Practice Policies & Patient Information
Access to Records
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Bolton Care Record
The Bolton Care Record is a new confidential computer record that will allow health and social care professionals directly involved in your care to access the most up to date information about you. These records are currently held separately and aren’t available across different health and social care services when they are needed.
It does this by sharing appropriate information from your medical and care records between health and social care services in Bolton. This means your GP, a specialist at the hospital, a district nurse, or a social care professional will have access to the information they need.
Information is already shared by phone and paper records across health and social care organisations. The Bolton Care Record will enable your information to be shared more accurately and more efficiently with those professionals directly involved in your care. This should improve the care you receive.
What information will be shared?
- Your address and telephone number
- Diagnosis list – to make sure your health or social care professional has an accurate and complete record of your care.
- Medications – so everyone treating you can see what medicines you’ve currently been prescribed.
- Allergies – to make sure you aren’t prescribed or given any medicines you could have an adverse reaction to.
- Test results – to speed up your treatment and care.
- Referrals, clinic letters and discharge information – to make sure the people caring for you have all the information they need about other treatment you’re having elsewhere.
The benefits for patients:
- Joined up care is safer care
- More time spent on you and your care, instead of going over the same information over and over again
- More effective record sharing helps services work better together, potentially reducing hospital stays so you can get home sooner.
Your questions answered…
Can anybody see my records?
No. Only health and care professionals directly involved in your care will see your Bolton Care Record and only with your consent. Your details won’t be made public or passed on to third parties not directly involved in your care.
How do I know my record is safe and secure?
By law, everyone working for the NHS and social care must respect your privacy and keep your information safe.
Can I access my Bolton Care Record?
Yes. Under the 1988 Data Protection Act you can request all information that an organisation holds about you.
Do I have to share my records?
You can choose not to have a Bolton Care Record, but sharing your medical and social care information through a Bolton Care Record will make it easier to provide the best care and support for you.
How do I opt out?
Your information will only be viewed with your consent. You can say no to any health or care professional who asks permission to view your information. You can also completely opt out and not have a Bolton Care Record. Contact your GP if you wish to opt out.
For more information, visit the Bolton Care Record website.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.
Please note if you remain unhappy at the outcome of the complaints procedure, you have the right to complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. You may contact the Ombudsman’s complaint helpline on Telephone 0345 015 4033 or access the website at www.ombudsman.org.uk
Confidentiality & Medical Records
The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:
- To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
- To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
- When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.
If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.
GDPR / GPDPR – Privacy Notices
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
Dr Mirza & Partners has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. Please read the following GDPR documents to see how we protect your data.
General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) Privacy Notice
Please visit the link below for further information on GPDPR from NHS Digital.
Please visit the following link to select your preference for data sharing https://your-data-matters.service.nhs.uk/
For children under 13 years, please complete the following form and return to the practice for processing GPDPR opt out form
GP Net Earnings
Statement of GP net earnings 2021/22
All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
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 judgment about GP earnings, not to make any comparison with any other practice.
The average pay for GPs working in Dr Mirza & Partners in the last financial year was £63,657 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 4 part time GPs, 1 employed GP and 1 locum GP who worked in the practice for more than six months.
Named Accountable GP
All patients (including children) have been allocated a Named Accountable GP, as required under the GMS Contract.
Please ask at reception should you wish to know who your Named Accountable GP is.
You can continue to see any Doctor or Nurse of your choice and your clinical care will not be affected.
Online access to your medical record
Online access to your medical record
From the 1st November, Dr Mirza and Partners will be extending our offering of online access to include prospective data access from this date onwards. This will mean patients will be able to view all of their consultation notes, test results from this date onwards.
Being able to see your record online may help you to manage your medical conditions and gives you more control over your own healthcare. If you decide not to join, or wish to withdraw, this is your choice and our practice staff will continue to treat you in the same way as before.
While enabling patients to view their medical records through the NHS App will be beneficial to most patients, there may be challenges for a minority.
This is especially true in relation to safeguarding vulnerable adults, as the record may contain information that is confidential and sensitive, which the patient must not see, or could be harmful if the patient is unable to keep their record secure, such as in cases of coercion.
When registering for online services you will be given login details, so you will need to think of a password which is unique to you. This will ensure that only you are able to access your record – unless you choose to share your details with a family member or carer.
Please note, it will be your responsibility to keep your login details and password safe and secure. If you know or suspect that your record has been accessed by someone that you have not agreed should see it, then you should change your password immediately.
If you can’t do this for some reason, we recommend that you contact the practice so that we can remove online access until you are able to reset your password.
There are some things to consider before making your application for Online Access
Although the following may not be applicable to you, you will be asked to confirm that you have read and understood the following before you are given login details.
Forgotten history
There may be something you have forgotten about in your record that you might find upsetting.
Abnormal results or bad news
If we have given you access to test results or letters, you may see something that you find upsetting to you. This may occur before you have spoken to your doctor or while the surgery is closed and you cannot contact us.
Choosing to share your information with someone
It’s up to you whether or not you share your information with others – perhaps family members or carers. It’s your choice, but also your responsibility to keep the information safe and secure.
Coercion
If you think you may be pressured into revealing details from your patient record to someone else against your will, it is best that you do not register for access at this time.
Misunderstood information
Your medical record is designed to be used by clinical professionals to ensure that you receive the best possible care. Some of the information within your medical record may be highly technical, written by specialists and not easily understood. If you require further clarification, please contact the surgery for a clearer explanation.
Information about someone else
If you spot something in the record that is not about you or notice any other errors, please log out of the system immediately and contact the practice as soon as possible.
Removal or redaction/partial access of Online Access to records
There are certain circumstances in which full access to a patient’s health record may be denied. These include cases where the release is likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of the subject or another individual. The practice reserves the right to remove access or limit information from their online records service to any patient who we believe may suffer harm from having automatic access to their online patient records. This includes, but is not exclusive to, the following:
- Patients we have significant safeguarding concerns about or who could be subject to coercion due to their health or any other vulnerable status.
- Patients who have significant amounts of third-party information in their notes relating to other family members.
- Patients who are known to suffer from health-related anxiety or any other significant mental health concerns or issues and who may suffer as a result of having online open access to their records.
- Patient who lack capacity and are unable to understand how to keep their data safe. Proxy access may be allowed in these circumstances to official guardians.
- Patients who have had a recent diagnosis which has not yet been explained to them in detail by either the consultant to a GP.
If your access to your medical records has been revoked but you believe you should be able to view them, please speak to reception who will give you an application form to complete. Once returned this will be carefully considered by senior practice staff and you will be informed of the decision.
Further information
If you would like to sign up for Online Access to your medical record, please ask one of our receptionists to provide you with an information pack.
The practice has the right to remove online access to services for anyone who doesn’t use them responsibly.
Patient Data Advice
Your Data Matters to the NHS
Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
How your data is used
Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.
Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.
You have a choice
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?
No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.
What do you need to do?
If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.
To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters
Summary Care Record
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 looking at our interactive map or by asking your GP
Do I have to have one?
No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.
More Information
For further information visit the NHS Care records website
Violence Policy
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.