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 through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.

Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, giving as much detail as you can, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:

• Within 12 months of the incident,
• or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter

If you are a registered patient, you can complain about your own care. You are not normally able to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. See the separate section for what to do in this case. We are able to provide you with a separate complaint form to register your complaint, and this includes a third party authority form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else. Please download from website. You can provide this in your own format providing it covers all of the necessary aspects.

Send your written complaint to:

Attn: Practice Manager

Ralphs Ride,
Harmanswater,
Bracknell,
RG12 9LH

Email: enquiries.waterfield@nhs.net

You may also make your complaint directly to NHS England, who commission our service: Complaints Officer, Southeast Complaints Team. Email: frimleyicb.southeastcomplaints@nhs.net

Tel: 0300 561 0290.

Please click here to download the Complaints Form.

What We Do Next

We aim to settle complaints as soon as possible.

We will usually acknowledge receipt within three working days and aim to resolve the matter as soon as possible but will give you some idea of how long that may take at the outset. You will then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this, we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.

When looking into a complaint, we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you wish to do so.

When the investigations are complete, a final written response will be sent to you.

Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been initially sent to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.

The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and your right to refer the matter further to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (details shown elsewhere in this procedure) if you remain dissatisfied with the response.

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it. In the event the patient is deceased, then we may agree to respond to a family member or anyone acting on their behalf or who has had an interest in the welfare of the patient.

Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form, which contains a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed. Alternatively, we will send one to you to return to us when we receive your initial written complaint.

Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness, accident or mental capacity, it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances that prevent this in your covering letter.

Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply. You may also find that if you are complaining on behalf of a child who is capable of making their own complaint, we will expect that child to contact us themselves to lodge their complaint.

We may still need to correspond directly with the patient or may be able to deal directly with the third party. This depends on the wording of the authority provided.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome

You have the right to approach the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman.

Their contact details are:

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Citygate,

51 Mosley Street,

Manchester,

M2 3HQ

Tel: 0345 0154033

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk | to complain online or download a paper form

You may also approach Healthwatch or the Independent Health Complaints Advocacy for help or advice:

The local Healthwatch can be found at: www.healthwatch.co.uk

The IHCA can be contacted at: www.theadvocacypeople.org.uk

Personal and medical information about patients registered at this Practice are stored electronically and in paper form. Some of the information will be sent to hospital consultants and other health professionals to whom you are referred by your GP in order to provide continued health care and obtain treatment for you.

To ensure the security of the information obtained all of the staff who have access to your details and medical records are covered by confidentially clauses in their employment contracts and the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act.

You have a right to access your medical records in accordance with the Access to Records Act 1990 although any request for a report or copies of notes may incur a charge. Further information is available from reception.

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.

The Freedom of Information Act recognises that members of the public have the right to know how public services are organised and run. The practice will respond to requests about information it holds subject to some exemptions covered by other legislation.

Please contact the Practice Manager in the first instance for details and information available under the publication scheme.

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 The Waterfield Practice in the last financial year was £74,968 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 7 part time GPs and 4 Locums who worked in the practice for more than six months.

The annual statement will be generated each year in February. It will summarise:

• Any infection transmission incidents and action taken (these will be reported in accordance with our significant event procedure.
• The annual infection control audit summary and actions undertaken;
• Control risk assessments undertaken.
• Details of staff training (both as part of induction and annual training) with regards to infection prevention & control.
• Details of infection control advice to patients.
• Any review and update of policies, procedures and guidelines.

The Waterfield Practice lead for infection prevention / control is Maxine Fishlock – Practice Nurse, who is supported by the partners and practice manager.

This team keep updated with infection prevention & control practices and share necessary information with staff and patients throughout the year.

Infection Control Annual Statement – 2021

Significant Events

In the past year January 2019 to January 2020 there have been 2 events that related to infection prevention & control. Both were needle stick injuries to members of the nursing team.

Audits

An infection prevention & control audit was carried out by the infection prevention & control nurse for The Waterfield Practice in May 2019. As a result, our policy was reviewed and updated and an action plan put in place Staff hand washing audit has been completed. Annual handwashing audits are undertaken with staff members.

Risk Assessments

Regular risk assessments are undertaken to minimise the risk of infection and to ensure the safety of patients and staff.

Staff Training

Nine new staff joined this Practice in the past 12-months and received infection control and hand-washing training within three months of employment.

100% of the practice patient-facing staff (clinical and reception staff) completed their annual infection prevention & control update training either online or by attending a formal training session.

100% of the practice non-patient-facing staff completed their 3-yearly/annual infection prevention & control update training.

The infection control lead attended a training update for their role provided by Louise Forster (the Infection Prevention & Control Nurse for East Berkshire)

Infection Control Advice to Patients

Patients are encouraged to use the alcohol hand gel/sanitiser dispensers that are available throughout the practice.

Policies, Procedures and Guidelines

Documents related to infection prevention & control are reviewed in line with national and local guidance changes and are updated 2-yearly (or sooner in the event on new guidance).

New contractual requirements came into force from 1st April 2014 requiring that GP practices should make available a statement of intent in relation to the following IT developments:

1. Referral Management
2. Electronic Appointment Booking
3. Online Booking of repeat prescriptions
4. Summary Care Record
5. GP2GP transfers
6. Patient Access to records

Find out more details of the practice stance with regards to these developments in our Statement of Intent.

All registered patients have a named doctor who has overall responsibility for their care and support. Your registered GP is also your named accountable GP.

Your allocated GP will be responsible for the provision of your healthcare. However, if you choose to see another doctor at the surgery you are entirely free to go on doing so.

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

Patients have the right to express a preference of doctor on their records. However, the practice may not always be able to comply with your request. If this is the case, we will explain why.

What are the responsibilities of the named accountable GP?

The named accountable GP will take responsibility for the co-ordination of all appropriate services and ensure that they are delivered to each of their patients where required (based on the GP’s clinical judgment) to each of their patients

The British Medical Association (BMA) advises that the role of 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
• Imply personal availability for GPs throughout the working week
• Be the only GP or clinician who will provide care to that patient
• If you would like to know who your named GP is, please ask when you next attend the surgery.
• Please note that whenever a GP leaves or joins the partnership, the health authority reallocates the patient lists. It may be that your named GP will change under such circumstances. We are not able to contact patients individually about such changes, but we will publicise any partnership changes and advise patients wishing to know who their named GP is to ask at the surgery.

Privacy Notice – GDPR

Please follow the links below for our Privacy Notices:

• Privacy Notice
• Privacy Notice Appendix

Data Protection Officer

The Data Protection Officer can be contacted through the below email addresses:

• LUCY.HUNT11@NHS.NET
• GP-IGEnquiries.scwcsu@nhs.net

Third Party Processors

In order to deliver the best possible service, the practice will share data (where required) with other NHS bodies such as other GP practices and hospitals. In addition the practice will use carefully selected third party service providers. When we use a third party service provider to process data on our behalf then we will always have an appropriate agreement in place to ensure that they keep the data secure, that they do not use or share information other than in accordance with our instructions and that they are operating appropriately. Examples of functions that may be carried out by third parties includes:

• Companies that provide IT services & support, including our core clinical systems; systems which manage patient facing services (such as our website and service accessible through the same); data hosting service providers; systems which facilitate appointment bookings or electronic prescription services; document management services etc.
• Delivery services (for example if we were to arrange for delivery of any medicines to you).
• Payment providers (if for example you were paying for a prescription or a service such as travel vaccinations).

Further details regarding specific third party processors can be supplied on request.

The data held in your GP medical records is shared with other healthcare professionals for the purposes of your individual care. It is also shared with other organisations to support health and care planning and research.

If you do not want your personally identifiable patient data to be shared outside of your GP practice for purposes except your own care, you can register an opt-out with your GP practice. This is known as a Type 1 Opt-out.

Type 1 Opt-outs may be discontinued in the future. If this happens then they may be turned into a National Data Opt-out. Your GP practice will tell you if this is going to happen and if you need to do anything. More information about the National Data Opt-out is here: https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/.

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who can see it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I know if I have one?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by asking your GP

Do I have to have one?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.

Download the opt out form >>>>.

Click HERE for the NHS Constitution

The Practice is proud to be a Training Practice for doctors who want to become General Practitioners (GPs) so we usually have a GP registrar working with us as part of their professional training.

Our practice is committed to developing the skills of Medical Students and we frequently have them attached to our surgery. You will be informed if a Medical Student is sitting in with the Doctor but there is no obligation to have a student present during your consultation. Please feel free to say should you not wish a Medical Student to be present.

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.

We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. We have zero tolerance to any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients. In such cases we reserve the right to withdraw services from such persons immediately.