If you wish to access your health records, please complete the Data Subject Access Request Form.

How the NHS and care services use your information

The Azad Practice is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public).

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment.

The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:

• research into the development of new treatments
• preventing illness and diseases
• monitoring safety
• planning services
•  improving the quality and standards of care provided

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.

Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed.

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.

To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters. On this web page you will:

• See what is meant by confidential patient information
• Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care
• Find out more about the benefits of sharing data
• Understand more about who uses the data
• Find out how your data is protected
• Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting
• Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone
• See the situations where the opt-out will not apply

You can also find out more about how patient information is used at:

• https://understandingpatientdata.org.uk/what-you-need-know (which covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards and how decisions are made)

You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes and data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement.

• The Azad Practice Privacy Notice
• Under 16 privacy notice
• Children’s Privacy Information Leaflet
• The Azad Practice Data Quality Policy
• NHSBSA privacy poster
• Covid-19 and your information
• YouScreen Fair Processing Notice
• National data opt-out – NHS Digital

Data Shared With Other Organisations

We receive information about your health from other organisations who are involved in providing you with health and social care. For example, if you go to hospital for treatment or an operation the hospital will send us a letter to let us know what happens. This means your GP medical record is kept up-to date when you receive care from other parts of the health service.

There are also a number of Digital Tools that are centrally managed by North East London Integrated Care Board which help support your direct care and improve the way care is delivered in the future.

To view the fair processing notice for these tools follow this link: www.northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/legal-information

Background

Most of our Patients know it can sometimes be difficult to get a routine appointment with a GP or Nurse within a certain time frame. Where such demand is unpredictable, this cannot easily be remedied. One thing that makes this even more difficult to overcome is the problem of missed routine appointments – DNAs.

Where Patients have been declined routine appointments because clinicians are fully booked, it is extremely disappointing when one of those booked appointments does not turn up and has not contacted the Practice to cancel the appointment so that it can be released and allocated to another Patient.

The cost in time and money is a burden to the National Health Service generally and the Practice in particular cannot sustain this.

Remember that your DNA is other Patient’s denied appointment.

DNA Policy

A DNA occurs when an appointment is not attended and the Patient has not contacted the Practice in advance to cancel it or where the cancellation is so late as to make it impossible to allocate that time to another Patient who needs treatment.

The Practice will code this DNA and this will prompt a  check on the number of DNAs recorded against that person.  As such, the following applies:

1st DNA

Where this is the first occasion, a code will be added to the Patient’s medical record and the DNA counted in a monthly search.

2nd DNA

Where this is the second occasion, the Patient will be contacted by the Practice, advised of the missed appointment and a splash screen will be added to their record. When the Patient makes a further appointment, they will be advised by the Receptionist that the Practice is aware of their previous DNA and asked to confirm their intention to attend their next appointment. The Patient will also be informed that if a further appointment is DNA’d, they could be at risk of compromising their relationship with the Practice.

3rd DNA

Where a third DNA has occurred, the Practice will review the individual case and a decision will be taken with regard to addressing the Patient’s future ability to pre‑book routine appointments. The Practice will consider whether consistent failure to adhere to our Practice policy constitutes a breakdown between the Patient and the GP (where the GP Practice has given clear instruction on policy and service provision and the Patient has chosen to disregard this on several occasions in spite of due warning). This ultimately could result in you being removed from the Practice List and you will need to register with an alternative Surgery.

How To Avoid Becoming A DNA

If you cannot attend or no longer need an appointment, please ring us in advance – ideally 24hours before the scheduled appointment.

Mistakes do happen and the Practice understands that appointments can be forgotten about or overlooked. In such cases, the Practice will take into account the reason given by Patients. However, each Patient receives a text message reminder 24hours before the appointment.

Preference, of course, is for the Practice to know in advance so we can offer the appointment(s) to other Patients in need.

Should You Need To Cancel, Here’s How:

1. If you receive SMS GP appointment text reminders, you can text back ‘CANCEL’ to cancel your GP appointment but please ensure you cancel before your appointment and at least 24 hours before so that it can be offered to another patient.
2. By telephone – 020 8475 8550 (we know this can be busy but do please persist).
3. If the appointment was booked online, it can be cancelled online also on our website.

Keep it or cancel it!

Someone else needs the appointment!

From 1^st April 2015, all patients registered at any GP practice have been required to be allocated a named accountable GP.

What does ‘accountable’ mean?

The named accountable GP is responsible for the co-ordination of all appropriate services required under the contract and ensure they are delivered to each patient where required. However, this does not mean that they will be the only GP or clinician who will provide care to that patient. These responsibilities will be carried out within the opening hours of the Practice and do not change the way you currently access care outside these hours.

Will GP practices write to patients to inform them of their named GP?

No. However, we will inform patients of their named GP on request. Please contact our Practice Manager for further details.

Can patients choose their own named GP?

The Practice will allocate a named GP for each patient. However, if a patient requests a different named GP, reasonable effort will be made to accommodate their preference.

Do patients have to see their named GP when they book an appointment?

No. Patients can, and should, feel free to choose to see any GP or nurse in the practice in line with current arrangements. If their preferred choice of GP or nurse is not available, an alternative will be offered. As all patients have an electronic medical record this ensures that all clinicians in the Practice have access to the most accurate and up to date information. If you request an urgent appointment, this will be with any of the doctors who have available appointments.

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

The Average pay for GPs working in the practice of The Azad Practice in the last financial year was £158,428 before tax and National Insurance.

This is for 3 Full time GPs who worked in the practice of The Azad Practice for more than six months.

The practice recognises that there can be contributory reasons for patients behaving in difficult or challenging ways, however, where this tips over into aggression or violence, the practice will adopt a zero tolerance approach. Our practice aims to provide high quality healthcare and we will treat all patients with respect and dignity. In return we expect all our staff to be treated with respect. We will not tolerate abusive language or threatening behaviour against any member of staff. Such behaviour may result in the offender being denied access to the doctor and/or further measures as appropriate.

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.

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. We would strongly encourage patients to provide any feedback or suggestions with regards to our service using the feedback form.

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. You can find more information from our Complaints Leaflet.

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 Practitioners 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.

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.

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 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.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.