NHS Feedback

We are always looking to improve our service to you. Please tell us what you think we are doing well and any ideas you have of how we can do better. You can do this by emailing us.

We hope you will be happy with our service but if you wish to complain please email Gary Toyne, the Managing Partner.

You can also look at iWantGreatCare.org to see what they can do for you.

Patient Participation Group

If you would like to join our Patient Participation Group, please email Gary Toyne. Our PPG gives you a voice from a patient's perspective on the services our Centre offers, and an opportunity to input in the wider health agenda. It is our aim that the PPG is driven by the patients who belong to it, not the practice.

Please find this year's action plan formed and agreed by our Patient Participation Group.

Complaints Policy

Introduction

The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 oblige NHS organisations to have arrangements in place to deal with complaints. The Health Act 2009 places a duty on NHS Organisations (including contractors) to "have regard to the NHS Constitution".

The NHS Constitution sets out the following rights for patients:

• To have the right to have any complaint about NHS services dealt with efficiently and to have it properly investigated
• To have the right to know the outcome of any investigation of a complaint
• To have the right to take the complaint to the Independent Health Service Ombudsman if not satisfied with the way the complaint has been handled by the NHS organisation.

There are now two stages of complaints handling:

• Local resolution at practice
• Clinical Commissioning Group (NHS Brighton and Hove) or NHS England

Contact Brighton and Hove CCG: www.brightonandhoveccg.nhs.uk
Contact NHS England: england.contactus@nhs.net

Complainants will also be encouraged to complain to the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161 or at enquiries@cqc.org.uk.

Main provisions of the Regulations

• Patients wishing to complain may do so in writing or electronically to either the practice or NHS Sussex as commissioner.
• Complaints can be made within 12 months of an incident occurring or them becoming aware of the problem.
• Oral complaints that are satisfactorily resolved no later than the next working day are not subject to the regulations.
• Complaints can be made by patients or anyone affected by the actions, omissions or decisions of the practice, whether on their own behalf or by a representative. In the case of a representative, the practice must be satisfied that he/she is acting in the best interests of the person on whose behalf the complaint is being raised. If the practice decides this is not the case, the complainant will be notified in writing and an explanation given.
• Complainants can direct their complaint directly to the CCG rather than to the practice. The CCG is obliged to notify the practice.
• All NHS organisations (including voluntary and independent sector organisations under contract) are all governed by the same legislation therefore co-ordinated complaint handling should be easier. If a complaint is received that involves other organisations, the practice should, with the patient's consent, copy the complaint and the acknowledgement letter to the organisations concerned.

Policy Objectives

• Ensure patients are aware of the right to complain.
• Ensure patients know how and to whom to complain.
• Ensure patients understand how the complaint will be handled and the timeframe.
• Ensure there is a robust system in the practice to respond, record and review complaint.

Procedure

• Patients will be encouraged to give feedback to the practice. The process for doing so will be advertised in the Practice Leaflet and also on signage in the waiting room. An information leaflet is also available for patients to take away which gives details of how and to whom the complaint can be made.
• Where a complaint is made orally, the complaint shall be recorded and a copy of the written record given to the complainant.
• The complaint shall be acknowledged within 3 working days of receipt and may be made orally or in writing.
• When acknowledging the complaint, we will offer to discuss the complaint, with the complainant, at a time to suit them. We will advise the manner in which the complaint will be investigated and the likely timescale for this investigation and when the complainant is likely to receive a response.
• If the complainant does not accept the offer of a discussion then we will determine the response time and notify the complainant in writing.
• The investigation of the complaint will be made in the most appropriate manner and shall be conducted efficiently, at all times keeping the patient up to date with progress. As soon as possible after completion of the investigation, the complainant will be sent a written response.
• The response will include an explanation of how the complaint has been considered, conclusions reached and how they may affect the complainant. It will confirm any actions that need to be taken as a consequence of the complaint. If local resolution has not been reached, it will identify the right to take the complaint to the Health Service Ombudsman.

Reporting

• The practice will undertake an annual review of complaints.
• An annual report will be produced for the CCG giving details of:
  1. no. of complaints received
  2. summary of subject matter
  3. summary of outcomes
  4. lessons learned and any improvements made
  5. way complaints handled
  6. number of complaints passed to Ombudsman

Responsible officers

The Complaints Manager for the practice is The Managing Partner, Gary Toyne.

The Responsible Partner for the practice is Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews.

Both officers have a duty to ensure complaints are handled in compliance with the regulations.

The Health Service Ombudsman

The Ombudsman is completely independent of the NHS and Government. The Ombudsman can be contacted at Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP, tel: 0345 0154033, www.ombudsman.org.uk.

Confidentiality Policy

Please click to view our Confidentiality Policy.

Our CQC Inspection

Please click to view our Care Quality Commission Report.

Fair Processing Notice For GPs

How we use your information

This privacy notice explains why the GP Practice collects information about you, and how that information may be used.

The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. NHS Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-in clinic, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

NHS health records may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Records which this GP Practice may hold about you may include the following information:

• Details about you, such as address and next of kin
• Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc.
• Notes and reports about your health
• Details about your treatment and care
• Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.
• Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you

To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS. Information may be used for clinical Audit to monitor the quality of the service provided.

Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified. Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes – the surgery will always endeavour to gain your consent before releasing the information.

Risk Stratification

Risk stratification tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person's risk of suffering a particular condition, preventing an unplanned or (re)admission and identifying a need for preventive intervention. Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP Practice. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information using software managed by the North West London Commissioning Support Unit as the data processor and is only provided back to your GP or member of your care team as data controller in an identifiable form. Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on the preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. If necessary your GP may be able to offer you additional services. Please note that you have the right to opt out.

Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the surgery please contact the Practice Manager to discuss how the disclosure of your personal information can be limited.

Invoice Validation

If you have received treatment within the NHS, North West London Commissioning Support Unit may require access to your personal information in order to determine which Clinical Commissioning Group should pay for the treatment or procedure you have received. Information such as your name, address and date of treatment may be passed on to enable the billing process. These details are held in a secure environment and kept confidential. This information will only be used to validate invoices, and will not be shared for any further Commissioning purposes.

How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records?

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (which is overseen by the Information Commissioner's Office), Human Rights Act, the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality, and the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security.

Every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential. Anyone who receives information from an NHS organisation has a legal duty to keep it confidential.

We maintain our duty of confidentiality to you at all times. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), or where the law requires information to be passed on.

Who are our partner organisations?

We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations:

• NHS Trusts
• Specialist Trusts
• Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
• Private Sector Providers
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Ambulance Trusts
• Clinical Commissioning Groups
• Social Care Services
• Local Authorities
• Education Services
• Fire and Rescue Services
• Police
• Other 'data processors'
• Access to personal information

You have a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to access/view what information the surgery holds about you, and to have it amended or removed should it be inaccurate. This is known as 'the right of subject access'. If we do hold information about you we will:

• Give you a description of it
• Tell you why we are holding it
• Tell you who it could be disclosed to
• Let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form.

If you would like to make a 'subject access request', please contact the Practice Manager in writing.

If you would like further information about how we use your information, or if you do not want us to use your information in this way, please contact the Practice Manager.