Practice Policies & Patient Information

Accessible Information Standard

Making Health Care Information accessible

The aim of the accessible information standard is to make sure that people with a medical condition which affects their ability to communicate, get information that they can access and understand, and have any communication support they might need

The standard tells organisations how to make information accessible to people in the format they need, as well as support people’s communication needs, for example by offering support from a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, deafblind manual interpreter or an advocate.

NHS England has produced the resources below to provide an update on the accessible information standard:

Accessible Information Standard (PDF)
Accessible Information Standard (easy read) (PDF) (easy read) (PDF)
Accessible Information Standard (audio) (MP3)

Accessible Information Standard – British Sign Language (video and subtitles) (YouTube video)

Our Communication with You

At Galleries Medical Practice, we want to make sure that we are communicating with you in a way that is easy for you and that you can understand:

We want to know if you need information in a specific format e.g. braille, large print or easy read
We want to know if you need to receive information in a particular way
We want to know if you need someone to support you at appointments e.g. a sign language interpreter or an advocate
We want to know if you lip read or use a hearing aid or communication tool

Accessing someone else’s information

As a parent, family member or carer, you may be able to access services for someone else. We call this having proxy access. We can set this up for you if you are both registered with us.

To requests proxy access:

collect a proxy access form from reception from 10am to 6pm

Linked profiles in your NHS account

Once proxy access is set up, you can access the other person’s profile in your NHS account, using the NHS App or website.

The NHS website has information about using linked profiles to access services for someone else.

Allocation of Accountable GP

Named GP for all Registered Patients

You may be aware that as part of the National GP contract, all practices are required to allocate all patients with a named, accountable GP who has overall responsibility for their care.

This will be your registered usual GP either Dr Sagi, Dr Bethapudi or Dr Grewal. If you wish to know who your named GP is, please contact a member of the reception team who will be happy to inform you. If you have a preference, let us know and we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate this request. This WILL NOT affect your choice of doctor. If you see a particular doctor at the surgery, you should still continue to see them.

Our Practice is highly patient focused and we have a multidisciplinary approach to patients’ health care. We aim to deliver the best for our patients by combining the skills of the practice team with other health and social care workers in the community. We provide modern health care facilities and focus on continually improving the health of our patients and residents of the community.

Complaints and Concerns

We aim to offer a friendly, personal, comprehensive and high standard of family health care to all our patients. We always welcome your feedback and value your comments and suggestions.

Please get in touch with our Complaints Manager Kirsty James.

We endeavour to listen to your comments and act appropriately on the constructive feedback to deliver the best for you and your family.

All complaints are acknowledged within 3 working days and investigated within 28 working days.

Read our complaints leaflet.

GP Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR)

How Patients Can Opt-Out

Type 1 Opt-out* – a nationally produced form has been produced which patients can fill in and send to the practice (by post or email).
Click here to view the form. Apply relevant code in grey box below.
National Data Opt-out – Visit the NHS website or use the NHS App (instructions below)
& 4. Primary Use Opt-out – we would suggest patients contact the surgery reception to perhaps speak to the practice manager/deputy practice manager to discuss this. Patients should be aware of the impact this may have before the opt out is applied. If they still wish to go ahead then code as appropriate using below codes.

* this may be changing to provide patients with a single data opt out pending some national consultation

How data in your GP record is used and how you can control the use (opt-out)

As a practice, we fully respect your right as a patient to control your data. We outline our privacy policy here in more detail on our website and explain how we share data with other providers, including the Great North Care Record and NHS Digital for secondary use. You have the right to opt-out at any time from data being shared.

Your data is used in broadly two different ways:

To provide you with care. This is called “Primary Use“
To allow for planning and research to be done. This is called “Secondary Use“

Both uses will only be made where it is considered secure and appropriate to use patient data.

Opting-out of data sharing is an option for all patients, however it is not without potential downsides. For Primary Use data, if you opt-out and need care in a local hospital, for example, it may be much harder for the staff to access important medical information about you needed to provide safe and effective care.

For Secondary Use, the downsides are more indirect. If everyone in the country were to opt-out, it would make it much harder to ensure funding is used in the NHS to develop services where they are needed. It would also be harder to develop new treatments.

It is possible to opt-out of specific parts of data sharing, while keeping some elements of data sharing in place. It is very common, for example, for people who have privacy concerns about Secondary Use, to be happy to continue sharing data for Primary Use/Direct Care.

The details below summarises what ‘opt-outs’ are possible, and how to request them:

How data in your GP record is used, and how you can control the use

Primary Use: sharing your data for your direct care

Who it is shared with

Summary Care Record

Great North Care Record

How it is used

These are used by NHS hospitals and other providers (e.g. midwives) to ensure they have the data needed to provide you with the right care

How to Opt Out

Opt out through your GP practice – contact the surgery reception to speak to the practice manager/deputy practice manager to discuss this and we will be able to apply the opt-out

Secondary Use: using your data to design health services and do health research

Who it is shared with

Local NHS Organisations (such as CCGs)

How it is used

using data to plan how to design local services around the needs of the population

How to Opt Out

Use a ‘type-1 Opt Out’ – Please send this form to the practice by emailed to: [email protected]

NHS Digital

using data to plan how to design National services around the needs of the population

Use a ‘type-1 Opt Out’ – Please send this form to the practice by emailed to: [email protected]

External Research Organisations using data for various research purposes

Use the National Data Opt-out – Visit the NHS website or use the NHS App

How to manage your sharing preferences using the NHS App

You can view or change your current preference at any time.

To view and change your preference in the NHS App:

Go to Your health
Select Choose if data from your health and care records is shared for planning and research.
Select Make your choice.
Review the information on the page, then select Start now.
View your preference, then select Change if you want to change it.
update your choice, then select Submit.

You can also visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

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.

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 judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Galleries Medical Practice in the last financial year was £97,251 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 3 full time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

Minuteful Kidney – Privacy Policy

Privacy Notice – Direct Care, (routine care and referrals)

Zero Violence Policy

Expected Behaviour

We aim to offer the best medical service and care to our patients at all times and we aim that this is done by our staff with compassion and politeness.

We hope that In return our patients will treat our staff in the same way with consideration and politeness.

Should any patient use abusive language or threatening behaviour towards any member of the Practice, then we reserve the right to remove that patient from the list with immediate effect.