• Patient Confidentiality
• Zero Tolerance Policy
• Data Protection
• Publication Scheme

Patient Confidentiality

We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure.

It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible advice and care.

This information is only available to those involved in you care and you should never be asked for personal medical information by anyone not involved in your care.
You have a right to know what information we hold about you. If you would like to see your records, please call our practice manager at the surgery.

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Zero Tolerance Policy

This Practice considers aggressive behaviour to be any personal comments, abusive and/or aggressive comments, cursing and/or swearing, physical contact and aggressive gestures.

No abuse of staff is acceptable whether verbal or physical. All abuse will be reported to the Practice Manager who will keep a log of all incidents.

All physical abuse of any of our staff is reported to the police. The patient will then be removed immediately from our list. If the police are not informed, the health authority will inform the patient of the need to register with a new doctor.

Any incident of verbal abuse whether in person or on the telephone is reported immediately to the Practice Manager and recorded in the logbook kept in the reception area. If appropriate, the Practice Manager will discuss the incident with one of the GPs and a formal letter will be sent to the patient. A copy will be kept with the medical records. Any response to the letter will be recorded in the logbook and the letter will be kept on file. The logbook can be reviewed weekly and discussed if necessary at the staff meeting.

If the patient's name appears twice in the logbook, a final letter will be written warning him/her that any further abusive behaviour will result in removal from the list. On the third occasion, the patient will be removed immediately from the list and a letter will be sent to the patient confirming this.

All incidents will be reported to the Practice Manager or to a GP (in the absence of the Practice Manager) who will take appropriate further action.

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DATA PROTECTION

Patients records held on computer as with our written records are confidential. The practice complies with the Data Protection Act. Under the Data Protection Act, your data will only be shared with fellow Practitioners and other organisations for health related matters.

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PUBLICATION SCHEME

Welcome to the Publication Scheme for Tudor Gate Surgery General Practice.

This is a guide to the Publication Scheme for Tudor Gate Surgery General Practice in which each of the following practice as a partnership, D P L Davies, Dr R C Bracchi, Dr M A Chidgey, Dr E J Jones, Dr H S Neville and Dr H Simpkins.

Introduction

This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by this Practice. It is a description of information about each of the General Practitioners and the Practice itself that we make publicly available. It will be reviewed at regular intervals and we will monitor its effectiveness.

How much does it cost?
The publications are all free unless otherwise indicated within each Class. Where information is provided at a cost, the charges will be calculated as set out in Class 7.

How is the information made available?
The information within each Class is downloadable from the practice website or from the Wales NHS website www.wales.nhs.uk or available in hard copy or from the Practice Manager.

Rights of Access to Information
At the present time, in addition to accessing the information identified in the Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about Tudor Gate Surgery General Practice under the Code of Practice on Openness in the NHS issued by the Welsh Office in 1995. Hard copies of the Code of Practice are available free of charge from the NHS Wales Department of the Welsh Assembly Government. The information is also available on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk. Sometimes some, or all, of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons why when this happens.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 recognises that everyone has the right to know how public services, such as NHS Wales, are organised and run, how much they cost and how you can make complaints if you need to. You have the right to know which services are being provided, the targets that are being set, the standards of service that are expected, the results achieved and how decisions are made.

From January 1st 2005 the Freedom of Information Act will require all General Practices to respond to requests about information they hold, and it will create a right of access to that information. The rights to request and access this information are subject to some exemptions, which a General Practice have to take into consideration before deciding what information can be released.
The Environmental Information Regulations, which came into force in 1993, set the standard for the release of information about the environment in which we live and work. These are likely to be strengthened within the next eighteen months under a European Union Directive. Until the new Regulations come into force, information relating to the Environment can be requested using the existing Regulations and the Code of Practice on Openness.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact the Practice Manager to do this.

Feedback

If you have any comments about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or how we have dealt with your request for information from the Scheme, please write to:

The Practice Manager
Tudor Gate Surgery
Tudor Street
Abergavenny
Monmouthshire
NP7 5DL

CLASSES OF INFORMATION

All information at the Tudor Gate Surgery Practice is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS Wales guidelines. Our commitment to publish information excludes any information, which can be legitimately withheld under the exemptions set out in the Welsh Code of Practice on Openness in the NHS or The Freedom of Information Act 2000. Where individual Classes are subject to exemptions, the main reasons relate to the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. This applies to all Classes within the Publication Scheme.

The information on this Scheme is grouped into the following broad categories:

1. Who we are
Detailed information about the practice, the practitioners, and the services we offer are available on our web site, which is updated periodically. The practice web site address is www.tudorgatesurgery.org.uk

The NHS Wales structure and how General Practice fits into that structure is available on web pages at www.wales.nhs.uk. 

2. Our Services
For the range of services we provide under contract to NHS Wales see the surgery website www.tudorgatesurgery.org.uk/services.htm

3. Financial and funding information
Funding for all NHS services is claimed from the NHS. The GPs receive money from Aneurin Bevan Health Board according to its contract in exchange for services to patients. The total income received from the NHS in 2010/2011 was £1,541,065 from which the expenses for running the practice are taken. Expenses include providing and maintaining the surgery premises, facilities management and substantial contribution towards the costs of employing staff. There may be circumstances where material cannot be released on request because it is confidential, or commercial information, or the appropriate offices designated for these purposes under the act has taken the view that it may be prejudicial to the conduct of the practices affairs.

4. Regular publications and information for the public
Information is held on our website which informs or directs patients to useful web links and information. Hard copy of any guidance or information held at the surgery is either offered or available on request from health care professionals. This information is updated and changed as is seen necessary.

5. Suggestions and Complaints
We always try to provide you with the best service. Patients sometimes feel the need to comment on the service provided by the practice and this page is designed to make that process easier. We hope that by following the procedure detailed here, any concerns may be resolved at practice level to the satisfaction of all involved.

Tudor Gate Surgery operates a complaints procedure in accordance with the NHS (Concerns, Complaints and Redress arrangements) (Wales) Regulations 2011, known as ‘Putting Things Right’. A copy of the Practice's complaints leaflet offers guidance on the most effective way to make your complaint.

You can raise a concern in a variety of ways:

• verbally (by contacting our Practice Manager, Kirsten Jones on the telephone 01873 855991 or in person)
• In writing (by writing to the Practice Manager setting out your concerns and stating what you would like to see happen as a result of making your complaint, for example an apology and/or an explanation).
• Electronically (by email kirsten.jones@gp-w93004.wales.nhs.uk or fax 01873 851062)

> Click here to open a copy of our current charges

We will also publish any proposed changes or additions to publications already available and information regarding our policy in relation to charging for information on request.

Cost of Information

For the most part, we will charge you only for hard copies or copying onto media (e.g. CD ROM). Some information is available free, but for others there may be a charge. The charges will vary according to how information is made available. Charges are as follows:

a) Via the General Practice/Local Health Board /Trust Web Site,  Free of charge, although any charges for Internet Service provider and personal printing costs would have to be met by the individual.

For those without Internet access, a single print-out as on the website would be available by post from the Practice Manager or by personal application to the Practice Manager at Tudor Gate Surgery General Practice.

However, requests for multiple printouts, or for archived copies of documents which are no longer accessible or available on the web, may attract a charge for the retrieval, photocopy, postage etc. We will let you know the cost and charges that will have to be paid in advance. We will not provide printouts of other organisations' websites.

b) Leaflets and brochures - free of charge on, for example, services we offer to the public as published in our practice leaflet and on our web site. Leaflets and Brochures held at the surgery will vary according to availability and so are not listed, however where they are available they will be given free of charge

c) 'Glossy' or other bound paper copies, or in some cases a CD Rom, video or other mediums, when available, will attract a charge. We will let you know the cost in advance on enquiry to the Practice Manager.

d) E-mail will be free of charge unless it says otherwise.

The charges will be reviewed regularly and be in line with other NHS organisations.


Useful Resources
Web sites:

www.tudorgatesurgery.org.uk
This is the web site of our practice

www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
This is the web site of the Information Commissioner.

www.lcd.gov.uk
This is the web site of the Lord Chancellor?s Department.

www.wales.nhs.uk/foi
This is the web site for NHS Wales Freedom of Information.

www.foi.nhs.uk
This is the web site for NHS Freedom of Information.

Publications

Welsh Code of Practice on Openness in the NHS www.wales.nhs.uk

Code of Practice under Section 45 FOI Act 2000 www.lcd.gov.uk

Code of Practice under Section 46 FOI Act 2000 www.lcd.gov.uk

Statement of Fees and Allowances payable for General Medical Practitioners in England and Wales.

Copyright

Material available through this Publication Scheme is subject to the General Practice?s copyright unless otherwise indicated. Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided it is done so accurately in a manner, which will not mislead. Where items are re-published or copied to others, you must identify the source and acknowledge copyright status. This permit does not extend to third party material, accessed through the scheme. For HMSO Guidance Notes see www.hmso.gov.uk or contact: HMSO Licensing Division, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR 3 1BQ. Tel: 01603 621000.

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