Practice Policies & Patient Information
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.
Complaints
Complaints
Practice Complaints Procedure
Patient feedback is important to us as it helps us to improve the service we provide to patients. We take patient complaints seriously and will attempt to address your concerns to your satisfaction.
How do I make a complaint?
If you wish to complain please contact the Practice Manager (Lynsey Smith) either in person, by phone or in writing:
Tel: 01159622522
Address: 31 Nottingham Road, Nottingham NG7 7AD
Online: nnicb-nn.sherwoodrise@nhs.net
If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, the practice needs to know that you have their permission to do so.
What Happens Next?
The complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days. The practice will respond, after investigation, within the timeframe specified to you at the acknowledgement stage of the process. Some complaints may take longer to address but you will be informed of a response time. If this cannot be met, the practice will keep you informed.
Please be assured making a complaint will not adversely affect your ongoing healthcare at the practice. We will deal with you fairly, compassionately and will endeavour to resolve the situation to a satisfactory conclusion.
Wherever possible, we aim to learn from complaints and take action to avoid similar occurrences.
How do I complain to someone Independent?
GP Practices would prefer to have the opportunity to answer complaints ourselves in the first instance. However, you may pass your complaint directly to:
Patient Experience Team
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board
Civic Centre
Arnot Hill Park
Nottingham Road
Arnold
Nottingham
NG5 6LU
Tel: 0115 8839570
Email: nnicb-nn.patientexperience@nhs.net
If you would like further information please follow the link to the ICB website: Patient Experience and Complaints – NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB
However, please note, patients cannot raise the same complaint with the practice and ICB.
Is there a time limit?
A complaint must be made within 12 months of the date of the incident that caused the problem or the date of discovering the problem.
Please remember, the quicker you complain, the easier it will be to investigate the facts.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome?
You can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on 0345 015 4033.
For more information see their website www.ombudsman.org.uk
Other useful contacts
POhWER, NHS Complaints Advocacy, on 0300 456 2370. For more information see their website www.pohwer.net
Confidentiality & Medical Records
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 Practioners 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.
GP Net Earnings
Click here to view our GP Earnings 2023/24
National Data Opt Out
What is National Data Opt Out?
The national data opt-out allows a patient to choose if they do not want their confidential patient information to be used for purposes beyond their individual care and treatment – for research and planning. Patients, or people acting for them by proxy, have control over setting or changing their own opt-out choice, and can change their mind at any time. In most cases health and care staff won’t be involved.
- A type 1 opt out prevents information being shared outside a GP practice for purposes other than direct care. This opt-out request can only be recorded by your GP practice by completing the Type 1 Opt-Out Preference form by clicking here.
- A type 2 opt out prevented information being shared outside NHS Digital for purposes beyond the individual’s direct care.
From 25 May 2018 the type 2 opt-out has been replaced by the National data opt-out – NHS Digital
Click here to view more information on NHS National Data Opt Out
Type 2 opt-outs that were recorded on or before 11 October 2018 have been automatically converted to national data opt-outs.
Patients who can choose to set a national data opt-out
Anyone who has an NHS number and has registered for care or treatment with the NHS in England can set an opt out if they wish to, even if they don’t currently live in England.
Patients who can set an opt-out choice for themselves
If a patient is aged 13 or over, they can set their own opt-out choice using the online service, the telephone service, the NHS App, or ‘print-and-post’, completing a form by hand and sending it in.
Patients who can set an opt-out choice on behalf of someone else
Someone can set an opt-out choice on behalf of a patient, by proxy, if:
- they are the parent or legal guardian of the patient, who is a child aged 12 or under
- they have a formal legal relationship with the patient, for example they have legal power of attorney or are a court-appointed deputy
They can only do this using the ‘print and post’ service.
Changing an opt-out choice
An opt-out choice can be changed at any time by the patient or their proxy.
Using the online service
Patients can set their own opt-out choice by visiting here using any internet enabled device. So that the service can confirm their identity, they will need to provide:
- their NHS number, or their postcode (as registered with their GP practice)
- their mobile phone number or email address provided previously at a GP practice or other NHS service
The online service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Using the NHS App
Patients who have registered for the NHS App using NHS login can set a national data opt-out using the app.
Click here for the NHS App Login / Register
Using the telephone service
Patients can set their own opt-out choice by calling 0300 303 5678.
Calling this number should cost no more than calls to a normal landline number.
The telephone service is available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, apart from on English bank or public holidays.
Using ‘print-and-post’
If a patient is unable to use the online or telephone service, or would prefer not to, they can compete a paper form and post it.
The form can be downloaded from THIS LINK or requested by calling the telephone service on 0300 303 5678.
Patients who previously had a type 2 opt-out
Where a patient had a type 2 opt-out registered on or before 11 October 2018, this was automatically converted to a national data opt-out and if they were aged 13 or over they were sent a personal letter explaining the change and a hand out with more information about the national data opt-out.
Patients can be reassured that their choices will continue to be respected. If they want to change their choice, they can use the national data opt-out service to do this.
Patients who have a type 1 opt-out
Some patients will have a type 1 opt-out registered with their GP practice, which indicates they do not want their confidential patient information leaving the practice for research and planning purposes. These existing type 1 opt-outs will continue to be respected until the Department of Health and Social Care conducts a consultation with the National Data Guardian on their removal.
Click here to Download a copy of the patient leaflet
Privacy Notices
Request for Information
What is Freedom of Information?
The Freedom of Information Act was passed on 30 November 2000 and the full act came into force on 1 January 2005. The Act requires us to make a certain amount of information available to the public and to release information in response to specific requests. The Act sets out exemptions from that right, covering any information that may not have to be released.
Requests can be received via e mail to lynsey.smith3@nhs.net or by letter to:
Practice Manager
Lynsey Smith
31 Nottingham Road
Nottingham
NG7 7AD
For further guidance please go to the Information Commissioner at:
- Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 08456 30 60 60
Fax: 01625 524510
Access to Health Records
The subject access provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 give an individual the right to have a copy of any data held about them.
If you wish to have a copy of what information the practice holds about you, you will need to make an application.
Please note there may be a fee for this service alongside your completed application form.
Department of Health guidelines require us to comply with your request within 21 days. However the Data Protection Act gives us 40 days from when we receive your completed request and payment. The process of replying can take some time depending on what you have asked for.
All requests must be in writing and forwarded to Lynsey Smith the manager.
Violence Policy
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.
Your Data
Your GP Practice is committed to operating in a way that complies fully with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We recognise that the personal data legitimately required in order to carry out our business must be collected, processed, stored and disposed of fairly, lawfully and with due regard to confidentiality. We fully respect your privacy.
If you have any questions about your data or how we deal with it please contact the practice and get in touch with us by clicking on the Contact Us links available on this website.