into the Practice.  

How to Make a Complaint

Please read our Complaints Procedure Leaflet here. 

Should you have any reason to make a complaint about an administrative or a clinical issue, you can ask to speak to the Practice Manager, Sue Doyle who is available to meet and discuss any concerns patients may have regarding the care they received.

You can contact her either on the phone or in person, or you can put your concern in writing via letter or email to BHCCG.TheHaven@nhs.net. Your complaint will be treated with complete confidentiality. 

If you feel uncomfortable about speaking directly with the Practice Manager, you can contact Healthwatch. This is a new consumer champion for both health and social care. It exists in two distinct forms – local Healthwatch, at local level, and Healthwatch England, at national level. They can support and advise you and with your consent will investigate your complaint.

They work with charities community and voluntary organisations that support people who use health and care services. They can help patients and local residents with difficulties they may be facing with health services. Their contact details locally are: 

Health watch Brighton and Hove, 113 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XG

Tel: 01273 234040. Email: info@healthwatchbrightonandhove.co.uk

Please click here to read about our Patient Charter

Data Protection

Patient information is stored on computer and under the Data Protection Act 1998 we are obliged to inform you of this and that details are held confidentially and only divulged in connection with a medical necessity. Our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strict confidence.

Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.

The principal partner organisations with which information may be shared are: Hospital, Community and Mental Health Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG's). General Practitioners (GPs), Ambulance Services and Social Services (if involved in care). Your information is subject to strict agreements describing how it will be used and, only if necessary for your care, may also be shared with: Local Authorities, NHS Common Service Agencies, Voluntary Organisations and other care providers. Your records are managed in accordance with this Act and under this information you have a right of access to your records.

Data Protection Patient Information

Information Commissioners Office see our Promise here

Patient Information & Confidentiality – GDPR and Privacy Notices

We have a legal duty to explain how we use any personal information we collect about you, as a registered Patient, at the Practice. Staff at this Practice maintain records about your health and the treatment you receive in electronic and paper format. 

Read   How we use your Health Information and Medical Records

What information do we collect about you?

We will collect information such as personal details, including name, address, next of kin, records of appointments, visits, telephone calls, your health records, treatment and medications, test results, X-rays, etc. and any other relevant information to enable us to deliver effective medical care.

How we will use your information

Your data is collected for the purpose of providing direct Patient care; however, we can disclose this information if it is required by law, if you give consent or if it is justified in the public interest.

In order to comply with its legal obligations, this Practice may send data to NHS Digital when directed by the Secretary of State for Health under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Additionally, this Practice contributes to national clinical audits and will send the data that is required by NHS Digital when the law allows. This may include demographic data, such as date of birth, and information about your health which is recorded in coded form; for example, the clinical code for diabetes or high blood pressure.

Processing your information in this way and obtaining your consent ensures that we comply with Articles 6(1)(c), 6(1)(e) and 9(2)(h) of the GDPR. 

Maintaining confidentiality and accessing your records

We are committed to maintaining confidentiality and protecting the information we hold about you. We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security, as well as guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You have a right to access the information we hold about you, and if you would like to access this information, you will need to complete a Subject Access Request (SAR). Please ask at reception for a SAR form and you will be given further information. Furthermore, should you identify any inaccuracies, you have a right to have the inaccurate data corrected. These rights are set out under Data Protection Act 2018. If you want to see your records, you should ask Reception for a Subject Access Request Form and allow up to 28 days for it to be completed.

If the record is requested by a company on your behalf and the record is deemed excessive in time and size, then there may be a fee in which price can vary.

 If the Patient is requesting the subject access request, then you will not be charged

Safeguarding Our Patients

This surgery is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people and vulnerable adults who attend our surgery, either as patients or when accompanying patients.  We expect all of our staff to share this commitment.
 
If a member of staff has a concern regarding a child or young person or vulnerable adult they have a duty to act upon that concern.  This may mean sharing their concern with another professional and following guidance required in the “Sussex Child Protection and Safeguarding Children Procedures” and the Sussex Multi-Agency Policy and Procedures for Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults”.

We have policies for both Children and Young People and Vulnerable Adults at the Practice. 

A message to children and young people

If you have anything that worries or bothers you, whatever it is or however big or small it feels; if you wish to talk about it to either a doctor or nurse we are here to listen.
 
OR you could ring Child line on:  0800 1111

Please see our Statement for Safeguarding Children here

A message to parents and carers

If you have concerns regarding a child or young person or a vulnerable adult’s safety or you are concerned about your own ability to care for your child or children or other please discuss this with your GP.

The immediate delivery of emails gives it an advantage over other forms of communication. Emails has wide accessibility. There are a number of scenarios in which we may use an Email:

 Appointment reminders, changes or cancellations.

• Flu or other Vaccination clinics for targeted eligible populations
• Annual Review invitations
• Cervical Screening
• Child Immunisation reminders
• Blood Pressure and Cholesterol monitoring
• Smoking Status updates
• Invitations for Patient educational sessions (e.g. diabetic self-help groups)
• Requests to contact the Practice to arrange appointments
• Blood Test and Injection due
• Messages from the GP
• Updates on changes to the Practice such as clinics
• Informing Patients of test results or other information relevant to their care (please see further information below Special category data)

The usefulness of emailing depends on having reliable data. We will check your email as often as we can but we ask that patients let the practice know as soon as this changes.

Email addresses can be updated by contacting the reception team via telephone or email.

Please inform us as soon as your contact information changes.

Patients are now able to communicate with the Practice via email; this service is intended for non-urgent matters only, you will be able to expect a reply within two working days. 

If you need medical advice and are abroad, we advise you to seek advice at your location.

 When you give the practice your email address we do not assume that you give consent. In our registration forms we ask for patients consent and also have consent forms, so that we can send information to you.  

Repeat Prescriptions 

Repeat prescription requests via email will be passed on to our reception team.  However, this should not be taken as confirmation that the prescription will be issued. 

The request must include your full name, date of birth and full details of the repeat items being requested. 

Once we have processed your request you will receive a generic email from us stating that your order will be issued and ready for collection up to 48 hours. 

If there is a problem with your prescription request, we will telephone or email you and your prescription will not be processed until we have contacted you.

 Pictures sent to the Practice for patient aged 16 and above.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this has become a more used method of communicating with the clinicians.

Patients will be informed either via automatic email response, unless they have been advised by telephone:  Please be aware any digital image submitted as part of an online consultation, will be stored within your clinical notes

Medical Matters

If you give consent/ register your email address with us we will not use email to correspond with you regarding any clinical aspect of your healthcare.  This is because email is not a secure medium of communication.  If you require medical advice then please make an appointment with the Doctor or Nurse.

Special category data

Information such as test results (this includes any results, not just those relating to sexual health tests) or details of medication (ie. information which is specific, sensitive and individual to one person) will only be communicated via SMS messaging with additional consent provided by the patient on those occasions (for example, agreed between patient and GP when arranging a certain investigation during an appointment). This additional consent will be recorded in your medical records at that time.

If you make a request the Reception team for a copy of your results they will be asked to email the Practice written consent for this. The Doctor will need to give them permission for this to be actioned. Your written consent will be scanned onto your record.

Opting Out

We understand that some Patients will not want to receive SMS text messages from us. We ask that patients carefully consider the advantages of receiving these messages before choosing to opt-out. If you do choose to opt out please inform our Receptionists or the Clinician you are seeing.

Surveys and Information

We will sometimes use web based surveys to gather patient feedback.  We will use email to send you our quarterly Newsletters and inform you of any urgent information that we need to inform you about in line with any contingency plans for any urgent non-medical information that needs to be conveyed to our Patients.

Patients will be requested to consent specifically to the use of their mobile number for the purposes of health promotion and appointment reminders, which will be scanned into the clinical system( see consent form below) this is included in the practice registration packs for the patient to inform us of their consent. 

Text Messaging Consent Form

Let us know as soon as a mobile telephone number has changed.

Communicating with patients: the Surgery will send SMS texts to the mobile telephone number that has been provided. Patients are responsible for ensuring that the mobile phone number given to the Surgery is correct, up to date and appropriate to be used for all communications that the Surgery may need to make.

There are a number of scenarios in which we may use:

• Appointment reminders, changes or cancellations.
• Flu or other Vaccination clinics for targeted eligible populations
• Annual Review invitations
• Cervical Screening
• Child Immunisation reminders
• Blood Pressure and Cholesterol monitoring
• Smoking Status updates
• Invitations for Patient educational sessions (e.g. diabetic self-help groups)
• Requests to contact the Practice to arrange appointments
• Blood Test and Injection due
• Messages from the GP
• Updates on changes to the Practice such as clinics

Informing Patients of test results or other information relevant to their care (please see further information below Special category data)

Special Category Data

Information such as test results (this includes any results, not just those relating to sexual health tests) or details of medication (ie. information which is specific, sensitive and individual to one person) will only be communicated via SMS messaging with additional consent provided by the patient on those occasions (for example, agreed between patient and GP when arranging a certain investigation during an appointment). This additional consent will be recorded in your medical records at that time.

If you make a request the Reception team for a copy of your results they will be asked to email the Practice written consent for this. The Doctor will need to give them permission for this to be actioned. Your written consent will be scanned onto your record.

Opting Out

We understand that some Patients will not want to receive SMS text messages from us. We ask that patients carefully consider the advantages of receiving these messages before choosing to opt-out. If you do choose to opt out please inform our Receptionists or the Clinician you are seeing.