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 practice staff or download a copy of the leaflet “How information about you helps us to provide better care”. below
We need to make sure that you know this is happening and the choices you have.
How information about you helps us to provide better care
Care Data – Frequently Asked Questions
You can find out more on the NHS England Care Data website
Chaperones
Some patients find having another person in the room when intimate examinations are undertaken is helpful, others find it an intrusion. Chaperones have advantages and disadvantages, and occasionally the doctor, too, would like someone to be present. During surgery hours we will always be guided by your choice, and so if you would like a chaperon, please feel free to say so, it rarely creates any difficulties, and there will be no question of the doctor being offended. If you know in advance that an intimate examination will be needed (such as a smear test) and you would like a chaperone, please inform reception. If an examination is needed but you had not anticipated it, a member of staff will be happy to act as chaperon for you, or the examination can often – though not always – be delayed.
Complaints Procedure
Practice Complaints Procedure
Patient feedback is important to us as it helps us to improve the service we provide to patients. We take patient complaints seriously and will attempt to address and resolve your concerns.
How do I complain?
Please choose one of the following options:
- Telephone the surgery on 01636 704378 and ask to speak to the Practice Manager or Assistant Practice Manager.
- If you are in the practice, ask to see the Practice Manager or Assistant Practice Manager who will be pleased to talk to you if they are available to do so. If they are not available, you may ask to see the reception supervisor who will be happy to hear your complaint.
What Happens Next?
- If you speak to the Practice Manager or Assistant Practice Manager face-to-face or on the telephone, every effort will be made to resolve your complaint within 24 hours. The Practice Manager or Assistant Practice Manager will inform you if further investigations are necessary, in which case you will receive a letter once the investigation is complete.
- If you send in a written complaint, this will be acknowledged within 3 working days. If further investigations are needed, you will be informed at this time. You will then receive a further letter when investigations are complete.
Who are the managers?
Lisa – Practice Manager
Stacey – Assistant Practice Manager
Catherine – Reception Supervisor
The Responsible GP for complaints is Dr Mark Folman
How do I complain to someone Independent?
We would prefer to have the opportunity to answer complaints ourselves in the first instance. However, you may pass your complaint directly to:
NHS England Customer Contact Centre
NHS England
PO BOX 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT
Tel 0300 311 2233
Email: England.contactus@nhs.net
Is there a time limit?
A complaint must be made within 12 months of the date of the incident that caused the problem or the date of discovering the problem.
Please remember, the quicker you complain, the easier it will be to investigate the facts.
Other useful contacts
- The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) offer confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters. They provide a point of contact for patients, their families and their carers.
You can contact PALS on 01636 685692 or by writing to:
Newark Hospital, Boundary Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire, NG24 4DE
- POhWER, NHS Complaints Advocacy, on 0300 020 0093. For more information see their website www.pohwer.net
CQC Information
The Fountain Medical Centre was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 11 February 2016. The inspection team investigated whether the practice is:
- Safe?
- Effective?
- Caring?
- Responsive?
- Well-Led?
The report is positive and notes the high quality of care patients receive at Fountain Medical Centre. There were no areas that require improvement, though we continually strive to innovate and make our services better.
Click to here to view the CQC inspection report for Fountain Medical Centre
GDPR
This practice is supporting vital health and care planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital, for more information about this please click on the link below:
Privacy Notice(coming soon)
Many patients may have noticed they have been receiving emails about new privacy regulations coming into force at the end of May 2018. This is due to GDPR (also known as the General Data Protection Regulation) which is a new European framework for data protection laws. It is designed to give every individual greater protection, rights and control over how their data is collected, stored, used and shared.
The Practice fully supports these regulations and have reflected these rights and interests in our new Privacy Statement. We are required to provide clarity on what data we have, how we use it, why we need it and who has access to it. We have also appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who can be contacted if anyone has concerns:- Paul Couldrey
Email info@pcdc.org.uk
Want to know more?
- More information on the GDPR is available at the Information Commissioner’s office:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr
GP Earnings
GP Net Earnings
All GP Practices are required to declare the average earnings for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
The average pay for GPs working at Fountain Medical Centre in the last financial year (2019/20) before tax and National Insurance was £131,489.
This was for 3 full time GPs and 3 part time GPs who worked in the Practice for more than 6 months.
It should be noted that the prescribed 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 a comparison with any other practice.
NHS Rainbow Badge
Rainbow Badge Initiative
The Rainbow Badge initiative gives staff a way to show that Fountain Medical Centre offers open, non-judgmental and inclusive care for children, young people and their families who identify as LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, the + simply means that we are inclusive of all identities, regardless of how people define themselves).
All staff have undergone training and by wearing the NHS Rainbow badge we are aware that we are sending a message that ‘you can talk to us’. We may not be able to solve all your issues or concerns but we can provide a friendly, non-judgmental ear and signpost you to support available.
Statement of Purpose
New contractual arrangements from 01.04.2014 stated that Practices should make available a Statement of Intent in relation to certain I.T. developments.
This document is the Statement of Intent for The Fountain Medical Centre and shows the facilities that are/or will be available to our patients by 31.03.2015. These facilities are an important step in expanding our patients involvement in their own care and improving accessibility of information.
Electronic Appointment Booking:
Since April 2010 we have provided an electronic system to book GP appointments and encourage everyone to use it.
On-Line Repeat Prescription Ordering:
Since April 2010 we have provided an electronic system to order your repeat prescriptions and encourage everyone to use it.
Electronic Prescribing Service:
Since June 2014 this facility enables your ‘paper’ prescription to go electronically to the pharmacy of your choice. You have to sign up with your pharmacy to enable this service to work. Ordering of repeat medication remains the same.
Referral Management:
All NHS clinical correspondence generated by the Practice has to include NHS numbers ensuring sufficient and accurate patient identification. This is something we have done for a number of years now.
Interoperable Records
- Summary Care Records: Since January 2013 we have been ensuring daily automated uploads of any changes to a patient’s summary information. This summary care record contains medications, allergies and adverse reactions. From September 2014 the Summary Care Record Viewer for temporary patients and new patients (before full registration) will be available for clinicians to use. This will only be viewed in emergency or urgent care settings and with the explicit consent of the patient unless the patient is unable to give their consent.
- GP2GP: Following training we started to use this facility on 16th September 2014. This will enable electronic transfer of your medical records when a patient registers or de-registers. The Practice’s clinical computer system is fully compliant with GP2GP but does depend upon the receiving practice’s computer system.
- Access to Medical Records: We will, by March 2015, utilise the facility for you to view on line, export or print any summary information from your records relating to medication, allergies, adverse reactions and any other items agreed between you and the GP. Once the Practice’s administrative and clinical team have received training and we have tested the facility for robustness and ensured that it is working effectively, we will provide our patients with access to their summary record.
Summary Care Record
There is a central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). The Summary Care Record is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. Initially, it will contain just your medications and allergies.
Later on as the central NHS computer system develops, (known as the ‘Summary Care Record’ – SCR), other staff who work in the NHS will be able to access it along with information from hospitals, out of hours services, and specialists letters that may be added as well.
Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held on central NHS databases.
As with all new systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so.
On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing your personal information and wish to keep your information at the level of this practice. Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the Summary Care Record have agreed with doctors’ leaders that new patients registering with this practice should be able to decide whether or not their information is uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System.
For existing patients it is different in that it is assumed that you want your record uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System unless you actively opt out.
If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery.
Download the opt out form >>>>
Summary Care Records
The NHS are introducing Summary Care Records (SCR) to improve the safety and quality of patient care. Because the Summary Care Record is an electronic record it will give healthcare staff faster, easier access to essential information about you, to help provide you with safe treatment when you need care in an emergency or when your GP practice is closed.
The Fountain Medical Centre will be going ‘live’ with this project in December 2012. The information that will be shared: Major or Minor clinical problems/illnesses and current medication – please note it will not be the whole of your clinical record that is shared.
You do not need to do anything. This will happen automatically. Healthcare staff will ask your permission every time they look at your Summary Care Record. If you wish to opt out of this project please ask at reception for an ‘opt-out form’.
You should have received a letter from the NHS regarding this project. If you are turning 16 years of age you will not have received a letter – please ask at reception for a leaflet.
Training Practice
Fountain Medical Centre is an accredited training practice and is involved in the postgraduate training of fully qualified doctors who wish to pursue a career in General Practice. These GP Registrars usually work in practice for four months at a time as part of their specialist family doctor training. Throughout their placement with the practice their work is supervised by Dr Mark Jefford, senior partner and Dr James Bignall.
Zero Tolerance
A zero tolerance policy towards violent, threatening and abusive behaviour is now in place throughout the NHS.
The doctors, nurses and staff in this practice have the right to do their work in an environment free from violent, threatening or abusive behaviour and everything will be done to protect that right.
At no time will any such behaviour be tolerated in this practice.
If you do not respect the rights of our staff we may choose to inform the police and make arrangements for you to be removed from our medical list.
The practice takes any bullying, threatening or undermining remarks about staff on Social Media very seriously and any such action may result in reporting the patient to the police in regards to sections 2, 2A, 4 or 4A Protection from Harassment Act 1997, or offences under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 and Communications Act 2003.