At The Park Surgery we use text message reminders to contact our patients.

We will only send you information by text message on your mobile phone about your healthcare. This includes but is not limited to:

• Appointment reminders.
• Blood test results.
• Follow up appointments.
• Other healthcare related messages.

What you need to do?

If you would like your practice to contact you via the text messaging service please make sure that we have a current mobile number for yourself or any family/household members. If you do not wish to receive these reminders please contact the surgery who will update your records and remove consent to receive text messages.

Remember to tell us of any change in your mobile number as the service will only work if your contact information is up to date.

Safe and secure

If you agree to your practice contacting you via your mobile phone number, this practice agrees to adhere to the following:

• The mobile phone number will only be used by the GP practice and will not be passed to any other parties.
• Your mobile phone number will solely be used by the GP practice in relation to the healthcare services offered by the GP practice. You will not be contacted in relation to any other types of products or services.
• No personal details will be included in the message to identify you.
• Whilst the GP practice will regularly check your telephone numbers with you, please be aware that the onus of keeping your contact details current with the practice rests with you.

Your practice takes privacy seriously and we want to provide you with information about your rights, who we share your information with and how we keep it secure.

Please use the links below to find more information about the practice and data protection:

• • Data Protection
  • Practice Processors

This practice is involved in training fully qualified doctors, who are gaining further experience in general practice. These doctors work with us as assistants for periods of up to nine months. If you wish to know who these doctors are, please contact reception.

We also teach students from the University of East Anglia Medical School. If a student is to be present at your consultation, you will always be told and given the option of seeing the doctor alone.

Occasionally we video record consultations for teaching purposes in the practice. You will always be informed and asked for your consent before this is done and the recording will be erased as soon as it is used.

There is a 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. Over time it will build to include information about other health issues considered important to your wellbeing.

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 the surgery directly.

Enhanced summary care record

If you wanted to ‘enhance’ your record it would include the following information:

• Significant medical history (past and present)
• Reason for medication
• Anticipatory care information (important in the management of long term conditions)
• Communication preferences
• End of life care information
• Immunisations

You can opt in for an enhanced summary care record at any time.

Children Under The Age Of 16

Patients under 16 years will have an enhanced summary care record created for them unless their GP surgery is advised otherwise. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 then you should make this information available to them if they are old enough to decide for themselves if they want a summary care record.

Whatever you decide, you can change your mind at any time.

If you are a family member or carer of a person and you have concerns that they may not have the mental capability to make this decision, please contact 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 contact the practice to obtain the opt-out form.

More Information

For further information, please visit the HSCIC Website.

Over the last few years demand has increased and with this in mind we have had to implement steps to protect staff, patients and enable access for those that truly need it.

One of those steps was to introduce Did Not Attend (DNA) Policy which has been in place from the 1st January 2023 onwards, enabling us to review patients who have not attended their appointments and take preventative measures to ensure this service is not abused.

In summary our policy consists of:

• Each DNA is flagged on a patients record
• When a patient DNA’s 3 appointments they will receive a text or letter which states:

‘Our records show that you have not attended at least three appointments in the last 12 months. If you believe this to be incorrect, please contact us on 01493855672 to discuss. Appointments at The Park Surgery are at a premium and this missed appointment could have been used by another patient if you had provided the practice with adequate notice that the appointment was no longer required. During this last month, [insert number] appointments were recorded as “Did Not Attend” (DNA) which represents [add percentage] of appointments at [insert organisation name]. Please be advised that this organisation has a DNA policy which, for patients who repeatedly fail to attend, may result in them being removed from the organisation’s list.’

• If the patient DNA’s a 4th time within 12 months, a second letter is sent
• If the patient DNA’s a 5th time within 12 months, a discussion will be had between the practice manager and the patients usual GP to review why this may have happened resulting in a very high probability that the patient will be removed from the practice list

We fully appreciate that you may not always be able to attend your appointments. Please remember, if you need to cancel or change an appointment, you can:

• Call us on 01493855672
• Email nwicb.theparksurgery@nhs.net
• Text Cancel to the number on your reminder text

The NHS operates 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.

Information about the GPs 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.

There are seven classes of information:

• Who we are and what we do
• What we spend and how we spend it
• What our priorities are and how we are doing
• How we make decisions
• Our policies and procedures
• Lists and registers
• Services the practice offers

For more information, please review the Information Commissioner’s Office guide on the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

All members of the practice team are bound by a code of practice which includes keeping confidential any information about patients held within the practice or known by any member of the team.

It is a breach of contract for any member of staff to divulge any personal information about any other member of staff or patient. Any suggestion of this would lead to a disciplinary hearing and if proven, to a termination of employment.

Patient information is generally held under legal and ethical obligations of confidentiality. Information provided in confidence should not be used or disclosed in a form that might identify the patient without their consent.

Some information about patients is recorded on the practice computer system. This information may be discussed with other health care professionals or with local primary care organisation officers, as it is useful in confirming the standard of care offered to certain groups of patients. However, this information is anonymised and patients cannot be identified from it.

As a registered patient of the practice, the surgery team has responsibilities for your healthcare, and will do its utmost to offer you modern, evidence based medical management, tailored to suit you. In return, the practice feels that patients have responsibilities too. It will benefit you, the other patients and the practice team if you would:

• Consider speaking to your local pharmacist.
• Ensure that you have sufficient supplies of your repeat prescription and therefore don’t run out of anything unexpectedly.
• Work constructively with the reception team when they’re trying to make an appointment for you.
• Always keep an appointment you have made. If you find it is now inconvenient, please cancel your appointment so that it can be used for another patient.
• Only ask for a home visit if you’re too ill to travel to the surgery.

As frustrating as ill health can be, the practice is doing its best to help patients so no member of the team has to tolerate violent or abusive behaviour from anyone.

The practice has the right to remove any violent or abusive patients from the list. If any patient is violent the police will be called and a formal statement made. The patient will be removed immediately from the list and the police may take further action.

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation.

Please let us know at the time of requesting an appointment or speak to your GP.