Old Church Surgery is committed to putting patients at their ease whenever possible. There may be occasions when patients need to be examined by a doctor that may involve intimate examinations. If you wish for a chaperone to be present during your examination, please do not hesitate to ask the doctor. Please be aware, it may not be possible for a chaperone to be provided immediately.

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:

• To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
• To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
• When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

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.

For details as to how we use your data to manage your care in line with the GDPR and the Data Protection Act of 2018, please click here

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practioners 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.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records.

Such requests should be made by completion of this online form.

No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Your Data Matters to the NHS

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.

How your data 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 have a choice

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.

Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?

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.

What do you need to do?

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/change your opt-out choice visit NHS: Your Data Matters

All GP Practices are required to declare man earnings (i.e. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working at Old Church Surgery in the last financial year was £41,669 before tax and National Insurance.

This is for 9 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

Sleeping tablets and pain killers

We are committed to providing you with high-quality, evidence-based medical care. As part of our approach to patient safety and well-being, we would like to take this opportunity to outline our practice policy on prescribing certain medications, particularly drugs of dependence.

Medications of concern

These medications include opioid painkillers, benzodiazepines, and Z-drugs, which may have been prescribed to you by your previous care provider.

These types of drugs carry risks, especially when used over a long period, as they can lead to physical dependence, tolerance, and other adverse effects.

Our prescribing policy

At Old Church Surgery, it is our policy that our GPs do not prescribe drugs of dependence until we have a complete understanding of your clinical history and medical needs. Therefore, if you are currently taking medications such as benzodiazepines, strong opioids, or Z-drugs, it is important to note that these prescriptions may not be continued automatically when you join our practice.

We will review your medical records in detail and work with you to assess the best course of  action. If we determine that the long-term use of these medications is not in your best interest, we will help you explore alternative, evidence-based treatment options that are safer and more effective for your condition.

Supporting your care

If needed, we will support you through a gradual reduction in these medications, known as tapering, to help reduce your dependency while ensuring your safety and comfort. Our goal is to find treatment options that improve your health and well-being over the long-term.

A Safe Surgery can be any GP practice which commits to taking steps to   tackle the barriers faced by many migrants in accessing healthcare.

We are proud to be a safe surgery for everyone in our community, and pledge to ensure that everyone in our community receives the quality healthcare they are entitled to.

In partnership with Doctors of the World UK, we will ensure that our practice offers a welcoming space for everyone who seeks to use our services. We will ensure that a lack of identification, proof of address, or immigration status do not prevent patient registration.

As a member of the Safe Surgeries community, we will endeavour to support other Safe Surgeries and the development of the network.

If you wish to register, please speak to a member of staff who can help and support you with the process of registration.

You can learn more at Doctors of the World UK

All are welcome!

Your nationality or immigration status do not affect your right to register here

We are a Safe Surgery for everyone in our practice area.

• Everyone living in England has the right to free care from a GP.
• Ask reception for an interpreter if you find it difficult to communicate in English.
• Our receptionists won’t ask you about your immigration status.
• If you are worried about giving us your address, please let us know. Your information is safe with us.

This will enable health and care professionals to have better medical information about you when they are treating you at the point of care. This change will apply for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic only. Unless alternative arrangements have been put in place before the end of the emergency period, this change will be reversed.

All patients registered with a GP have a Summary Care Record, unless they have chosen not to have one. The information held in your Summary Care Record gives health and care professionals, away from your usual GP practice, access to information to provide you with safer care, reduce the risk of prescribing errors and improve your patient experience.

Your Summary Care Record contains basic information about allergies and medications and any reactions that you have had to medication in the past.

Some patients, including many with long term health conditions, have previously agreed to have additional information shared as part of their Summary Care Record. This additional information includes information about significant medical history (past and present), reasons for medications, care plan information and immunisations.

During the coronavirus pandemic period, your Summary Care Record will automatically have additional information included from your GP record unless you have previously told the NHS that you did not want this information to be shared.

There will also be a temporary change to include COVID-19 specific codes in relation to suspected, confirmed, Shielded Patient List and other COVID-19 related information within the additional information.

By including this additional information in your SCR, health and care staff can give you better care if you need health care away from your usual GP practice:

• in an emergency
• when you’re on holiday
• when your surgery is closed
• at out-patient clinics
• when you visit a pharmacy

Additional information is included on your SCR

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic we are temporarily removing the requirement to have explicit consent to share the SCR additional information. This change of requirement will be reviewed when the pandemic is over.

You can be reassured that if you have previously opted-out of having a Summary Care Record or have expressly declined to share the additional information in your Summary Care Record, your preference will continue to be respected and applied.

Additional information will include extra information from your GP record, including:

• health problems like dementia or diabetes
• details of your carer
• your treatment preferences
• communication needs, for example if you have hearing difficulties or need an interpreter

This will help medical staff care for you properly, and respect your choices, when you need care away from your GP practice. This is because having more information on your SCR means they will have a better understanding of your needs and preferences.

When you are treated away from your usual doctor’s surgery, the health care staff there can’t see your GP medical records. Looking at your SCR can speed up your care and make sure you are given the right medicines and treatment.

The only people who might see your Summary Care Record are registered and regulated healthcare professionals, for example doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and staff working under their direct supervision. Your Summary Care record will only be accessed so a healthcare professional can give you individual care. Staff working for organisations that do not provide direct care are not able to view your Summary Care Record.

Before accessing a Summary Care Record healthcare staff will always ask your permission to view it, unless it is a medical emergency and you are unable to give permission.

Protecting your SCR information

Staff will ask your permission to view your SCR (except in an emergency where you are unconscious, for example) and only staff with the right levels of security clearance can access the system, so your information is secure. You can ask an organisation to show you a record of who has looked at your SCR – this is called a Subject Access Request.

Find out how to make a subject access request.

Opting out

The purpose of SCR is to improve the care that you receive, however, if you don’t want to have an SCR you have the option to opt out. If this is your preference please inform your GP or fill in an SCR opt-out form and return it to your GP practice.

Regardless of your past decisions about your Summary Care Record consent preferences, you can change your mind at any time. You can choose any of the following options:

1. To have a Summary Care Record with additional information shared. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see a enriched Summary Care Record if they need to provide you with direct care.
2. To have a Summary Care Record with core information only. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see information about allergies and medications only in your Summary Care Record if they need to provide you with direct care.
3. To opt-out of having a Summary Care Record altogether. This means that you do not want any information shared with other authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals involved in your direct care, including in an emergency.

To make these changes, you should inform your GP practice or complete the SCR patient consent preferences form and return it to your GP practice.

More information on your health records

Read more about your medical records.

The Old Church Surgery is an accredited GP training Practice and is committed to providing suitable training for the next generation of General Practitioners.

All Trainees are supported and mentored by Dr Grenville, Dr James and Dr Rahman.

Testimonials

July 2015: Old Church Surgery is a great training Practice to work at. Trainees are an essential part of the friendly Practice team, and they will gain lots of experience in managing patients in the community. The support from the two trainers is excellent, and they will always make an effort to ensure that all the required eportfolio assessments are done. The balance between supervision and independence is important and the Old Church Surgery will enable you to gain all the experience to become the independent clinical practitioner who you are when you leave. It has been a fantastic place to work during my GP training and I shall miss it!

March 2021: Thank you once again for a fantastic first experience of working in General Practice. I have really enjoyed my placement here. Everyone from the receptionists to the GPs, nursing team and patients themselves have been friendly and supportive. I have received lots of time from the GP tutors who are always happy to discuss any case with me. My Supervisor Dr James was always fun, approachable and keen to support my learning. The atmosphere in the Practice is positive and warm, and it is a lovely place to work, especially during these dark months of Covid and Lockdown. I hope to return one day!

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.