All Polices

Freedom Of Information – Publication Scheme

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the ‘classes’ of information the practice intends to routinely make available.

Zero Tolerance

We operate a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of abuse or bad behaviour towards our staff, doctors or other patients. Physical, verbal and online abuse included.

GPs and staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked, abused or poorly treated in any way. To successfully provide our services, mutual respect between staff and patients has to be in place.

All our team aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. After all, patients usually contact their GP practice when they are unwell and can be upset, scared or worried about their health. We understand that and are here to help.

But we respectfully remind patients that staff can often be dealing with many different, and sometimes complex, tasks and situations, all at the same time. Patience and understanding on both sides are therefore vital.

To protect our team and other patients, aggressive behaviour, whether physical, verbal or online, will not be tolerated. It may result in you being removed from the practice list, and in extreme cases, we may need to call the police.

The practice wants to maintain good relations with our patients, so we ask all patients to read and take note of the rare types of behaviour that we deem unacceptable:

  • Using bad language, shouting or raising of voices at practice staff.
  • Any physical violence towards any member of our team or other patients.
  • Verbal abuse towards staff or patients in any form, including shouting.
  • Discriminative, racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, sexist, ableist or ageist language or harassment are never acceptable.
  • Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted. We will always try to meet requests wherever possible, but our team shall explain if or when they cannot.
  • Being perceived to bully or manipulate a staff member to obtain something.
  • Causing damage to, stealing or not returning practice equipment from the practice’s premises, staff or patients.
  • Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently.

Thank you for being part of a practice community that looks after each other.

Patient Confidentiality

Whatever you tell us at this practice is confidential.

That means that you can tell people about what happened during your visit, but we won’t.

This is true if you’re a young person too.

The only time we would break confidentiality is if we were concerned you or somebody else was at risk of severe or fatal harm.

It’s important to us that you feel safe and that your privacy is respected, ask at reception if you need to speak privately or want to know more about confidentiality.

Your Medical Records

We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible advice and care.

The information is only available to those involved in your care and you should never be asked for medical information by anyone not involved in your care.

You have a right to know what information we hold about you. If you would like to see your records, please contact our practice manager. We aim to treat all our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way.

Data Sharing, and your right to object

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) come into force in May 2018. Basically these cover much the same ground as Information Governance (see above), but they lay more emphasis on written policies and procedures, and on organisations such as surgeries taking responsibility for informing staff and patients of the data they hold and how it is managed.

Most of the data we hold about our patients is on our clinical computer system (EMIS Web), which is managed offsite via the EMIS server based in Leeds. Patients should be aware that this data (and in fact all computerised GP records in doctors’ surgeries across the UK) is regularly accessed by a data extraction service called the General Practice Extraction Service (GPES), but that this service only extracts anonymised data for the sake of national statistics about patients and their health (for example the National Diabetes Audit).

Some non-anonymised, personal data for individual patients is also routinely shared with the national Summary Care Record service, which allows other health professionals to see things like your allergies and repeat prescriptions: this information can be very helpful if you have to be admitted to hospital as an emergency.

There may also be instances where we ask permission to share your personal details with other health services – for example if we have a Care Plan for an elderly or vulnerable patient, including next-of-kin details and emergency contact telephone numbers, we might ask your permission to share it with the out-of-hours services and the ambulance service, so that they would have access to the information if something happened when the surgery was closed.

You are entitled to refuse permission for any of these data extractions or data sharing arrangements: if you do so then your decision will be recorded on your notes and the data extractions and data sharing will not take place for you.

Click here to download the privacy notice for Tudor Lodge Health Centre (PDF, 98KB).

Patient Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service that you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in the practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our system meets national criteria.

How to Complain

You should normally make a complaint within twelve months of the event, or within twelve months of becoming aware that you have something to complain about. However, these time limits may be waived if there are good reasons why you could not complain earlier and if we are still able to investigate the complaint fairly and effectively in spite of the delay.

Complaints can be made in writing to the practice manager, Ms Crystal Short, via email at: swlicb.tudorlodgecomplaints@nhs.net.

What We Will Do

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days either orally or in writing and will offer to discuss the matter with you.

We will offer you a meeting with the practice manager, Ms Crystal Short, to agree a timeframe for resolution and to reach an agreement with you on how you wish the complaint to be handled and the likely period for completion of the investigation and response to you. If you would prefer not to accept the offer of a discussion, we will determine a specified response period and notify you in writing of that period.

We will aim to investigate and deal with all complaints efficiently and speedily. We will send you a written response with a report on the investigation as soon as reasonably practicable. If we are not able to meet the response deadline we have agreed with you, we will contact you to advise why and negotiate another timescale.

All oral complaints will be recorded in writing by the practice and you will be provided with a copy of the written record.

When we look into your complaints, we will aim to:

  • Find out what happened and what went wrong
  • Advise you what we will do to put the matter right
  • Make sure you receive an apology where this is appropriate.
  • Identify what we can do to make sure the problem does not happen again.

We hope that if you have a problem, you will use our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve the services provided by our practice.

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint at a local level you can ask the Ombudsman to independently review your case by writing to:

The Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP

Or email: Phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
Or phone: 0345 015 4033
Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Although the practice would welcome the opportunity to investigate your complaint, you may prefer to choose to make your complaint to NHS South West London ICB; details as follows:

Email: contactus@swlondon.nhs.uk

Postal address:

NHS South West London
3rd Floor, 120 The Broadway
London
SW19 1RH

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have their permission to do so. A letter signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Named Accountable GP

Named GP’s For All Patients

All patients are allocated a named accountable GP when you register with the practice.

Who is my named GP?

Simply ask at your next appiointment or speak to Reception.

What does ‘accountable’ mean?

By having a named GP, we have a requirement to reassure you that you have one GP within the practice who is responsible for ensuring that care if carried out on your behalf.

What are the named GP’s responsibilities to people aged 75 and over?

If you are aged 75 or over, your named accountable GP is responsible for:

  • working with relevant associated health and social care professionals to deliver a multi-disciplinary care package that meets the needs of you as the patient
  • ensuring that you have access to a health check as set out in section 7.9 of the GMS Contract Regulations.

Does the requirement mean 24-hour responsibility for patients?

No. The named GP will not:

  • take on vicarious responsibility for the work of other doctors or health professionals
  • take on 24-hour responsibility for the patient, or have to change their working hours. The requirement does not imply personal availability for GPs throughout the working week
  • be the only GP or Clinician who will provide care to that patient

Can I choose their own named GP?

In the first instance, patients are simply allocated a named GP. However, if you prefer a particular GP, reasonable efforts can be made to accommodate your preference, recognising that there are occasions when the practice may not feel the patient’s preference is suitable.

Do I have to see the named GP when I book an appointment with the practice?

No. Patients can and should feel free to choose to see any GP or nurse in the practice in line with current arrangements. However, some practices may see this change as a way to encourage and promote a greater degree of continuity of care for patients.

All patients registered with this practice have an allocated named GP at the point of registration. If you would like clarification of who your named GP is, please speak to reception.