Practice Policies & Patient Information
This section lists some of the most important Practice Policies and supporting service information. It is not practical to list all of the Practice policies on this website but please speak to our Practice Manager if you require details of our other policies.
Chaperones
The consultation that takes place between a patient and their Doctor or Nurse is private and confidential. Quite often an examination is required to help make a diagnosis. This may be straightforward or sometimes can be more personal or of a sensitive nature.
Under these circumstances the clinician will normally seek your agreement to a chaperone being present during the examination. If you do not agree to a chaperone the examination may not be able to go ahead.
If a chaperone is not offered but you would like someone to be present, do not be afraid to tell your doctor.
Procedures which are generally regarded as being of a sensitive nature are:
Cervical cytology
Gynaecological
Testicular
Breast Examination
Rectal Examination
Complaints
Talk to us
Every patient has the right to make a complaint about the treatment or care they have received at Lister Medical Centre
We understand that we may not always get everything right and by telling us about the problem you have encountered, we will be able to improve our services and patient experience.
Who to talk to
Most complaints can be resolved at a local level. Please speak ta a member of staff if you have a complaint; all our staff are trained to handle complaints effectively. Alternatively, ask to speak to the Practice Manager.
A complaint can be made verbally or in writing. A Complaints Form is available from reception.
Time frames for complaints
The timeframe for raising a complaint is 12 from the incident occurring, or 12 months from the time you became aware of the matter.
Lister Medical Centre will acknowledge all complaints within 3 working days. All efforts will be made to update you regularly during any investigation and the practice will aim to completely resolve your complaint within 40 days. If you are not satisfied with local resolution you do have the right to speak with NHS England Complaints Team, the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman or the Care Quality Commission to raise the matter further.
Investigating complaints
Lister Medical Centre will investigate all complaints effectively and in conjunction with extant legislation and guidance.
Confidentiality
Lister Medical Centre will ensure that all complaints are investigated with the upmost confidentiality and any documents are held separately from the patient’s healthcare record.
Third party complaints
A third party can make a complaint on behalf of a patient. In order to do this, the patient must provide consent.
Further actions
If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint, you are able to contact NHS England Complaints Team – their details are:
By post to:
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
By email to: [email protected]
If you are making a complaint to NHS England please state: ‘For the attention of the complaints team’ in the subject line.
By telephone: 0300 311 22 33
Data Protection, Privacy and Confidentiality
This practice is supporting vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. The health and social care system is facing significant pressures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Health and care information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support health, social care and other public services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the coronavirus outbreak. In the current emergency it has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant organisations. This practice is supporting vital coronavirus planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital, the national safe haven for health and social care data in England. NHS Digital has been legally directed to collect and analyse patient data from all GP practices in England to support the coronavirus response for the duration of the outbreak. NHS Digital will become the controller under the General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR) of the personal data collected and analysed jointly with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who has directed NHS Digital to collect and analyse this data under the COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020 (COVID-19 Direction). All GP practices in England are legally required to share data with NHS Digital for this purpose under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (2012 Act). More information about this requirement is contained in the data provision notice issued by NHS Digital to GP practices. Under GDPR our legal basis for sharing this personal data with NHS Digital is Article 6(1)(c) – legal obligation. Our legal basis for sharing personal data relating to health, is Article 9(2)(g) – substantial public interest, for the purposes of NHS Digital exercising its statutory functions under the COVID-19 Direction. The data being shared with NHS Digital will include information about patients who are currently registered with a GP practice or who have a date of death on or after 1 November 2019 whose record contains coded information relevant to coronavirus planning and research. The data contains NHS Number, postcode, address, surname, forename, sex, ethnicity, date of birth and date of death for those patients. It will also include coded health data which is held in your GP record such as details of: NHS Digital will analyse the data they collect and securely and lawfully share data with other appropriate organisations, including health and care organisations, bodies engaged in disease surveillance and research organisations for coronavirus response purposes only. These purposes include protecting public health, planning and providing health, social care and public services, identifying coronavirus trends and risks to public health, monitoring and managing the outbreak and carrying out of vital coronavirus research and clinical trials. The British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the National Data Guardian are all supportive of this initiative. NHS Digital has various legal powers to share data for purposes relating to the coronavirus response. It is also required to share data in certain circumstances set out in the COVID-19 Direction and to share confidential patient information to support the response under a legal notice issued to it by the Secretary of State under the Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 (COPI Regulations). Legal notices under the COPI Regulations have also been issued to other health and social care organisations requiring those organisations to process and share confidential patient information to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. Any information used or shared during the outbreak under these legal notices or the COPI Regulations will be limited to the period of the outbreak unless there is another legal basis for organisations to continue to use the information. Data which is shared by NHS Digital will be subject to robust rules relating to privacy, security and confidentiality and only the minimum amount of data necessary to achieve the coronavirus purpose will be shared. Organisations using your data will also need to have a clear legal basis to do so and will enter into a data sharing agreement with NHS Digital. Information about the data that NHS Digital shares, including who with and for what purpose will be published in the NHS Digital data release register. For more information about how NHS Digital will use your data please see the NHS Digital Transparency Notice for GP Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19). The application of the National Data Opt-Out to information shared by NHS Digital will be considered on a case by case basis and may or may not apply depending on the specific purposes for which the data is to be used. This is because during this period of emergency, the National Data Opt-Out will not generally apply where data is used to support the coronavirus outbreak, due to the public interest and legal requirements to share information. To read more about the health and care information NHS Digital collects, its legal basis for collecting this information and what choices and rights you have in relation to the processing by NHS Digital of your personal data, see: This practice handles medical records and complies in-line with laws on data protection and confidentiality. We hold your medical record so that we can provide you with safe care and treatment. We will also use your information so that this practice can check and review the quality of the care we provide. This helps us to improve our services to you. We share medical records with those who are involved in providing you with care and treatment. You have the right to object to your medical records being shared with those who provide you with care. In some circumstances we will also share medical records for medical research, for example to find out more about why people get ill. You have the right to object to your information being used for medical research and to plan health services. We share information when the law requires us to do so, for example, to prevent infectious diseases from spreading or to check the care being provided to you is safe. You have the right to be given a copy of your medical record. You have the right to have any mistakes corrected and to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain visit Information Commissioner’s Office website or call the helpline 0303 123 1113 or please speak to a member of staff for more information about your rights. Our data protection officer’s contact details are: Renier van Zyl, Stellar Healthcare, Building 1, Spencer Close, St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping, Essex, CM16 6TN. Telephone: 01992 660272. 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. Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses 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 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. 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. 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 or change your opt out choice, see choose if data from your health records is shared for research and planning. Fair Processing NoticeGeneral Practice Transparency Notice for GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19)
Our legal basis for sharing data with NHS Digital
The type of personal data we are sharing with NHS Digital
How NHS Digital will use and share your data
National Data Opt-Out
Your rights over your personal data
Data Protection Privacy Notice for Patients
Data Choices
Your Data Matters to the NHS
How your data is used
You have a choice
Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?
What do you need to do?
Fair Processing Notice
Our Fair Processing Notice explains why the Practice collects information about you and how that information may be used.
Information about the General Practitioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager. The Practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances: 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. The people caring for you need access to your health and care record in order to make the best decisions about your diagnosis and treatment. For this to happen more quickly and to improve the care you receive, a new process has been put in place. With your permission, My Care Record will provide health and care professionals directly involved in your care, access to the most up to date information about you. As part of a mandatory, national programme each GP Practice will have to make a summary care record for each patient (unless the patient has already opted out). Please read the information regarding this. If you wish to opt out download and complete the opt out form and return to the Practice (see below).Freedom of Information Act
Medical Records and Confidentiality
My Care Record
NHS Summary Care Records
Information Website
Summary Care Record information on the NHS Digital website.
Information Leaflets and Opt Out Form
Transferring Your Electronic Health Record
Your GP practice holds copies of your patient health record electronically and in paper format. Both contain the healthcare information about you that your GP needs including your medical history, medications, allergies, immunisations and vaccinations.
If you have previously registered with a different GP in England, upon registering at this practice your electronic health record will, where possible, be transferred automatically from your previous practice through the use of an NHS system called GP2GP.
GP Average 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 Lister Medical Centre in the last financial year was £114,627 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 1 full time GP, 5 part time GPs and 3 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.
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.
NHS Integrated Care Board
An NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) is an organisation with responsibility for NHS functions and budgets.
Integrated Care Board: Herts and West Essex ICB
- Address: Kao Park Offices (Building 2, First Floor), London Road, Harlow, CM17 9NA
- Telephone: 01992 566140
- Website: NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board website.
Patient Removals
There may be circumstances when it would be considered reasonable, or in the best interests of the patient, to remove patients from our Practice:
- Violence or Unacceptable Behaviour
- Crime & Deception
- Distance
- Embarkation
- Failure to attend pre-booked appointments.
- Irretrievable breakdown of the Doctor/Nurse-Patient relationship.
- Where a patient’s behaviour falls outside of that which is normally considered reasonable and leads to an irretrievable breakdown of the doctor-patient relationship.
Research
This Practice is Research Active
Conducting high quality clinical research helps us to keep improving NHS care by finding out which treatments work best.
In this practice, you might be asked to take part in a clinical research study. Alternatively, ask our staff about clinical studies suitable for you.
Taking part in a clinical research study is voluntary and can be a rewarding experience.
Find local clinical research studies at the National Institute for Health Research
Delivering research to make patients, and the NHS, better.
Safeguarding Statement – Children
Lister Medical Centre takes appropriate action for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk of harm or abuse. This Practice adopts a zero tolerance approach to abuse, ensuring that there are robust procedures in place for the effective management of any safeguarding matters raised.
Statement of Purpose
Aims and objectives
We strive:
- To provide exemplary clinical care
- To show our patients courtesy and respect at all times irrespective of ethnic origin, religious belief, personal attributes or the nature of the health problem
- To involve our patients, advocates and families where appropriate in decisions relating to their health and treatment
- To offer opportunistic health screening, to educate and promote healthy living
- To refer patients with their consent to other health agencies who will ensure that all their health needs are addressed
- To encourage our patients to get involved in the practice through surveys and the Patient Participation Group (Friends of Lister), and involve patients in changes to procedures and to comment on their care
- To offer services to vulnerable patients especially the homeless
- To ensure that all members of the team have the right skills and appropriate up to date training to carry out their duties competently. Especially in safeguarding to ensure that vulnerable patients are protected.
Zero Tolerance Violence
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.