Practice Policies & Patient Information
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Chaperone Policy
INTRODUCTION
This policy is designed to protect both patients and staff from abuse or allegations of abuse and to assist patients to make an informed choice about their examinations and consultations.
GUIDELINES
Clinicians (male and female) should consider whether an intimate or personal examination of the patient (either male or female) is justified, or whether the nature of the consultation poses a risk of misunderstanding.
- The clinician should give the patient a clear explanation of what the examination will involve.
- Always adopt a professional and considerate manner – be careful with humour as a way of relaxing a nervous situation as it can easily be misinterpreted.
- Always ensure that the patient is provided with adequate privacy to undress and dress.
- Ensure that a suitable sign is clearly on display in each consulting or treatment room offering the chaperone service if required.
This should remove the potential for misunderstanding. However, there will still be times when either the clinician, or the patient, feels uncomfortable, and it would be appropriate to consider using a chaperone. Patients who request a chaperone should never be examined without a chaperone present. If necessary, where a chaperone is not available, the consultation / examination should be rearranged for a mutually convenient time when a chaperone can be present.
Complaints and claims have not been limited to male doctors with female patients – there are many examples of alleged homosexual assault by female and male doctors. Consideration should also be given to the possibility of malicious accusation by a patient.
There may be rare occasions when a chaperone is needed for a home visit. The same procedure should be followed.
WHO CAN ACT AS A CHAPERONE ?
A variety of people can act as a chaperone in the practice. Where possible, it is strongly recommended that chaperones should be clinical staff familiar with procedural aspects of personal examination. Where suitable clinical staff members are not available then non-clinical staff can chaperone.
Where the practice determines that non-clinical staff will act in this capacity the patient must agree to the presence of a non-clinician in the examination, and be at ease with this. The staff member should be chaperone trained, comfortable in acting in the role of chaperone, and be confident in the scope and extent of their role. They will have received relevant training on where to stand and what to watch for.
CONFIDENTIALITY
- The chaperone should only be present for the examination itself, and most discussion with the patient should take place while the chaperone is not present.
- Patient should be reassured that all practice staff understand their responsibility not to divulge confidential information.
PROCEDURE
- The patient will have advised Reception staff on arrival that they require a chaperone or the clinician will contact Reception to request a chaperone if the patient confirms they require one when asked for the examination. The chaperone will be a non-clinical member of staff unless a clinical member of staff is available. The patient must be made aware of this.
- The clinician will record in the notes that the chaperone is present, and introduce the chaperone to the patient.
- Where no chaperone is available the examination will not take place – the patient should not normally be permitted to dispense with the chaperone once a desire to have one present has been expressed.
- The chaperone will enter the room discreetly and remain in the room until the clinician has finished the examination.
- The chaperone will attend inside the curtain at the head of the examination couch and watch the procedure
- To prevent embarrassment, the chaperone should not enter into conversation with the patient or GP unless requested to do so, or make any mention of the consultation afterwards.
- The chaperone will make a record in the patient’s note after the examination. The record will state that there were no problems, or give details of any concerns or incidents that occurred.
- The patient can refuse a chaperone, and if so this must be recorded in the patient’s medical record.
- If the clinician requests a chaperone and the patient refuses then the clinician will have final say and the patient may need to rearrange the appointment for another time.
Last reviewed: April 2024
Next review due: April 2027
Complaints
Want to make a complaint?
Complaints Form
Click above to send us your complaint
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 complete this form and the practice manager will deal with your concerns appropriately.
Confidentiality
You have a right to expect that information about you will be held in confidence by your Doctors and the Riversdale Surgery staff. Confidentiality is central to trust.
Within the Practice the following people can access your information: doctors, GP Registrars, nurses, health visitors, midwife, administration staff, medicines management team and medical students. Also the General Medical Council (GMC) and Deanery at the University of Nottingham Medical School (see Training Practice) can access records for quality assurance purposes, as can the financial auditor from NHS England. Each of these people/bodies has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.
Staff will maintain your right to privacy and not discuss your illness with other staff or Doctors within hearing distance of other people. If you wish to speak privately with a Receptionist, please do ask and you will be taken to a private room to talk.
However, there are circumstances when medical information may be disclosed. Information about patients is requested for a wide variety of purposes including education, research, public health surveillance, clinical audit, administration and planning. In ALL of these circumstances we apply the following rules:
- We seek patient’s consent to disclosure
- We anonymise data where unidentifiable data will serve the purpose
- We keep disclosures to the minimum necessary
You have a right of access to your health records.
You can object to information being shared with others involved in the provision of your care, except where lack of disclosure would be likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of either you or any other person.
The Practice complies with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) & Data Protection Act 2018 and the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice.
Data Protection
We need to hold personal information about you on our computer systems and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe-keeping. Please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.
Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with others involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record is properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.
All information about you is held securely and appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent accidental loss.
In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues. In other circumstance you may be required to give written consent before information is released – such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.
To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone or fax unless we are sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not, leave messages with others.
You have a right to see your records if you wish. Please ask at reception if you would like further details about our patient information leaflet. An appointment may be required. In some circumstances a fee may be payable.
GDPR & Personal Data
The following IT systems are in use at the practice:
- Referral Management (using NHS numbers in referrals)
- Electronic Appointment Booking (the facility to book routine appointments online and, similarly, to cancel appointments
- Online booking of repeat prescriptions
- Summary Care Record (uploading details of your current medication and allergies to the national “spine” so that these are available for doctors involved in your care elsewhere)
- GP to GP transfers (the electronic transfer of records from practice to practice when you re-register
- Patient Access to records (the facility to view your medical records online).
If you are not already registered for online access and would like to be please complete our online form.
If you would like access to your medical records enabled or would like to opt out of the local or national summary care record, please contact reception.
GP Earnings
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. The average pay for GPs working in Riversdale Surgery in the last financial year was £100,811 before tax and national insurance. This is for 3 full time GPs and 6 part time GPs and 3 locum who worked in the practice for more than six months.
IT Policy
This practice is committed to preserving, as far as is practical, the security of data used by our information systems. This means that we will take all reasonable actions to;
Maintain the Confidentiality of all data within the practice by:
- Ensuring that only authorised persons can gain access to our systems
- Not disclosing information to anyone who has no right to see it
Maintain the integrity of all data within the practice by:
- Taking care over input
- Ensuring that all changes are reported and monitored
- Checking that the correct record is on the screen before updating
- Reporting all apparent errors and ensuring that they are resolved
Maintain the availability of all data by:
- Ensuring that all equipment is protected from intruders
- Ensuring that backups are taken at regular, predetermined intervals
- Ensuring that contingency is provided for possible failure or equipment theft and that any such contingency plans are tested and kept up to date
Additionally we will take all reasonable measures to comply with our legal responsibilities under:
Non NHS Services
Private Work Fees
The NHS provides free health care for most people.
It is important to understand that GPs are self employed and not all of the services we provide are covered by the NHS payments to the practice.
Please expect a fee for non NHS services. The staff or your doctor should inform of any charges before carrying out non NHS work.
We also offer private medicals which may be needed by any agency such as your employer or for overseas visa applications. Please contact the Practice Manager for further details.
Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Examples include the following:
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- Medicals for pre-employment, sports and driving requirements (HGV, PSV etc.)
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- Insurance claim forms
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- Prescriptions for taking medication abroad
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- Private sick notes
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- Vaccination certificates
The fees charged are based on the British Medical Association (BMA) suggested scales and our reception/admin staff will be happy to advise you about them along with availability.
A fee may be charged for other private work not detailed above, but a GP must first assess the request and agree to undertake the work and this will be charged on an hourly rate basis. Please ask at reception for further information,
Please note payment will be required in advance.
Please email requests such as these to ddicb.receptionadmin@nhs.net
Please click the below link to download a full breakdown of the Riversdale fees & charges.
Safe Haven
Riversdale is now part of the Derbyshire Safe Place Scheme and will offer a temporary place of safety to an adult with a learning disability. For more information on the scheme ask at Reception or contact Ruth Dickinson, of Practice Independent Living Services on 01929 532469.
If someone with learning disabilities is feeling unsafe they can come to Riversdale, give us their Keep Safe Card and we will contact the person identified on that card as appropriate.
Summary Care Record
Your Summary Care Record is a short summary of your GP medical records. It tells other health and care staff who care for you about the medicines you take and your allergies.
This means they can give you better care if you need health care away from your usual doctor’s surgery:
- in an emergency
- when you’re on holiday
- when your surgery is closed
- at out-patient clinics
- when you visit a pharmacy
Ask your doctor to include additional information on your SCR
You can add more information to your SCR by asking your doctor. They can add extra details from your medical notes, including:
- health problems like dementia or diabetes
- details of your carer
- your treatment preferences
- communication needs, for example if you have hearing difficulties or need an interpreter
This will help medical staff care for you properly, and respect your choices, when you need care away from your GP surgery. This is because having more information on your SCR means they will have a better understanding of your needs and preferences.
When you are treated away from your usual doctor’s surgery, the health care staff there can’t see your GP medical records. Looking at your SCR can speed up your care and make sure you are given the right medicines and treatment.
Protecting your SCR information
Staff will ask your permission to look at your SCR (except in an emergency where you are unconscious, for example) and only staff with the right levels of security clearance can access the system, so your information is secure. You can ask an organisation to show you a record of who has looked at your SCR – this is called a Subject Access Request.
Opting out
SCRs improve care, but if you don’t want to have one you can opt out. Tell your GP or fill in an SCR – Op out form and give it to your GP practice.
More Information
For further information visit the NHS Care records website
Zero Tolerance Policy
As an employer, the practice has a duty to care for the health and safety of its staff. The practice also has a legal responsibility to provide a safe and secure working environment for its staff. Therefore, the practice is committed to do everything possible to protect staff, patients and visitors from unacceptable behaviour, and has ‘zero tolerance’ of any incident that causes hurt, alarm, damage or distress.
Our practice staff are here to help you; our aim is to be as polite and helpful as possible to all patients. If you consider that you have been treated unfairly or inappropriately, please ask the reception staff to contact our Practice Manager who will be happy to address your concerns. However, shouting or swearing at practice staff will not be tolerated under any circumstances, and patients who are abusive may be removed from the practice list.
Examples of unacceptable standards of behaviour:
- Physical violence or aggression
- Verbal abuse or aggression
- Racial abuse or sexual harassment
- Offensive or threatening behaviour
- Causing damage to or stealing from the practice premises
- Abusing alcohol or drugs on the practice premises
- Obtaining drugs or medical services fraudulently
Furthermore, the practice will not hesitate to take legal action whenever it is appropriate to do so. The whole NHS, including GP surgeries and especially locally, is working under unprecedented levels of patient demand and expectation, and we appreciate that this can lead to increased levels of patient distress. However, we hope that patients will agree that our staff are our most valuable asset, and that verbal abuse or aggression is unacceptable.
Thank you very much in anticipation of your understanding.