You can find out more by visiting the NHS Page about Patient Records. This guide can also help you understand abbreviations found in the records.

Before accessing your medical records, there are a few other things to consider.

Although the chances of any of these things happening are very small, you are asked that you have read and understood the following before you are given login details.

Warning advice: Forgotten History

There may be something you have forgotten about in your record that you might find upsetting

Non-urgent advice: Coercion

If you think you may be pressured into revealing details from your patient record to someone else against your will, it is best that you do not register for access at this time.

Non-urgent advice: Misunderstood Information

Your medical record is designed to be used by clinical professionals to ensure that you receive the best possible care. Some of the information within your medical record may be highly technical, written by specialists and not easily understood. If you require further clarification, please contact the surgery for a clearer explanation.

Non-urgent advice: Abnormal Results or Bad News

If your GP has given you access to test results or letters, you may see something that you find upsetting. This may occur before you have spoken to your doctor or while the surgery is closed, and you cannot contact them.

Non-urgent advice: Choosing to share your information with someone

It’s up to you whether or not you share your information with others – perhaps family members or carers. It’s your choice, but also your responsibility to keep the information safe and secure.

Non-urgent advice: Information about someone else

If you spot something in the record that is not about you or notice any other errors, please log out of the system immediately and contact the practice as soon as possible.

Under these circumstances your doctor will normally seek your agreement to a nurse or other staff member being present or, if a relative or friend has accompanied you to the surgery, they may be able to act as a chaperone if you wish.

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 Examination
• Breast Examination
• Rectal Examination

We are continually looking to turn our patients’ feedback into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families.

We would like to hear from you if you have a suggestion on how we can do things better to improve our patients’ experiences. We’d also like to hear from you if you are pleased with the service you’ve received.

We’ll let the staff involved know and share the good practice across our teams.

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 mean earnings of all GPs at Colliers Wood & Lavender Fields Surgery in the last financial year amounted to £78,745 before Tax and National Insurance. This is for 2 Full Time GPs, 1Full Time Locum and 4 Part Time Locums who worked in the Practice for more than six months.

Since April 2015 we have been required by the Government under the terms of the GP contract to allocate all our patients a named accountable GP, also at times known as your registered GP.

If you prefer to see another doctor at the surgery you are entirely free to go on doing so exactly as before and if you wish to change your named GP, please ask reception.

Your named accountable GP (or your preferred GP if different) will not be available at all times and if your needs are urgent you may need to discuss them with any available doctor as our practice takes responsibility for your care as a whole and our computer clinical system holds your up-to-date medical record that can be viewed by all our doctors and nurses whenever you consult them.

If you are unsure of who is your named doctor please ask reception.

New patients are allocated a doctor on Registration.

Privacy Policy – Your Data

In order to comply with data protection legislation, this notice has been designed to inform you of what you need to know about the personal information we process. This is your assurance that we are complying with our legal obligation to you and a good opportunity for you to understand or exercise your information rights. 

We are legally required to tell you:

• What personal information we use
• Why we need your personal information
• The lawful basis for processing your personal information i.e. legitimate reasons for collecting, keeping, using and sharing it
• How we use, store, protect and dispose of your personal information
• How long we keep it for and who we may share it with
• About your information rights 
• How to report a complaint or concern

Your Personal Information

When we say personal information, we are referring to any information that can identify a specific person, either on its own or together with other information. The obvious examples are name, address and date of birth; however this could include other forms for data, such as email address, car registration, specific physical feature, NHS number, pictures, images and so forth.  

Most of the personal information we process is confidential or sensitive because of the nature of our business activities (health and social care). This could be used in a discriminatory way and is likely to be of a private nature, so greater care is needed to ensure this is processed securely. Confidential or sensitive information includes the racial or ethnic origin of the data subject, political opinions, religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature, Trade Union membership, physical or mental health or condition, sexual life, commission, alleged commission of or proceeding for any offence.

Anonymised data is not personal information. This is any information that cannot reasonably identify you, so it cannot be personal, confidential or sensitive. Anonymisation requires the removal of personal information that might identify you.

The personal information we collect may be used for any of the following specific purposes: 

• Health care for patients – diagnosis, treatment and referral
• Accounting, financial management and auditing
• Education and training
• Consultancy and Advisory services
• Human resources and staff administration
• Crime prevention and prosecution 
• Health administration and services management
• Business activity information and databank administration
• Contractual arrangements for data processing by third parties 
• Occupational Health referrals
• Research, national surveys
• Security services e.g CCTV monitoring, confidentiality audits

Without your personal information, we cannot:

• Direct, manage and deliver the health care you may require 
• Ensure we have accurate and up to date information to assess and provide what you require
• Provide the appropriate level of assistance or adequate guidance
• Refer you to a specialist or another service
• Protect the general public or promote public health
• Manage, develop or improve our services
• Investigate complaints or proceed with legal actions for claims
• Employ you to join our workforce
• Procure products and services
• Commission business activities
• Comply with a court order
• Comply with regulatory requirements
• Meet some of our legal obligations
• Compile statistics to review our performance
• Educate and train our workforce
• Undertake clinical trials and research studies you have consented to
• Complete occupational health checks you have consented to
• Keep you and other service users safe on our premises

Lawful Basis for Processing your Personal Information
We do not rely on consent to use your personal information as a ‘lawful basis for processing’ regarding using your information for healthcare instead follow guidance issued by the British Medical Association (BMA).

We rely on the following specific provisions under Articles 6 (Lawful Processing) and 9 (Processing of Special Categories of Personal Data) of the GDPR:

For your personal information

Article 6 (1c) ‘processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation…’

Article 6 (1e) ‘…a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.’

For your special category information

Article 9 (2b) ‘…for the purposes of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of the controller or of the data subject in the field of employment and social security and social protection law…’

Article 9 (2h) ‘processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…’

Article 9 (2i) ‘processing is necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, such as protecting against serious cross-border threats to health or ensuring high standards of quality and safety of health care and of medicinal products or medical devices…’

Please note: You do have the right to say ‘NO’ to our use of your personal information but this may have an impact on our ability to provide appropriate care or services. Please speak a member of the Practice or our Data Protection Officer.

We never use your personal information for advertising, marketing and public relations or insurance purposes without your consent.

Retention and Disposal of Personal Information
Your personal information may be written down (manual), digitised or held on computers (electronic) centrally within or outside of the Practice. These may be paper records, scans, photographs, slides, CCTV images, microform (i.e. fiche/film), audio, video, emails, computerised records on IT systems, or scanned documents etc. which we process securely in accordance with data protection legislation and store in conjunction with the Records Management code of Practice.

– Records Management Code of Practice 2016

Keeping your Personal Information Safe
We are committed to keeping your information secure and have operational policies, procedures and technical measures in place to protect your information whether it is in a hardcopy, digital or electronic format. 

We are registered to the Information Commissioner’s Office: registration number: Z7458064

Mandatory training and regular audits are in place to ensure that only authorised personnel with the absolutely necessary need to know your personal information can use it.

When there are data protection breaches (for example – unauthorised access, inappropriate use, failure to secure and keep personal information secure or accurate), these are reported and investigated, with appropriate action (disciplinary, legal, lessons learned, re-training etc.) taken.

Sharing Personal Information
We may need to share your personal information with another organisation e.g. NHS organisations, health and social care organisations, public bodies (Social Services, Probation Service, Police, Regulatory Authorities) or third party providers commissioned to process personal information on our behalf.

This is because of our duty to share which is equally as important as our duty of confidentiality. We may also share your personal information for planning services across the NHS. This is vital to delivering better healthcare and improving our services.

You have the right to say no and to opt out of or restrict this sharing.  Your right to opt out for reasons other than direct care (e.g. planning and research purposes) is managed through the National Data Opt-Out Programme (search online or contact NHS Digital on 0300 303 5678 to find out more).

Your Information Rights
You have the right to:

• Be informed about the processing of your personal information by the Practice (done through this notice)
• Access the information we hold about you (paper, digital or electronic copies)
• Ask the Practice to correct or complete your personal information
• Ask the Practice to erase your personal information under certain circumstances, if the Practice does not have a lawful basis to process it
• Ask the Practice to restrict the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances
• Ask the Practice to move, copy and transfer your personal information which you have provided to the Practice, in a portable, commonly-used/machine readable format and securely, for your own purpose
• Ask us not to process your personal information
• Ask us not to use your personal information for public interests, direct marketing, automated decision-making, profiling, research or statistical purposes
• Receive a response to your access or change request within a calendar month

Requests for information
Please complete a Request for Access to Records form on our website. We will require proof of identity before we can disclose any personal information.

Report Complaint or Concern
We try to meet the highest standards when processing personal information. You should let us know when we get something wrong.

The Practice employs an independent Data Protection Officer (DPO). The role our DPO is to examine our information handling practices and ensure we operate within the law.

These services are provided by Umar Sabat from IG-Health. He can be contacted on [email protected] . He can only assist with complaints about your personal information. All other complaints should be directed to the Practice.

 National Data Opt-Out:

Make your choice about sharing data from your health records. Visit the following website:

https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/

Your Summary Care Record contains important information from the record held by your GP practice and includes details of any medicines you are taking, any allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have previously experienced.

Your Summary Care Record also includes your name, address, date of birth and your unique NHS Number to help identify you correctly.

As part of a mandatory national programme each GP Practice had to make a summary care record for each patient by March 2015 (unless the patient has already opted out). You can choose to opt out of this scheme at any time.

If you wish to opt out of the Summary Care Record scheme please complete the opt out form below.

Your Rights

We are committed to giving you the best possible service. This will be achieved by working together.

Help us to help you. You have a right to, and the practice will try to ensure that:

• You will be treated with courtesy and respect.
• You will be treated as a partner in the care and attention that you receive.
• All aspects of your visit will be dealt with in privacy and confidence.
• You will be seen by a clinician of your choice, subject to availability.
• In an emergency, out of normal opening hours, if you telephone the practice you will be given the number to receive assistance, which will require no more than one further call.
• You can bring someone with you, however you may be asked to be seen on your own during the consultation. Visit our chaperones page to read more.
• Repeat prescriptions will normally be available for collection within two working days of your request. Visit our prescriptions page where you will be able to find your nearest pharmacies, request or review your medication and register for electronic prescribing.
• Information about our services on offer will be made available to you by way of news posts and newsletters on our site.
• You have the right to see your medical records or have a copy subject to certain laws. Visit our Summary Care Records page to read more.

Your Responsibilities

The NHS belongs to all of us. There are things that we can all do for ourselves and for one another to help it work effectively, and to ensure resources are used responsibly.

Therefore, we would respectfully request that you:

• Our Practice supports the NHS zero- tolerance zone campaign. Please treat practice staff and other patients with the same consideration and courtesy you would like for yourself. Please understand that violence, or the causing of nuisance or disturbance on NHS premises, could result in prosecution.
• Please recognise that you can make a significant contribution to your own, and your family’s, good health and well being, and take personal responsibility for it.
• Please provide accurate information about your health, condition and status.
• Please participate in important public health programmes such as vaccinations.
• Please request home visits before 10:30, where possible.
• Please ensure that you order your repeat medication in plenty of time allowing 48 working hours.
• Please ensure that you have a basic first aid kit at home and initiate minor illness and self-care for you and your family if you feel competent to do so.
• Please attend any specialist appointments that have been arranged for you or cancel them if your condition has resolved or you no longer wish to attend.
• Attend appointments on time, patients who are more than 10 minutes late for their appointment may not be seen.
• If you are unable to make your appointment or no longer need it, please give the practice adequate notice that you wish to cancel your appointment.
• An appointment is for one person only. Where another family member needs to be seen or discussed, another appointment should be made.
• Patients should make every effort to present at the practice to ensure the best use of nursing and medical time. Home visits should be medically justifiable and not requested for social convenience.
• Please inform us when you move home, change your name or telephone number, so that we can keep our records correct and up to date.
• Read the practice news and other information that we give you. They are there to help you use our services. If you do not understand their content please tell us.
• Let us have your views. Your ideas and suggestions whether complimentary or critical are important in helping us to provide a first class, safe, friendly service. If a family member or someone you are a carer for is a patient and unable to provide feedback, you are encouraged to give feedback about their experiences on their behalf.

Our Practice supports the NHS zero- tolerance zone campaign. Violent, threatening or abusive patients will be reported to the police and removed from the GPs list. We ask that you treat your GP and practice staff with courtesy, without violence, threat of violence or abuse.

All practices, in line with government guidelines, have a ‘Zero Tolerance to Violence’ policy. This means that any violent or abusive behaviour or perceived threatening behaviour, whether verbal or otherwise to staff or members of the public on practice premises will not be tolerated. We can refuse to provide a service, report the incident to the police and request that the patient and their family be removed from their practice list.