All Polices

GDPR

We understand how important it is to keep your personal information safe and secure. We have taken steps to make sure your personal information is looked after in the best possible way and we review this regularly.

Please read the following privacy notices carefully as they contain important information about how we use the personal and healthcare information we collect on your behalf.

NHS Digital data extraction patient opt-out form – please click on the following link: NHS Digital – Type 1 Opt-out Form

We cannot give out information to anyone who is not the patient without their express permission. We require written authorisation from the patient so please take this into consideration when collecting or asking for information on behalf of, or for, someone else.

Hospital Transport

Patients are able to book ambulance and ambulance car service transport themselves as long as they qualify medically for this service.

To qualify you must have a medical condition that will require the skills of ambulance staff or appropriately skilled personnel on the journey or there is a documented decision that your medical condition makes it detrimental to your condition or recovery if you travel by any other means.

Please telephone: Patient Transport Service: 0300 111 2131

If you do not qualify for hospital transport under these conditions then you will need to make your own arrangements with family, friends or via public transport.

Parking

Parking at Cowfold Surgery is limited and is available only for those patients attending the surgery. Please do not park on the road or obstruct access to the residents who live in St Peter’s Close, Cowfold. There is also additional parking in the centre of the village by the village green.

At Partridge Green please park in the Village Hall car park.

As soon as you leave the surgery please leave the car parking area.  If you are within walking distance and are able to do so please do not drive to the surgery.

Violent or Abusive Patients

We all have our bad days, and when we feel ill we may feel down and a little more irritable than is normal.  All our staff are here to help you.  Reception staff are following procedures that help the practice to function efficiently.

Staff have the right to work in a safe and secure environment and we as employers have the legal responsibility to provide that safe and secure environment.

The practice will not tolerate:

  • verbal abuse to staff which prevents them from doing their job or makes  them feel unsafe
  • threats of violence or actual violence to a GP or a member of his or her staff

The GPs have the right to remove with immediate effect any patient who behaves in the above manner.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

The practice complies with Information Commissioner’s Office stipulations. Before requesting information, patients are asked to consult the ICO’s website and consider whether this information is already or more easily available elsewhere.

Access to Medical Records

For routine audit purposes, representatives of the Integrated Care Board or NHS England will be required to look at Patients’ medical records.  The auditors may not be medically qualified but are all bound by their contract of employment to respect confidentiality. However, if you do not wish your notes to be used in this way please inform us at the front desk and your notes will be annotated accordingly.

Insurance Companies and Solicitors will ask for access to your medical records in certain circumstances e.g. mortgage application and accidents.  We will only release this information if we have your signed authority to do so.

Patients may, subject to current legislation, have copies of and access to their medical records and letters. A fee may be applicable, depending on circumstances.

SCR (Summary Care Records)

The information that is sent will only be the following:

  • Any current acute medication that you are taking.
  • Any current repeat medication that you are taking.
  • Any allergies that you have.

This information will only be able to be viewed by NHS staff with the correct authorities. There will be a robust audit trail in place to check usage. You must give your authority for the information to be viewed each time it is accessed. (Unless you are unable to do so and a clinical decision is taken to view your records for your safety)

If you do not wish your SCR to be uploaded in the initial stage, please let any member of the Surgery staff know and we will ensure your wishes are caried out.

You can choose to have your records removed/locked any time you wish. You can also choose to have them uploaded if you have previously with-held consent any time you wish.

You will be given the opportunity at a later date to increase the amount of medical information held for you on the National Spine should you wish. Nothing will be uploaded onto the Spine without your premission.

Please visit: http://www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk/publications/ for more information.

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)

The NHS employs over a million staff in thousands of locations. It is a large and complex organisation providing a broad range of services. It is not surprising that sometimes you or a loved one may feel bewildered or concerned when using the NHS. And this can be at times when you are feeling at your most vulnerable and anxious.

So, what should you do if you want on the spot help when using the health service? The NHS expects all members of staff to listen and respond to you to the best of their ability. But sometimes, you may wish to talk to someone employed especially to help you. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, known as PALS, has been introduced to ensure that the NHS listens to patients, their relatives, carers and friends, and answers their questions and resolves their concerns as quickly as possible.

PALS also helps the NHS to improve services by listening to what matters to patients and their loved ones and making changes, when appropriate.

What does PALS do?

In particular, PALS will:

  • Provide you with information about the NHS and help you with any other health-related enquiry
  • Help resolve concerns or problems when you are using the NHS
  • Provide information about the NHS complaints procedure and how to get independent help if you decide you may want to make a complaint
  • Provide you with information and help introduce you to agencies and support groups outside the NHS
  • Inform you about how you can get more involved in your own healthcare and the NHS locally
  • Improve the NHS by listening to your concerns, suggestions and experiences and ensuring that people who design and manage services are aware of the issues you raise
  • Provide an early warning system for NHS Trusts and monitoring bodies by identifying problems or gaps in services and reporting them.

Find out more
If you would like more information about PALS, the functions it is intended to provide and the standards it should strive to achieve , follow this link.

Accessible Information Standard

ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION STANDARD:

DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMUNICATION NEEDS?

To enable us to improve communication with our Patients and to ensure that you can read and understand the information we send to you, please let us know if:

    • You need Information in braille, large print or easy read
    • You need a British Sign Language Interpreter or advocate
    • We can support you to lip read or use a hearing aid or communication tool
    • You have any other communication/information needs

 Please tell the Receptionist and complete the relevant form so that we can note your records accordingly.