Policies and Information

The practice complies with the Data Protection Act 2018. All information about patients is confidential: from the most sensitive diagnosis, to the fact of having visited the surgery or being registered at the practice.

All patients can expect that their personal information will not be disclosed without their permission except in the most exceptional of circumstances, when somebody is at grave risk of serious harm.

All members of the primary health care team (from reception to doctors) in the course of their duties will have access to your medical records.

They all adhere to the highest standards of maintaining confidentiality.

All public areas can be accessed by people with disabilities.

The PMS values all its patients equally and promotes the philosophy of fairness to all.

The average pay for GPs working in the practice of Greenwich Medical Partnership in the last financial year was £91,995 before Tax and National Insurance. This is for 2 Full time GPs and 7 Part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is published and the required disclosure is shown below. However, 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 any comparisons with any other practice.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (eg average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

Some services are not covered as part of the NHS these include:

• Private medical examinations
• Travel vaccinations
• Signing passport applications

As these are not covered by our NHS budget, we charge a fee for such services, agreed with the British Medical Association.

Please ask reception for a list of current fees.

South Street Medical Centre has a legal duty to explain how we use personal information we collect about you as a registered patient. Staff at this practice maintain records about your health and the treatment you receive in electronic and paper format.

What information do we collect about you?

 We will collect information such as personal details, including name, address, next of kin, records of appointments, visits, telephone calls, your health records, treatment and medications, test results, X-rays, etc. and any other relevant information to enable us to deliver effective medical care.

How we will use your information

Your data is collected for the purpose of providing direct patient care; however, we can disclose this information if it is required by law, if you give consent or if it is justified in the public interest. The practice may be requested to support research; however, we will always gain your consent before sharing your information with medical research databases such as the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and QResearch or others when the law allows.

 In order to comply with its legal obligations, this practice may send data to NHS Digital when directed by the Secretary of State for Health under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Additionally, this practice contributes to national clinical audits and will send the data that is required by NHS Digital when the law allows. This may include demographic data, such as date of birth, and information about your health which is recorded in coded form; for example, the clinical code for diabetes or high blood pressure.

Processing your information in this way and obtaining your consent ensures that we comply with Articles 6(1)(c), 6(1)(e) and 9(2)(h) of the GDPR.

Maintaining confidentiality and accessing your records

We are committed to maintaining confidentiality and protecting the information we hold about you. We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security, as well as guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You have a right to access the information we hold about you, and if you would like to access this information, you will need to complete a Subject Access Request (SAR). Please ask at reception for a SAR form and you will be given further information. Furthermore, should you identify any inaccuracies, you have a right to have the inaccurate data corrected.

Risk stratification

Risk stratification is a mechanism used to identify and subsequently manage those patients deemed as being at high risk of requiring urgent or emergency care. Usually this includes patients with long-term conditions, e.g. cancer. Your information is collected by a number of sources, including Eltham Medical Practice; this information is processed electronically and given a risk score which is relayed to your GP who can then decide on any necessary actions to ensure that you receive the most appropriate care.

Invoice validation

 Your information may be shared if you have received treatment to determine which Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is responsible for paying for your treatment. This information may include your name, address and treatment date. All of this information is held securely and confidentially; it will not be used for any other purpose or shared with any third parties.

Opt-outs

 You have a right to object to your information being shared. Should you wish to opt out of data collection, please contact a member of staff who will be able to explain how you can opt out and prevent the sharing of your information; this is done by registering to opt out online (national data opt-out programme) or if you are unable to do so or do not wish to do so online, by speaking to a member of staff.

Retention periods

 In accordance with the NHS Codes of Practice for Records Management, your healthcare records will be retained for 10 years after death or, if a patient emigrates, for 10 years after the date of emigration.

What to do if you have any questions

 Should you have any questions about our privacy policy or the information we hold about you, you can:

1. Contact the practice and ask to speak to the Practice Manager.
2. GP practices are data controllers for the data they hold about their patients
3. Write to the data controller at South Street Medical Centre,  71A Greenwich S St, London SE10 8NT

The Data Protection Officer (DPO) for South Street Medical Centre can be contacted via email: GPDPO@selondonics.nhs.uk.

Complaints

 In the unlikely event that you are unhappy with any element of our data-processing methods, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO. For further details, visit ico.org.uk and select “Raising a concern”.

Changes to our privacy policy

 We regularly review our privacy policy and any updates will be published on our website, in our newsletter and on posters to reflect the changes. This policy is to be reviewed by 30 October 2024.

BMA GPs as data controllers under the GDPR

Our aim is to provide the highest level of care for all our patients. We will always be willing to hear if there is any way that you think that we can improve the service we provide.

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

The Summary Care Record (SCR) 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 by completing the Contact the Practice form.

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 the Summary Care Record Opt Out form.

More Information

For further information visit the ‘Your health records’ page on the NHS website.

South Street Medical Centre is committed to offering their patients the best possible care, and will safeguard the confidentiality of its patients clinical data at all times. This means that provided the patient is competent to consent (meaning that you are capable of understanding the possible consequences of any condition or treatment) we will not share anything you tell us with anyone else.

Doctors and nurses seeing young people for sexual health information, advice or treatment will ask you if you wish to inform a parent, carer or other trusted adult. However, if you do not wish to inform an adult, we will respect your wishes and still offer you treatment.

A doctor, nurse or other health professional may only break confidentiality if they think that you or someone else is at significant risk of harm. However, they will not break confidentiality without informing you first.

This means that if you see a doctor or nurse at the practice for personal issues, sexual health information and advice, contraception, screening for sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), or information and referral for abortion we will see you, even if you are under 16, without having to inform your parents or carers.

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.