Our policy is designed to ensure and promote equality and inclusion, supporting the ethos and requirements of the Equality Act 2010 for all visitors of our practice.

We are committed to:

• ensuring that all visitors are treated with dignity and respect
• promoting equality of opportunity between men and women
• not tolerating any discrimination or perceived discrimination against, or harassment of, any visitor for reason of age, sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief
• providing the same treatment and services (including the ability to register with the practice) to any visitor irrespective of age, sex, marital status, pregnancy, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, medical condition, religion or belief

This policy applies to the general public, including all patients and their families, visitors and contractors.

Procedure

Discrimination by the Practice or Visitors / patients against you.

If you feel discriminated against:

• You should bring the matter to the attention of our Complaints Manager
• Our Complaints Manager will investigate the matter thoroughly and confidentially within 14 working days
• Our Complaints Manager will establish the facts and decide whether discrimination has taken place and advise you of the outcome of the investigation within 14 working days

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you should raise a formal complaint through our Complaints Procedure.

Discrimination against our Practice staff

The Practice will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment of our staff by any visitor. Any visitor who expresses any form of discrimination against or harassment of any member of our staff will be required to leave the practice premises immediately. If the visitor is a patient they may also be removed from the practice list if any such behaviour occurs at the discretion of the Practice Management

The Freedom of Information Act creates a right of access to recorded information and obliges a public authority to:

• Have a publication scheme in place
• Allow public access to information held by public authorities.

The Act 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.

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

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

The surgery publication scheme

A publication scheme requires an authority to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The scheme lists information under seven broad classes, which are:

• who we are and what we do
• what we spend and how we spend it
• what our priorities are and how we are doing it
• how we make decisions
• our policies and procedures
• lists and registers
• the services we offer

You can request our publication scheme leaflet at the surgery.

Who can request information?

Under the Act, any individual, anywhere in the world, is able to make a request to a practice for information. An applicant is entitled to be informed in writing, by the practice, whether the practice holds information of the description specified in the request and if that is the case, have the information communicated to him/her. An individual can request information, regardless of whether he/she is the subject of the information or affected by its use. 

How should requests be made?

Requests must:

• be made in writing (this can be electronically e.g. email/fax)
• state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence
• describe the information requested.

What cannot be requested?

Personal data about staff and patients covered under Data Protection Act.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average) for GP’s working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Cherry Medical Practice in the last financial year was £98,571 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 2 full time GPs and 0 part time GPs and 0 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

It should be noted that the prescribe method for calculating earnings 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.

We aim to keep our surgery clean and tidy and offer a safe environment to our patients and staff. We are proud of our modern, purpose built practice and endeavour to keep it clean and well maintained at all times.

If you have any concerns about cleanliness or infection control, please report these to our reception staff.

Our GPs and nursing staff follow our Infection Control Policy to ensure the care we deliver and the equipment we use is safe.

We take additional measures to ensure we maintain the highest standards:

• Encourage staff and patients to raise any issues or report any incidents relating to cleanliness and infection control. We can discuss these and identify improvements we can make to avoid any future problems
• Carry out an annual infection control audit to make sure our infection control procedures are working
• Provide annual staff updates and training on cleanliness and infection control
• Review our policies and procedures to make sure they are adequate and meet national guidance
• Maintain the premises and equipment to a high standard within the available financial resources and ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to reduce or remove all infection risk
• Use washable or disposable materials for items such as couch rolls, modesty curtains, floor coverings, towels etc., and ensure that these are laundered, cleaned or changed frequently to minimise risk of infection
• Make alcohol hand rub gel available throughout the building

Late Arrivals Policy

Cherry Medical Practice

July 2024

Patients are expected to arrive in good time for their appointments.

• If patients arrive more than 10 minutes late, they have missed their appointment and will need to rebook.
• This is to prevent delays to the GP sessions and to ensure fairness for patients who have arrived on time.

We appreciate the effort our patients make to attend on time and therefore do our best to run as close to booked appointment times as possible. Adhering to a Late Arrivals Policy assists us in doing so. However, due to the nature of a GP surgery, sometimes the doctor or nurse may be running behind. When the clinician is running late our reception staff will advise the patients upon arrival and apologise to them for the delay.

When a patient is less than 10 minutes late:

The receptionist will book the patient in but advise them they are late for their appointment and remind them that they must attend on time in the future.

If applicable, the receptionist may advise them that the doctor is now seeing the next patient and that they may have an extended waiting time, as the doctor will see patients who arrived on time first.

When a patient is 10 or more minutes late:

Patients who arrive 10 or more minutes late have therefore missed their appointment. The receptionist will advise them to rebook a new routine appointment.

If the doctor has an urgent clinical need to see a particular patient, they will advise reception in advance that the patient may be “arrived” even if they arrive more than 10 minutes late. The patient will need to wait for a gap or the end of the surgery to be seen.

If patient insists that it is urgent, the Receptionist has to contact the clinician to decide if the patient can be seen at the end of surgery or fitted in at a later time during the day.

Further Information:

If the doctor has an urgent clinical need to see a particular patient, they will advise reception in advance that the patient may be “arrived” even if they arrive more than 10 minutes late. The patient will need to wait for a gap or the end of the surgery to be seen.

If a patient calls ahead to say they will be late, this does not alter the policy. If they are going to be late, the receptionist will advise them on the phone that they should rebook, rather than waste a journey.

The above applies to all ADULTS.

Children brought late:

If a child under 16yrs old is brought late to their appointment, they will still be seen. Parents will be advised of the late policy by reception and the attending clinician to avoid late arrivals in future.

How the NHS and care services use your information

Cherry Medical Practice is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public.

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment.

The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:

• improving the quality and standards of care provided
• research into the development of new treatments
• preventing illness and diseases
• monitoring safety
• planning services

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.

Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed.

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.

To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters. On this web page you will:

• See what is meant by confidential patient information
• Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care
• Find out more about the benefits of sharing data
• Understand more about who uses the data
• Find out how your data is protected
• Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting
• Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone
• See the situations where the opt-out will not apply

Alternatively you can telephone 0300 303 567 to register your choice.

You can also find out more about how patient information is used at:

• www.hra.nhs.uk/information-about-patients (which covers health and care research) and;
• www.understandingpatientdata.org.uk/what-you-need-know (which covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards and how decisions are made)

You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes and data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement.

Health and care organisations have until 31/03/2020 to put systems and processes in place so they can be compliant with the national data opt-out and apply your choice to any confidential patient information they use or share for purposes beyond your individual care. Our organisation is not currently compliant with the national data opt-out policy.

We understand how important it is to keep your personal information safe and secure and we take this very seriously. We have taken steps to make sure your personal information is looked after in the best possible way and we review this regularly.
Please read this Privacy Notice (‘Privacy Notice’) carefully, as it contains important information about how we use the personal and healthcare information we collect on your behalf.

Why We Are Providing This Privacy Notice

We are required to provide you with this Privacy Notice by Law. It explains how we use the personal and healthcare information we collect, store and hold about you. If you are unclear about how we process or use your personal and healthcare information, or you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or any other issue regarding your personal and healthcare information, then please do contact our Data Protection Officer (details below).

The Law says:

• We must let you know why we collect personal and healthcare information about you
• We must let you know how we use any personal and/or healthcare
  information we hold on you
• We need to inform you in respect of what we do with it
• We need to tell you about who we share it with or pass it on to and why
• We need to let you know how long we can keep it for

The Data Protection Officer

The Data Protection Officer at the Surgery is Lead: Dr S Tandon or Deputy: Dr L Cheema. You can contact them on 0161 983 0210 and book an appointment or email them at gmicb-sal.cherrymedicalpractice@nhs.net.

You have any questions about how your information is being held.

If you require access to your information or if you wish to make a change to your information.

If you wish to make a complaint about anything to do with the personal and healthcare information, we hold about you.

Or any other query relating to this Notice and your rights as a patient.

Any request for medical records can be made to the Reception Manager. Requests can in writing or via email. The recommended times is 28 days from a response to be received from the practice.

About Us

We, at the Cherry medical Practice, situated at Little Hulton Health Centre Haysbrook Avenue, Salford, M28 0AY, are a Data Controller of your information. This means we are responsible for collecting, storing and handling your personal and healthcare information when you register with us as a patient.

There may be times where we also process your information. That means we use it for a particular purpose and, therefore, on those occasions we may also be Data Processors. The purposes for which we use your information are set out in this Privacy Notice.

Information We Collect From You

The information we collect from you will include:

• Your personal contact details (such as your name, address, contact telephone numbers (landline and mobile) and email address, including place of work and work contact details);
• Details and contact numbers of your next of kin;
• Your age range, gender, ethnicity;
• Details in relation to your medical history;
• The reason for your visit to the Surgery;
• Medical notes and details of diagnosis and consultations with our GPs and other health professionals within the Surgery involved in your direct healthcare.
• Any special needs, like communication difficulties-requiring assistance

Information About You From Others

We also collect personal information about you when it is sent to us from the following:

• A hospital, a consultant or any other medical or healthcare professional, or any other person involved with your general healthcare
• Records are updated for, e.g. firearms applications, immigration matters, court orders etc, child protection plans

Your Summary Care Record

Your summary care record (‘SCR’) is an electronic record of your healthcare history (and other relevant personal information) held on a national healthcare records database provided and facilitated by NHS England.

You can ask your doctor to add further information to your SCR from your medical notes. This can include health problems such as diabetes and your treatment preferences.

This record may be shared with other healthcare professionals and additions to this record may also be made by relevant healthcare professionals and organisations involved in your direct healthcare.

You may have the right to demand that this record is not shared with anyone who is not involved in the provision of your direct healthcare. SCRs improve care, but if you do not want to have a SCR, then you are entitled to opt out. You can tell your GP or you can fill out a SCR opt out form. If you would like a form or wish to enquire further as to your rights in respect of not sharing information contained within this record then please contact our Data Protection Officer.

If you are happy with the use of this information you do not need to do anything. You may however change your mind at any time.

National Data Opt-Out

A new national data opt-out was introduced in May 2018, following recommendations from the National Data Guardian. You can opt out of having your confidential patient information shared for reasons beyond your individual care, for example for research and planning.

Your health records contain a type of data called confidential patient information. This data can be used to help with research and planning.

You can choose to stop your confidential patient information being used for research and planning. You can also make a choice for someone else like your children under the age of 13.

To help the NHS respond to coronavirus, your information may be used for coronavirus research purposes even if you have chosen not to share it. Any information used will be shared appropriately and lawfully.

Confidential patient information is when 2 types of information from your health records are joined together.

The 2 types of information are:

• Something that can identify you
• Something about your health care or treatment

For example, your name joined with what medicine you take.

Identifiable information on its own is used by health and care services to contact patients and this is not confidential patient information.

Health and care staff may use your confidential patient information to help with your treatment and care. For example, when you visit your GP they may look at your records for important information about your health.

Confidential patient information might also be used to:

• Plan and improve health and care services
• Research and develop cures for serious illnesses

You can stop your confidential patient information being used for research and planning. Find out how to make your choice at www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice.

If you’re happy with your confidential patient information being used for research and planning you do not need to do anything.

Any choice you make will not impact your individual care.

Who We May Provide Your Personal Information To And Why

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care Services, important information about you is collected to help ensure you get the best possible care and treatment. This information may be passed to other approved organisations where there is a lawful basis, to help with planning services, improving care, research into developing new treatments and preventing illness. All of this helps to improve services and provide better care to you and your family and future generations. However, as explained in this Privacy Notice, confidential information about your health and care is only used in this way where allowed by law and would never be used for any other purpose without your clear and explicit consent.

We may pass your personal information on to the following people or organisations, because these organisations may require your information to assist them in the provision of your direct healthcare needs. It, therefore, may be important for them to be able to access your information in order to ensure they may properly deliver their services to you:

• Hospital professionals (such as doctors, consultants, nurses, etc)
• Other GPs/Doctors
• Pharmacists
• Nurses and other healthcare professionals
• Dentists
• Any other person that is involved in providing services related to your general healthcare, including mental health professionals

Other People Who We Provide Your Information To

• Commissioners
• Locality Boards for Salford
• Local authorities
• Community health services
• For the purposes of complying with the Law e.g. Police, Solicitors, Insurance Companies

Anyone you have given your consent to, to view or receive your record, or part of your record. Please note, if you give another person or organisation consent to access your record, we will need to contact you to verify your consent before we release that record. It is important that you are clear and understand how much and what aspects of your record you give consent to be disclosed. Extended Access – we provide extended access services to our patients which means you can access medical services outside of our normal working hours. In order to provide you with this service, we have formal arrangements in place with the Clinical Commissioning Group and with other practices whereby certain key “hub” practices offer this service on our behalf for you as a patient to access outside of our opening hours. This means, those key “hub” practices will have to have access to your medical record to be able to offer you the service. Please note we ensure that those practices comply with the Law and protect the use of your information, we have very robust data sharing agreements and other clear arrangements in place to ensure your data is always protected and used for those purposes only.

The key Hub practices are as follows:

Walkden & little Hulton PCN

Data Extraction by the Locality Board Team/GM-Integrated Care System – the clinical commissioning group at times extracts medical information about you, but the information we pass to them via our computer systems cannot identify you to them. This information only refers to you by way of a code that only your practice can identify (it is pseudo-anonymised). This therefore protects you from anyone who may have access to this information at the Clinical Commissioning Group from ever identifying you as a result of seeing the medical information and we will never give them the information that would enable them to do this.
There are good reasons why the above mentioned organisations, may require this pseudo-anonymised information, these are as follows:

Primary Care Network

We are a member of Walkden & Little Hulton Primary Care Network (PCN). This means we will be working closely with several other Practices and health and care organisations to provide healthcare services to you. These Practices are listed at the end of this Privacy Notice. See Schedule 1 below.

During the course of our work we may share your information with these Practices and other health care organisations/professionals. We will only share this information where it relates to your direct healthcare needs.

When we do this, we will always ensure that appropriate agreements are in place to protect your information and keep it safe and secure. This is also what the Law requires us to do.

If you would like to see the information the PCN holds about you, please contact Mr. Zain Harper/Mr Andy Dudman via email (address obtained through your GP Surgery). See also your rights listed below.

Anonymised Information

Sometimes we may provide information about you in an anonymised form. If we do so, then none of the information we provide to any other party will identify you as an individual and cannot be traced back to you.

Your Rights As A Patient

The Law gives you certain rights to your personal and healthcare information that we hold, as set out below:

Access and Subject Access Requests

You have the right to see what information we hold about you and to request a copy of this information.

If you would like a copy of the information we hold about you, please email our Data Protection Officer. We will provide this information free of charge however, we may in some limited and exceptional circumstances have to make an administrative charge for any extra copies if the information requested is excessive, complex or repetitive.

We have one month from the date of a request to reply to you and give you the information that you require. We would ask, therefore, that any requests you make are in writing and it is made clear to us what and how much information you require.

Online Access

We are currently working towards offering all existing patients on-line access to their medical records. All new patients will automatically be given on-line access to their records.

Please note that online access will also provide access to all relevant correspondence attached to your record. It is your responsibility to make sure that you keep your information safe and secure if you do not wish any third party to gain access.

Correction

We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. You may ask us to correct any information you think is inaccurate. It is very important that you make sure you tell us if your contact details including your mobile phone number has changed.

Removal

You have the right to ask for your information to be removed however, if we require this information to assist us in providing you with appropriate medical services and diagnosis for your healthcare, then removal may not be possible.

Objection

We cannot share your information with anyone else for a purpose that is not directly related to your health, e.g. medical research, educational purposes, etc. We would ask you for your consent in order to do this however, you have the right to request that your personal and healthcare information is not shared by the Surgery in this way. Please note the Anonymised Information section in this Privacy Notice.

Transfer

You have the right to request that your personal and/or healthcare information is transferred, in an electronic form (or other form), to another organisation, but we will require your clear consent to be able to do this.

Third Parties Mentioned On Your Medical Record

Sometimes we record information about third parties mentioned by you to us during any consultation. We are under an obligation to make sure we also protect that third party’s rights as an individual and to ensure that references to them which may breach their rights to confidentiality, are removed before we send any information to any other party including yourself. Third parties can include: spouses, partners, and other family members.

How We Use The Information About You

We use your personal and healthcare information in the following ways:

• When we need to speak to, or contact other doctors, consultants, nurses or any other medical/healthcare professional or organisation during the course of your diagnosis or treatment or on-going healthcare
• When we are required by Law to hand over your information to any other organisation, such as the police, by court order, solicitors, or immigration enforcement
• We will never pass on your personal information to anyone else who does not need it, or has no right to it, unless you give us clear consent to do so

Lawful Justification For Collecting And Using Your Information

In accordance with the retained EU law version of the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (“UK GDPR”), the Data Protection Act 2018 and any other relevant legislation, regulation, code of practice or guidance the Law says we need a lawful basis to handle your personal and healthcare information.

Contract

We have a contract with NHS England to deliver healthcare services to you. This contract provides that we are under a legal obligation to ensure that we deliver medical and healthcare services to the public.

Consent

Sometimes we also rely on the fact that you give us consent to use your personal and healthcare information so that we can take care of your healthcare needs.
Please note that you have the right to withdraw consent at any time if you no longer wish to receive services from us.

Necessary Care

Providing you with the appropriate healthcare, where necessary. The Law refers to this as ‘protecting your vital interests’ where you may be in a position not to be able to consent.

Legal Obligation

Sometimes the Law obliges us to provide your information to an organisation (see above).

Special Categories

The Law states that personal information about your health falls into a special category of information because it is very sensitive. Reasons that may entitle us to use and process your information may be as follows:

Public Interest: Where we may need to handle your personal information when it is considered to be in the public interest. For example, when there is an outbreak of a specific disease and we need to contact you for treatment, or we need to pass your information to relevant organisations to ensure you receive advice and/or treatment;

Consent: When you have given us consent;

Vital Interest: If you are incapable of giving consent, and we have to use your information to protect your vital interests (e.g. if you have had an accident and you need emergency treatment);

Defending A Claim: If we need your information to defend a legal claim against us by you, or by another party;

Providing You With Medical Care: Where we need your information to provide you with medical and healthcare services.

How Long We Keep Your Personal Information

We carefully consider any personal information that we store about you, and we will not keep your information for longer than is necessary for the purposes as set out in this Privacy Notice.

If English Is Not Your First Language

If English is not your first language you can request a translation of this Privacy Notice. Please contact our Data Protection Officer.

Complaints

If you have a concern about the way we handle your personal data or you have a complaint about what we are doing, or how we have used or handled your personal and/or healthcare information, then please contact our Data Protection Officer.
However, you have a right to raise any concern or complaint with the UK information regulator, at the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk/.

Our Website

The only website this Privacy Notice applies to is the Surgery’s website. If you use a link to any other website from the Surgery’s website, then you will need to read their respective Privacy Notice. We take no responsibility (legal or otherwise) for the content of other websites.

Cookies

The Surgery’s website uses cookies. For more information on which cookies, we use and how we use them, please see our Cookies Policy at https://cherrymedicalpractice.co.uk/cookie-policy/

Security

We take the security of your information very seriously and we do everything we can to ensure that your information is always protected and secure. We regularly update our processes and systems, and we also ensure that our staff are properly trained. We also carry out assessments and audits of the information that we hold about you and make sure that if we provide any other services, we carry out proper assessments and security reviews.

Text Messaging And Contacting You

Because we are obliged to protect any confidential information, we hold about you and we take this very seriously, it is imperative that you let us know immediately if you change any of your contact details.

We may contact you using SMS texting to your mobile phone in the event that we need to notify you about appointments and other services that we provide to you involving your direct care, therefore you must ensure that we have your up to date details. This is to ensure we are sure we are contacting you and not another person.
We will always inform you if we record or monitor any telephone call you make to us.

The telephone recordings are kept for 36 months or until the termination of the agreement if sooner.

Records are stored as per UK GDPR regulations, by our provider of the services and are in compliance with X-on’s ISO27001 Information Security Management System certification

The GP or Senior managers may listen to the telephone recording as required i.e., in case of a complaint, or forwarded to NHS England in the instance of verbal abuse for requesting removal of patient from GP list. The call recordings are listened to in a secure environment.

X-on upon the termination of the Standard Agreement, shall, unless otherwise required by Data Privacy Laws, return or delete, at the Customer’s sole discretion, all Customer and its Clients Data which it is Processing or has Processed upon behalf of the Customer or securely destroy the same within 14 days of being requested to do so by the Customer and shall from the date of termination cease processing such Data.

CCTV

Please note that we have installed a CCTV system in the building for the safety of our patients/staff and in particular to record and evidence any serious incidents involving patients. We operate this system in accordance with the Law and the codes of practice issued by the Information Commissioners Office as well as other regulatory bodies. Our CCTV is monitored on when needed and only authorised staff will have access to it.

• We will not keep images captured on CCTV for longer than is necessary
• The CCTV is recording pictures only there is no sound
• The CCTV recording are kept for 31 days
• The CCTV recordings are kept on a secure 4TB hard drive as part of the CCTV setup. This is on site at the practice in a secure locked room
• The CCTV is only reviewed if there has been an incident which requires it to be reviewed to gather any necessary evidence
• The recordings are destroyed after 31 days as the data records over the previous data

If you believe your image has been captured on our CCTV you have a right to request to see it. Please contact our Data Protection Officer, who will be able to assist with your enquiry.

Where To Find Our Privacy Notice

You may find a copy of this Privacy Notice in the Surgery’s reception, on our website, or a copy may be provided on request.

Changes To Our Privacy Notice

We regularly review and update our Privacy Notice. This Privacy Notice was last updated on 19/08/2022.

List the Practices that are members of your PCN here:

• Cherry Medical Practice
• Cleggs Lane Medical Practice
• Dearden Avenue Medical Practice
• Ellenbrook Medical Practice
• Gill Medical Practice
• Limes Medical Practice
• Manchester Road East Medical Practice
• Orchard Medical Practice
• Salford Primary Care Together (SPCT) Little Hulton Branch
• Walkden Gateway Medical Practice
• Walkden Medical Practice

This is a Statement of Purpose for the Cherry Medical Practice which sets out the following information:

• The full name of the service provider and of any registered manager together with their business address, telephone number, and where available electronic mail addresses
• The legal status of the service provider
• Details of the locations at which the services provided for the purposes of the regulated activity carried on
• Our aims and objectives in carrying on the regulated activity;
• The kinds of services provided for the purpose of carrying on of the regulated activity
• The range of service users needs which those services are intended to meet.

Cherry Medical Practice is a General Practice Partnership open to all patients living within our Practice boundary with a M28 or M38 postcode. We work in partnership with our patients and our Patient Participation Group to provide medical care for our patients. We are an active member of the Walkden and Little Hulton Primary Care Network. We work as part of the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.

We are a Personal Medical Services (PMS) Practice offering Primary care services for the diagnosis and prevention of disease. We help patients to manage their health and prevent illness. Our GPs assess, diagnose, treat and manage illness. They carry out screening for some diseases and promote general health and wellbeing. Our GPs act as a patient’s advocate, supporting and representing a patient’s best interests to ensure they receive the best and most appropriate health and/or social care. Our GPs also provide the link to further health services and work closely with other healthcare colleagues. They may also arrange hospital admissions and referrals to other services, and specialists, and they link in with secondary care and community services about patients, taking advice and sharing information where needed. They also collect and record important information from other healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of our patients.

Our GPs are also involved in the education and training of practice staff and other healthcare professionals.

We are a team comprised of two female GPs, one practice nurse who is a prescriber, one healthcare assistant, one practice manager, one reception manager and five receptionists. We also currently have two pharmacists working with the practice who review patient medications and a paramedic who sees acutely unwell patients in surgery and can also do home visits where needed.

Location: The Practice address is Cherry Medical Practice, Little Hulton Health Centre, Haysbrook Avenue, Salford, M28 0AY.

Our phone number is 0161 983 0210.

Our email address is gmicb-sal.cherrymedicalpractice@nhs.net

Our Mission Statement: To improve the health, wellbeing, and lives of those we care for.

Our Vision: To work in partnership with our patients and staff to provide the best standard of Primary Care services possible working within local and national governance, guidance, and regulations.

Our Aims and Objectives:

• To provide high quality, safe, professional Primary Health Care General Practice services to our patients
• To focus on prevention of disease by promoting health and wellbeing and offering care and advice to our patients
• To work in partnership with our patients, their families and carers towards a positive experience and understanding, involving them in decision making about their treatment and care.
• To be a learning organisation that continually improves what we can offer to patients.
• To treat patients as individuals and with the same respect we would want for ourselves or a member of our family, listening and supporting people to express their needs and wants and enabling people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice, and control
• To work in partnership with other agencies to tackle the causes of, as well as provide the treatment for ill health and where appropriate involve other professionals in the care of our patients.
• To encourage our patients to communicate with us by joining our Patient Participation Group, talking to us, participating in surveys, and feeding back on the services that we offer
• To ensure all staff have the competency and motivation to deliver the required standards of care ensuring that all members of the team have the right skills and training to carry out their duties competently
• To take care of our staff, offering them support to do their jobs and to protect them against abuse
• Have a zero tolerance of all forms of abuse.
• To provide our patients and staff with an environment which is safe and friendly
• To operate on a financially sound basis.
• To maintain GDPR compliance.

Cherry Medical Practice is always looking for ways to improve the services it offers to patients. To do this effectively, the practice needs to know what you think about the services you receive. Tell us what we do best, where we don’t meet your expectations plus any ideas and suggestions you may have. Only by listening to you can the practice continue to build and improve upon the service it offers. Dr S Tandon is the practice’s Clinical complaints Lead.

• Could you easily get through on the telephone?
• Did you get an appointment with who you wanted to see?
• Were you seen within 20 minutes of your scheduled appointment time?
• Were our staff helpful and courteous?

Practice Complaints Procedure

If you have a complaint about the service you have received from any member of staff working in this practice, please let us know. The practice operates a Complaints Procedure as part of the NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

Note: If you make a complaint it is practice policy to ensure you are not discriminated against, or subjected to any negative effect on your care, treatment or support.

How to Complain

In the first instance please discuss your complaint with a member of the reception team. Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, please contact our Practice Administrator, Danielle Perkins, or Reception Manager, Emma Heywood, who will try to resolve the issue and offer you further advice on the complaints procedure. If your problem cannot be resolved at this stage and you wish to make a formal complaint please let us know as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of days in writing. This will enable the practice to get a clear picture of the circumstances surrounding the complaint.

If it is not possible to raise your complaint immediately, please let us have details of your complaint within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem or within 12 months from when the complaint comes to your notice.

The Practice will acknowledge your complaint within three working days.

The Practice may arrange a meeting with you to discuss the complaint, to agree with you how the complaint is going to be investigated and the timescale for this to be completed.

When the practice looks into your complaint it aims to:

• Ascertain the full circumstances of the complaint
• Make arrangements for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
• Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
• Identify what the practice can do to make sure the problem does not happen again

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

Please note that Cherry Medical Practice keeps strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, the practice needs to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be required, unless they are incapable of providing this due to illness or disability.

Complaining to Other Authorities

The practice management team hope that if you have a problem you will use the Practice Complaints Procedure.

However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, you can contact any of the following 3 bodies:

• Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS)
  Salford Clinical Commissioning Group
  0161 212 4960 or salccg.patientservices@nhs.net
• Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS)
  0808 801 0390
• NHS England
  0300 311 2233

Contacting the Care Quality Commission

If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this Practice then you can contact the Care Quality Commission on 0300 061 6161, or alternatively visit the following website: www.cqc.org.uk.

PALS, ICAS and Ombudsman

Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS)

PALS provide a confidential service designed to help patients get the most from the NHS. PALS can tell you more about the NHS complaints procedure and may be able to help you resolve your complaint informally. Find your local PALS office.

Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS)

ICAS is a national service that supports people who want to make a complaint about their NHS Care or treatment. Find your local ICAS service.

Ombudsman

If you are not happy with the response from this practice, you can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who investigates complaints about the NHS in England.

You can call the Ombudsman’s Complaints Helpline on 0345 015 4033 or www.ombudsman.org.uk or Textphone (Minicom): 0300 061 4298

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 contacting the practice.

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.

Help us to help you

We aim to provide the best possible service to our patients and hope you will feel that we achieve that aim.

The care of your health is a partnership between yourself and the primary health care team. The success of that partnership depends on an understanding of each other’s needs and co-operation between us.

Doctor’s Responsibilities

• You will be greeted courteously
• You have a right to confidentiality
• You have the right to see your medical records subject to the limitations of the law
• You will be seen the same day, if your problem is urgent
• You will be seen by your doctor whenever possible
• You will be informed if there will be a delay of more than 20 minutes for your appointment
• You will be referred to a consultant when your GP thinks it necessary
• You will be given the result of any test or investigation on request or at your next appointment
• Your repeat prescription will be ready for collection 48 hours after your request
• Your suggestions and comments about the services offered will be considered sympathetically and any complaint dealt with quickly

Patient’s Responsibilities

• Please treat all surgery staff with the same respect – we are all just doing our job
• Do not ask for information about anyone other than yourself
• Tell us of any change of name or address, so that our records are accurate
• Only request an urgent appointment if appropriate. Home visits should only be requested if you are too ill to attend the surgery and night visits should be for emergencies only – the doctor on-call will be at work as usual the next day
• Please cancel your appointment if you are unable to attend
• Please be punctual but be prepared to wait if your own consultation is delayed by an unexpected emergency
• Please allow sufficient time for your consultant’s letter of the results of any tests to reach us
• You will be advised of the usual length of time to wait
• Use the tear-off slip to request your repeat prescription whenever possible. Please attend for review when asked, before your next prescription is due
• Do let us know whenever you feel we have not met our responsibility to you
• We would, of course, be pleased to hear when you feel praise is due

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. This also includes behaviours that are transphobic, biphobic and homophobic. 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.

Introduction

NHS staff should be able to come to work without fear of violence, abuse or harassment from patients or their relatives.

In most cases, patients and their relatives will be appreciative towards those who treat them but a minority of people are abusive or violent towards staff. The NHS is committed to dealing with this problem.

The NHS has had a ‘zero tolerance’ attitude towards violence since 1999 and there has been a significant increase in the numbers of offenders being prosecuted since 2003, when the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) was set up. The NHS CFSMS split its responsibilities early in 2009 and the NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) now deals with the security of people and property across the NHS in England.

It is clear that some staff groups are more at risk than others. This may depend on the part of the NHS in which they work and whether they are frontline staff or not. For information on lone working see the chapter on lone working.

The 2008 staff survey carried out for the Healthcare Commission showed that 12 per cent of staff across all trusts reported being physically assaulted by patients over the previous 12 months. This figure has remained relatively unchanged over the past four years.

Among frontline staff, 28 per cent said they experienced this abuse from patients or their relatives, a fall from 32 per cent in 2007. Staff who said they had received training in the prevention or handling of violence and aggression made up 53 per cent, an increase from 49 per cent in 2007.

The staff survey reports an overall 5 per cent increase in the reporting of violence and abuse and a 3 per cent increase of staff who feel that their trust would take effective action if staff were physically attached by patients, relatives or other members of the public.

These figures suggest that, despite the progress of the past few years, violence and abuse remains an issue for NHS trusts and their staff.

The legal position

NHS organisations can’t ignore or dismiss the chances of violence towards their staff and expect to get the support of the courts. Employers have a duty ‘so far as it is reasonably practical’ to protect the health, safety and welfare of staff members under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work etc Act.

In practical terms, that includes assessing the risk of violence and taking steps to reduce it as required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Employers also need to establish procedures to be followed in the event of serious or imminent danger, and provide information and training on health and safety risks and control measures.

There have been several prosecutions of NHS organisations for failing to adequately follow these procedures. In one of the most significant, St George’s Mental Health NHS trust in South London was fined £28,000 with £14,000 costs after a nurse was killed by a psychiatric patient.

The junior member of staff was working alone at some distance from other staff members, without clear procedures and with inadequate measures to check on his safety.

In other cases trusts have been fined for not adequately assessing risks and failing to implement procedures.

Staff members who are the victims of an assault may also sue their employers for compensation. In one case, a healthcare assistant sued after she was attacked by a psychiatric patient while she delivered coffee to colleagues in a seclusion suite. The court heard that the risk to her could have been lessened by not letting the man out of his room.

The NHS SMS Legal Protection Unit helps trusts with:

• guidance on patient confidentiality and the Data Protection Act
• advice on issues such as withholding of treatment
• legal advice on the most appropriate sanctions and redress available for specific cases
• advice in cases of physical and non-physical assaults.

The unit’s work has included prosecuting individuals for assault, injunctions such as prohibiting an individual from contacting the ambulance services, and even anti-social behaviour orders.

What is violence at work?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines violence at work as “any incident in which an employee is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work.” This covers the serious or persistent use of verbal abuse which the HSE says can add to stress or anxiety, thereby damaging an employee’s health. It also covers staff who are assaulted or abused outside their place of work – for example, while going home, while working in the community or while travelling as long as the incident relates to their work. Unacceptable behaviours also include any action perceived as transphobia, homophobia or biphobia.

The definition of physical assault used in the 2003 directions to the NHS from the secretary of state was “the intentional application of force against the person of another without lawful justification, resulting in physical injury or personal discomfort.”

Nuisance behaviour

The Department of Health also consulted in 2006 on whether additional powers were needed to enable the NHS to deal with patients or their relatives who were a nuisance or created a disturbance but could not be appropriately dealt with under existing laws. The consultation envisaged a new offence of causing a nuisance or disturbance on NHS premises and power for certain NHS employees to remove those involved. This has not yet been passed into legislation.

The 2003 and 2004 directions to NHS bodies

Every NHS trust needs to be aware of these directions – which have statutory force – which are outlined in a CFSMS document Tackling Violence Against Staff.

The main points include:

• the need to report physical assaults through NHS SMS
• police involvement in physical assaults
• appointment of a security management director in each trust
• the development of local security management specialists.

The business case for action

The 2003 National Audit Office (NAO) report1 found that research demonstrated clear links between violence and aggression, and staff sickness, turnover and lost productivity.

UNISON also points out that there are costs associated with compensating workers, bad publicity and low morale.

Reducing the risk of violence

A key part of any NHS trust’s approach has to be risk assessment and devising solutions to eliminate the risk of violence or reduce that risk to an acceptable level.

The HSE highlights some risk factors for violent behaviour:

• impatience
• frustration
• anxiety
• resentment
• drink, drugs and inherent aggression/mental health problems

The NAO also points out that rising activity levels and staff workload may lead to increased risks.

However, staff will have differing risk levels as well. Those working alone may feel themselves to be at particular risk (see the chapter on lone working). Those who make the first contact with a patient may also be at risk not least because they may be going into a situation about which little is known – for example, ambulance staff. The Healthcare Commission staff survey also showed different staff groups at increased risk.

However, that does not mean the risk of violence to other groups should be discounted. The staff survey suggests that violence occurs throughout the NHS and may be surprisingly high among some staff groups who would not fit into any stereotypical view of those at risk.

There are many ways to reduce the risk of violence. The HSE suggests:

• providing suitable training and information to staff
• improving the design of the working environment
• making changes to aspects of staff roles
• recording incidents of physical assault or verbal abuse so that patterns can be discerned. Any employer must notify their health and safety enforcing authority if an act of violence at work results in death, serious injury on incapacity for normal work for three or more days.

However, looking at the way departments work could help to address some of the factors which prompt individuals to commit abusive or violent behaviour. This could include looking at the way patients are given information on as waiting times and what will happen to them, especially in areas such as A&E.

Treating violent and abusive patients

Many NHS organisations will know of people with a history of violence or abuse who are seen as being a threat to NHS staff who are caring for them. Yet it would be unethical to deny those people care altogether – and many healthcare professionals would feel duty bound to care for them, at least in an emergency.

The Government’s 2001 health service circular, Withholding treatment from violent and abusive patients in NHS trusts, makes it clear that treatment can be withheld immediately in exceptional circumstances – although normally patients would be warned – but leaves it to trusts to formulate their own detailed policies.

Many trusts have policies on this which include warning systems (‘yellow cards’) when behaviour is felt to be unacceptable, alternative arrangements for treatment of persistent offenders (which may involve other local providers), and offering care only when security of staff can be guaranteed, while still recognising the need to treat the patient in the event of an emergency.

Any policy needs to take account of particular groups which may need to be handled differently – child patients, relatives of patients, people with mental health issues which may influence behaviour, and those who are considered not responsible for their behaviour for other reasons. Staff representatives are likely to have views on how proposed policies would operate in practice.

PCTs often provide violent patients with GP services through special payments under the direct enhanced services scheme.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence also has guidelines for the short-term management of violent or disturbed behaviour.

Conflict resolution training

Many frontline staff will have undergone conflict resolution training (CRT), aimed at giving them the skills to defuse potentially aggressive situations. This has been developed by NHS SMS together with the BMA, RCN and Unison.

All existing NHS staff should have received CRT and trusts should have an ongoing programme to train their new staff.

Training can also be offered to staff at risk from of abusive telephone calls from patients and carers.

Designing out violence

There is growing interest in how health service buildings can be designed to reduce the risk of violence. This includes both ‘negative’ aspects designed to stop someone carrying out a violent act, and ‘positive’ aspects designed to stop them feeling angered and frustrated – and therefore prone to violence – in the first place.

Negative areas could include:

• barriers to reduce the risk of assault on reception staff
• consulting rooms designed so that staff cannot be trapped inside
• furniture which can’t be used as weapons – for example, because it is bolted down or designed with no sharp edges.

The more positive side includes:

• the use of colour and light to influence mood – for example, airy waiting rooms painted in pastel colours
• noise reduction
• information screens.

These measures need to be backed up by a system which treats patients in a timely and respectful manner, and provides them with adequate information.

The ‘secured by design’ initiative looks at various aspects of crime reduction and has a guide to creating a more secure hospital which deals with aspects of violence against staff. www.securedbydesign.com.

A research paper commissioned by NHS Estates in 2003, The Impact of the build environment on care within A&E departments (see www.intelligentdesign.com), also covers many factors that may influence patient behaviour. The effects of workplace design on work-related violence – a report by the Health and Safety Laboratory – is available on the HSE website.