Practice Policies & Patient Information

Care Data

Information about you and the care you receive is shared, in a secure system, by healthcare staff to support your treatment and care.

It is important that we, the NHS, can use this information to plan and improve services for all patients. We would like to link information from all the different places where you receive care, such as your GP, hospital and community service, to help us provide a full picture. This will allow us to compare the care you received in one area against the care you received in another, so we can see what has worked best.

Information such as your postcode and NHS number, but not your name, will be used to link your records in a secure system, so your identity is protected. Information which does not reveal your identity can then be used by others, such as researchers and those planning health services, to make sure we provide the best care possible for everyone.

You have a choice. If you are happy for your information to be used in this way you do not have to do anything. If you have any concerns or wish to prevent this from happening, please speak to reception.

We need to make sure that you know this is happening and the choices you have.

Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) makes sure hospitals, care homes, dental and GP surgeries, and all other care services in England provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care, and encourages them to make improvements where possible.

They do this by inspecting services and publishing the results on their website: www.cqc.org.uk

You can use the results to help you make better decisions about the care you, or someone you care for, receives.

Our CQC Inspection

Our practice is inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure we are meeting essential standards of quality and safety.

This widget provides a summary of the results of the latest checks carried out by the CQC.

Chaperones

There are occasions when the doctor or nurse needs to give you a full examination.
- All patients are entitled to have a chaperone with them for any physical examination.
- The chaperone can be a family member, friend or a member of staff.
- If you want a member of staff to accompany you during the visit please let the receptionist know when you arrive for your appointment.
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure. If you would like a chaperone, however have not been offered one, please ask your GP, nurse or enquire at reception.

If we can’t provide someone straight away, you may need to return for the examination.

Confidentiality

We have a legal duty to protect patients’ confidentiality at all times. This means that we cannot disclose any details of your treatment to anybody else without your written consent – even if you are under 16 years old.

However, one exception to this is that we are required to send patient specific information to the Primary Care Trust regarding screening information, as this is held on a central NHS database so that this data can be accessed even if you move GP practice. If you do not want data regarding your child’s immunizations, six week checks, cervical cytology results and mammography results held on this central computer please let us know.

To help us maintain confidentiality, please do not ask other people to ring us on your behalf, unless you are happy that they know about what treatment you are having.

You are entitled to see any records that we hold for you written after 1st November 1991, including any computer records.

If you are applying for life insurance, you will be asked for your consent for us to prepare a medical report for your insurer. If you have disclosed information to us, we are obliged to disclose this in turn to the insurer. If this information is considered to increase the risk to your health it may increase your premiums for life insurance. You may wish to consider this before taking part in any screening that we may offer you.

Data Processing

Privacy Notice

What information do we collect about you?

We only collect the information (“data”) that we need to help us keep you healthy – such as your name, address, next of kin, records of appointments, visits, telephone calls, your health record, treatment and medicines, test results, X-rays and any other information to enable us to care for you.

How do we use your information?

- We share your medical records with other health professionals who are involved in providing you with care and treatment. This is only ever on a need-to-know basis and event by event.

- Some of your data is automatically copied to the Shared Care Summary Record.

- We share some of your data with local out-of-hours provider

- Data about you is used to manage national screening campaigns such as flu, cervical cytology and diabetes prevention.

- Your data about you is used to manage the NHS and make payments.

- We share information when the law requires us to, for instance when we are inspected or reporting certain illnesses or safeguarding vulnerable people

- Your data is used to check the quality of care provided by the NHS.

- We may also share medical records for medical research

Enhanced Access Privacy Notice

Streatham PCN is made up of a number of GP Practices and has been created for members practices to work collaboratively to deliver the requirements of the PCN Directed Enhanced Service Contract.

The following practices are part of Streatham PCN:

- Palace Road Surgery

- Streatham Hill Group Practice

- Valley Road Surgery

- The Exchange Surgery

- Streatham Common Practice

- The Vale Surgery

As part of the PCN DES service, we are required to provide Enhanced Access to patients registered with practices in the PCN. Enhanced Access is patient appointments outside core practice hours – that is between 6.30-8.00 pm on weekdays, and on Saturdays 9.00 am till 5.00pm. We have chosen to also offer some appointments between 7.00 am-8.00 am on weekdays. We have also chosen to subcontract some of the provision of these appointments to our local GP federation (Lambeth GP Federation), who have previously provided access hubs in the area.

The Enhanced Access service for our patients requires the following:

An interoperable Clinical IT solution and
Data Sharing between the PCN practices and the GP Federation

To enable us to provide our Enhanced Access Service to you, clinicians from other practices in our PCN and working for our local Federation will at times have access to your full GP record, but only when providing direct care to you.

People who have access to your information will only normally have access to information that they need to fulfil their roles. For example, admin staff will normally only see your name, address, contact details, appointment history and registration details in order to book appointments; the practice nurses will normally have access to your immunisation, treatment, significant active and important past histories, your allergies and relevant recent contacts whilst any GP you see or speak to will normally have access to everything in your record.

1. Controller Contact Details

The controller of your data when it is in your practice clinical record will be your registered GP practice. Valley Road Surgery, Kemi Olayiwola, Business Manager/ IG Lead, [email protected] , 139 Valley Road, Streatham, SW16 2XT

The controller of your data when it is in the GP Federation clinical record system is Lambeth GP Federation, 1 Alleyn Park, London, SE21 8AU.

2. Data Protection Officer Contact Details

Rezaur Choudhury, GP Data Protection Officer, [email protected].

3. Purpose of the Processing

To provide our patients with direct care.

4. The Lawfulness Conditions and Special Categories

The processing of personal data in the delivery of direct care and for providers’ administrative purposes in this surgery and in support of direct care elsewhere is supported under the following Article 6 and 9 conditions of the GDPR:

Article 6(1)(e) ‘…necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’.
Article 9(2)(h) ‘necessary for the purposes of preventative 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…”

We will also recognise your rights established under UK case law collectively known as the “Common Law Duty of Confidentiality”.

5. Recipient or Categories of Recipients of the Shared Data

6. Rights to Object

You have the right under Article 21 of the GDPR to object to your personal information being processed. Please contact the Practice if you wish to object to the processing of your data. You should be aware that this is a right to raise an objection which is not the same as having an absolute right to have your wishes granted in every circumstance.

GP Practices process personal data under Article 6(1)(c) on a lawful and legitimate basis where the organisation is obliged under law to comply with:

The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
The Freedom of Information Act
The NHS Constitution
The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009

By complying with these laws, the Practice has compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests, rights and freedoms in the right to object.

7. Right to Access and Correct

Under GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to see or be given a copy of any personal data we hold about you. To gain access to a copy of your information, you will need to make a Subject Access Request (SAR) to the Practice you are normally registered with.

You also have the right to have incorrect data held about you corrected.

8. Retention Period

The data will be retained for the period as specified in the national NHS records retention schedule.

9. Right to Complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office or call their helpline on 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate).

The NHS App

We use the NHS Account Messaging Service provided by NHS England to send you messages relating to your health and care. You need to be an NHS App user to receive these messages. Further information about the service can be found at the privacy notice for the NHS App managed by NHS England.

Data Provision Notices

NHS Digital has powers, under sections 259(1)(a) and 259(1)(b) of the 2012 Health and Social Care Act 2012, which requires health and social care bodies in England to provide NHS England with certain datasets.

The DPN makes it clear whether an organisation is legally required to supply the data or is being requested to do so only.

In either case, when data is provided in response to a requirement or a request made under section 259, the data can be supplied without breaching the common law duty of confidentiality.

For more information about Dara Provision Notices, please see https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/corporate-information-and-documents/directions-and-data-provision-notices/data-provision-notices-dpns

COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020

NHS England established the OpenSAFELY service Trusted Research Environment (TRE). It supports the use of data for COVID-19 purposes only including research, clinical audit, service evaluation and health surveillance.

NHS England has been directed by the Government to establish and operate the OpenSAFELY service. This service provides a Trusted Research Environment that supports COVID-19 research and analysis.

Each GP practice remains the controller of its own patient data but is required to let researchers run queries on pseudonymised patient data. This means identifiers are removed and replaced with a pseudonym, through OpenSAFELY.

Only researchers approved by NHS England are allowed to run these queries and they will not be able to access information that directly or indirectly identifies individuals.

For more information about OpenSAFELY

GP Connect Privacy Notice

We use a facility called GP Connect to support your direct care. GP Connect makes patient information available to all appropriate clinicians when and where they need it, to support direct patients care, leading to improvements in both care and outcomes.

GP Connect is not used for any purpose other than direct care.

Authorised Clinicians such as GPs, NHS 111 Clinicians, Care Home Nurses (if you are in a Care Home), Secondary Care Trusts, Social Care Clinicians are able to access the GP records of the patients they are treating via a secure NHS Digital service called GP connect.

The NHS 111 service (and other services determined locally e.g. Other GP practices in a Primary Care Network) will be able to book appointments for patients at GP practices and other local services.

Legal basis for sharing this data

In order for your Personal Data to be shared or processed, an appropriate “legal basis” needs to be in place and recorded. The legal bases for direct care via GP Connect is the same as the legal bases for the care you would receive from your own GP, or another healthcare provider:

for the processing of personal data: Article 6.1 (e) of the UK GDPR: “processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller”.
for the processing of “Special Category Data” (which includes your medical information): Article 9.2 (h) of the UK GDPR: “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”.

Your rights

Because the legal bases used for your care using GP Connect are the same as used in other direct care situations, the legal rights you have over this data under UK GDPR will also be the same- these are listed elsewhere in our privacy notice.

Find out more about GP Connect

AccuRx Privacy Notice

As part of the Digital First National programme of work, GP Practices are required to provide a tool for patients to access primary care services. The aim of the Accurx platform is to improve communications between healthcare staff and patients resulting in improved outcomes and productivity. The platform facilitates digital communications between the practice and our patients. Using the Accurx platform will require the processing of special category data by Accurx, their sub-processors and by default the GP Practice as a Controller. This will include; exchanging and storing messages in relation to patients and medical staff, performing video consultations (these will not be recorded or stored) between healthcare staff and their patients This will allow you to respond to the Practice in multiple ways such as; free text, questionnaires and submitting images/documents. If you have a non-urgent healthcare concern or need to contact the Practice for any medical or admin reason, click on the online via our website or via NHS appor via NHS website. Fill out the online form, which will then be reviewed and processed by our healthcare professionals to decide the right care for you. We will respond to every online request 2 workings days Accurx is approved by NHS England to be used by GP practices and the other systems involved in patient care. NHS England has a lengthy assurance process to make sure they meet the highest standards of safety and security. Your data is safe and is shared only with your GP Practice for the purposes of your direct care. Your data is stored and sent securely using industry best practices, and Accurx only collect the data that is necessary to allow your GP Practice to provide you with care. The Practice uses the following Accurx features: · SMS, Friends and Family test, online consultations, video consultations, AccuMail and Record Views Accurx’s privacy notice can be found on their website here: Accurx \| Privacy Policy
1) Controller contact details	Valley Road Surgery, 139 Valley Road, SW16 2XT London
2) Data Protection Officer contact details	GP Data Protection Officer [email protected]
3) Purpose of the processing	The aim of the Accurx platform is to improve communications between healthcare staff and patients resulting in improved outcomes and productivity. The platform facilitates digital communications between the practice and our patients.
4) Lawful basis for processing	Under UK GDPR and DPA 2018 – 6(1)(e) ‘…necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’. 9(2)(h) ‘…medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems…’
5) Recipient or categories of recipients of the shared data	Data may be shared with Accurx, and their sub-processors such as cloud services used for Accurx’s own storage, communications, security, engineering, and similar purposes.
6) Rights to object	You have the right under Article 21 of the UK GDPR to object to your personal information being processed. Please contact the Practice if you wish to object to the processing of your data. You should be aware that this is a right to raise an objection which is not the same as having an absolute right to have your wishes granted in every circumstance.
7) Right to access and correct	You have the right to access copies of the data that is being shared and have any inaccuracies corrected. There is no right to have accurate medical records deleted except when ordered by a court of Law.
8) Retention period	The data will be retained for active use during the processing and thereafter according to NHS Policies and the law.
9) Right to Complain.	You have the right to complain to us about the way your data is handled or processed. To so, please contact the Practice using the following details: Valley Road Surgery, 139 Valley Road, SW16 2XT, London. If you remain unsatisfied with our response, you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. To do so, you can use this link https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/data-protection-complaints/ or call their helpline Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate) There are National Offices for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, (see ICO website)

London Care Record – One London

What is the London Care Record?

The London Care Record is a secure view of your health and care information.

It lets health and care professionals involved in your care see important details about your health when and where they need them.

It can show doctors, nurses and other care professionals any conditions you have, your test results, medicines you take, anything you’re allergic to and plans for your care.

Having a single, secure view of your information helps speed up communication between care professionals across London, and beyond

This helps to improve the safety of care and can save lives.

OneLondon is working to ensure as many health and care staff as possible can access the London Care Record and that it provides them with the information they need.

The SEL ICS Privacy Notice for the London Care Record has now been published on the ICS website: The London Care Record – South East London ICS (selondonics.org)

Find out more about the London Care Record see www.onelondon.online.

South East London ICS Privacy Policy

The Exchange Surgery is commissioned by South East London ICS. ICS collects, processes and protects the personal data of its service users.

For more information on the onelondon data sharing framework visit https://www.selondonics.org/who-we-are/our-work/digital-and-data/data-services/

How we use your Health and Care Data

How we use your data

Summary Care Record Supplementary Transparency Notice

During the height of the pandemic changes were made to the Summary Care Record (SCR) to make additional patient information available to all appropriate clinicians when and where they needed it, to support direct patients care, leading to improvements in both care and outcomes.

These changes to the SCR will remain in place, unless you decide otherwise.

Regardless of your past decisions about your Summary Care Record preferences, you will still have the same options that you currently have in place to opt out of having a Summary Care Record, including the opportunity to opt-back in to having a Summary Care Record or opt back in to allow sharing of Additional Information.

You can exercise these choices by doing the following:

Choose to have a Summary Care Record with all information shared. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see a detailed Summary Care Record, including Core and Additional Information, if they need to provide you with direct care.
Choose 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 limited information about allergies and medications in your Summary Care Record if they need to provide you with direct care.
Choose 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. You will not be able to change this preference at the time if you require direct care away from your GP practice. This means that no authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see information held in your GP records if they need to provide you with direct care, including in an emergency.

To make these changes, you should inform your GP practice or complete this form and return it to your GP practice.

Legal basis for sharing this data

In order for your Personal Data to be shared or processed, an appropriate ‘legal basis’ needs to be in place and recorded. The legal bases for direct care via SCR is the same as the legal bases for the care you would receive from your own GP, or another healthcare provider:

for the processing of personal data: Article 6.1 (e) of the UK GDPR: ‘processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller’.
for the processing of ‘Special Category Data’ (which includes your medical information): Article 9.2 (h) of the UK GDPR: ‘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’.

Your rights

Because the legal bases used for your care via SCR are the same as used in other direct care situations, the legal rights you have over this data under UK GDPR will also be the same- these are listed elsewhere in our privacy notice.

Find out more about SCR.

Don’t want to share?

All our patients can choose not to share their information. Should you wish to opt out of data collection, please contact a member of staff, alternatively,

Patients can set their opt-out preferences at www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters You will need their NHS number and a valid email address or telephone number which is on the GP record or on the Personal Demographics Service database to register their decision to opt out. Patients who are unable to use the online facility can use a phone helpline to manage their choice 0300 303 5678. A paper print-and-post form is also available at www.nhs.uk – Other ways to make a choice about sharing data.

Alternatively, please contact a member of staff for support.

Have a question?

If you have any questions, ask a member of the surgery team. You can:

Contact the practice’s data controller via email at [email protected]. GP practices are data controllers for the data they hold about their patients

Ask to speak to the Business Manager, Kemi Olayiwola who is also Data Protection Champion for Valley Road Surgery.

Data Protection Officer (DPO) contact for Valley Road Surgery: [email protected]

GP DPO Service Lead: Rezaur Choudhury

If you’re not happy about how we manage your information

We really want to make sure you’re happy, but we understand that sometimes things can go wrong. If you are unhappy with any part of our data-processing methods, you can complain. For more information, visit ico.org.uk and select ‘Raising a concern’.

We always make sure the information we give you is up-to-date. Any updates will be published on our website, in our newsletter and leaflets, and on our posters. This policy will be reviewed in May 2025.

Disability Access

If you have any special needs please let our staff know so that we can help and ensure you get the same support in the future.

Disabled Facilities

Valley Road Surgery has disabled toilets.

Wheelchair Access

Valley Road Surgery has wheelchair access along with step free access.

Hard of Hearing/Deaf

If you or a family member is hard of hearing or deaf, please ask reception or visit these websites for further information.

Blind/Partially Sighted

If you or a family member is blind or partially sighted, please ask reception for further information. For more advice and support for blind people please visit the following websites:

Guide Dogs

If you or your family require a guide dog, please visit the following website:

Guide Dogs

Other Disabilities

For more advice and support for people with disabilities, please visit the following websites:

Freedom of Information

Information about the GPs and the practice required for disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 can be made available to the public.

There are seven classes of information:

Who we are and what we do
What we spend and how we spend it
What our priorities are and how we are doing
How we make decisions
Our policies and procedures
Lists and registers
Services the practice offers

This covers any recorded organisational information such as reports, policies or strategies, that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland, however, it does not cover personal information such as patient records which are covered by the Data Protection Act 2018.

Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces.

This is enforced by the Information Commissioner who regulates both the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Data Protection Act 2018.

All requests for such information should be made to the reception.

GP 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 Valley Road Surgery in the last financial year was £81,148 before tax and National Insurance.

This is for 1 full time GP and 4 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.

Disclaimer

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and the required disclosure is shown above. However it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earning 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.

Named GP

Every patient has a named GP. This doctor has an important role to play in your healthcare. Some patients will already be aware of their named GP but if you would like to know, please just ask at reception.

Very little will change with your direct care. Your named GP does not have to be the doctor you see most recently, and you should continue to book appointments as usual.

The named GP is designed to reassure patients there is a doctor to provide an oversight into your care.

The responsibilities of your named GP will be to:

Take the lead responsibility for ensuring that the surgery provides all the appropriate services you need
Ensure health and social care professionals deliver a care package that meets your needs
Ensure your physical and psychological needs are recognised and responded to by the relevant clinicians in the practice
Ensure you have access to a health check if requested

It does not mean the named GP:

Takes responsibility for the work of other doctors or health professionals. If you have concerns, you must raise it with them in the first instance
Is available other than at their normal working hours
Is personally available throughout the working week
Be the only GP or clinician who will provide care to you

It does not mean that you can insist on appointment with your named GP unless one is available in the normal way.

You must continue to book appointments with the practice in the same way. If you require an appointment with a GP urgently and are unable to book it with your ‘named GP’ please book in with another available doctor.

Non-NHS Work

What is non-NHS work and why is there a fee?

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951 and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged.

Sometimes the charge is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, providing copies of health records or producing medical reports for insurance companies, solicitors or employers.

The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients but not non-NHS work. It is important to understand that many GPs are not employed by the NHS; they are self-employed and they have to cover their costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc. – in the same way as any small business.

In recent years, however, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is that they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to ensure that information provided to them is true and accurate.

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their own NHS patients are:

Accident/sickness certificates for insurance purposes
School fee and holiday insurance certificates
Reports for health clubs to certify that patients are fit to exercise
Private prescriptions for travel purposes

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:

Life assurance and income protection reports for insurance companies
Reports for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in connection with
Disability living allowance and attendance allowance
Medical reports for local authorities in connection with adoption and fostering
Copies of records for solicitors

Do GPs have to do non-NHS work for their patients?

With certain limited exceptions, for example, a GP confirming that one of their patients is not fit for jury service, GPs do not have to carry out non-NHS work on behalf of their patients. Whilst GPs will always attempt to assist their patients with the completion of forms, they are not required to do such non-NHS work.

Is it true that the BMA sets fees for non-NHS work?

The British Medical Association (BMA) suggest fees that GPs may charge their patients for non-NHS work (i.e. work not covered under their contract with the NHS) in order to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, the fees suggested by them are intended for guidance only; they are not recommendations and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates they suggest.

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?

Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of his or her patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time. Our GPs do non-NHS work out of NHS time at evenings or weekends so that NHS patient care does not suffer.

I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council (the doctors’ regulatory body) or even the police.

If you are a new patient we may not have your medical records so the doctor must wait for these before completing the form.

What will I be charged?

It is recommended that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and what the fee will be. It is up to individual doctors to decide how much they will charge. The surgery has a list of fees based on these suggested fees which are available on request.

What can I do to help?

Not all documents need a signature by a doctor, for example, passport applications. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge. Read the information that comes with these types of forms carefully before requesting your GP to complete them.

If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your GP if he or she is prepared to complete them at the same time to speed up the process.

Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight: urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this may cost more. Usually, non-NHS work will take 2 weeks.

Suggestions, Comments and Complaints

If you would like to give us any feedback or wish to make a complaint, please complete our Feedback and Complaints Triage.

Suggestions

If you have any suggestions about how we can improve our services please write a letter and place it in our suggestions box in the waiting room.

Complaints

If you have any complaints either concerning our service or any member of our team, please ask to see our practice manager in the first instance. If the manager is not available, the receptionist can provide you with information on our complaints procedure. We would much prefer to deal with complaints in house but if you feel the need to go to an external board, the association to help you and give advice is PALS (Patient Advice Liason Service) – telephone 0800 456 1517.

Teaching and Research Practice

We are a training practice and are dedicated to the teaching of medical students. They are able to learn a great deal by sitting in on consultations and accompanying our clinical staff on home visits. We hope that you will co-operate with us in helping the students learn about general practice. You will be informed of their presence in advance. If you decline, your wishes will be respected and this will not affect your treatment in anyway.

The Valley Road Surgery is also involved in the education and training of GP registrars. They are fully qualified, senior doctors who have decided to pursue a career in general practice.

GP registrars and GP trainers are occasionally asked to video consultations in order to help improve their consultation skills. You will always be asked in advance if your consultation is scheduled for recording. If you decline, your consultation and treatment will not be affected.

Zero Tolerance

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.