Practice Policies

Confidentiality & Medical Records

Locked blue folder 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.

Accessible Information Standard

Since November 2022, we have implemented the “NHS Accelerated Access to Records” initiative. This means that if you contact us and request Online Access to our clinical system, we can look at giving you access to your medical records so that if you need any information, you can access it when you need to. Contact reception to ask for Online Access.

We are always trying to make your healthcare information that you need, more accessible for you, to fit in with your needs. If you are a patient, or have a patient’s consent, who has any communication support needs such as: -

· A disability that requires assistance.

· Written items in large print or in braille.

· Carers or Parents’ assistance with consent.

· Impairment or Sensory Loss.

· Language Translation needs.

· British Sign Language.

· Reading or Writing needs.

· Carer or a patient with a disability.

· Mobility needs.

Please tell us what help and support you need so that we can assist you. If we can’t help, then we will try and find someone else who can.

Complaints Procedure

In the unfortunate event that you wish to make a complaint we have an established complaints procedure and complaints can be made informally or formally by contacting the Practice Manager at the surgery you attend by telephone or in writing:-

Mr Justin Park Dr S Laybourn and Partners The Medical Centre
846 York Road
Leeds LS14 6DX
Telephone 0113 264 7278

Mr Justin Park Dr S Laybourn and Partners The Medical Centre
143 Rookwood Avenue
Leeds LS9 0NL
Telephone 0113 249 3011

The Practice Manager will be happy to discuss your complaint and where possible, will offer an acceptable explanation. If it is not possible to resolve your complaint then either arrangements will be made for a meeting to take place or the manager will explain our formal complaints procedure.

Your complaint will be acknowledged within 2 working days. Within 14 working days your complaint will have been investigated and you will be sent a formal response. This response will summarise your complaint, offer an apology where appropriate and detail any changes which we will make as a result of your complaint. Alternatively you may be invited to attend a meeting with the Practice Manager together with a friend, relative or advocate of your choosing.

The Practice will take all reasonable steps to ensure that patients are aware of:-
The Complaints and Comments Procedure. The roles of the Practice, NHS England, the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the Health service Ombudsman with regard to patient complaints. The Patient’s right to assistance with any complaint from the Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS): the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS); Citizens Advice Bureau; NHS Direct and The Care Quality Commission.

Making a formal complaint
If you wish to make a formal complaint then you may contact the Practice Manager, Justin Park:

By e-mail at justinpark@nhs.net

By telephone on 0113 264 7278

In writing to:
Mr Justin Park
Practice Manager
Dr. Laybourn and Partners
York Road Medical Centre
846 York Road
Leeds LS14 6DX

Gifts and Donations Policy

introduction

This policy sets out the Practice approach to the acceptance and handling of gifts and / or donations to both the Practice as an entity, and to individual partners and staff within it, made by patients, and follows BMA Guidance on accepting gifts updated August 2007.

Policy

The requirement to register gifts is contained within the Health and Social Care Act 2001. Under the General Medical Services contract GPs are obliged to declare any gift from a patient worth more than £100. This rule also applies to gifts received by spouses of partners or staff. Primary Care Trusts can request sight of Gift Registers, which must contain specified information on the Gift Register below.

This policy applies to gifts from patients, relatives of patients or from any person who provides services to a contractor or its patients in connection with the medical services contract.

The value of multiple gifts received from an individual patient will be monitored to ensure that at all times the acceptance of them is both prudent and reasonable.

In accordance with General Medical Council guidelines, GPs are to be made aware of the following provisions:

The requirement to be open and honest in any financial dealings with patients.
That patients must not be encouraged to give, lend or bequeath money or gifts.
That pressure must not be placed on patients or relatives to make donations to people.
or organisations.
That they must not ask for or accept inducements, gifts or hospitality which may be seen to effect judgements, nor should these be offered to colleagues.

Gifts to Individuals

GPs are not permitted to accept personal cash gifts of any amount other than genuine professional fees.
GPs and individual members of staff may retain personal non-cash gifts made by patients which are of a trivial nature – guide value of up to £20.00.
Personal non-cash gifts in excess of the guide value made to an individual should be politely refused.
Cash gifts offered to individuals should be declined.

Gifts to Specific Staff Groups

Gifts made to a particular group of staff (e.g. receptionists) may be accepted up to a guide value of £20.00. This gift will be used for the benefit of that specific staff group but not directly distributed amongst them. The Register entry will reflect a group distribution. This may include cash gifts which will be used to the benefit of the staff group.
Gifts in excess of £20.00 should be politely refused. Where this is a cash gift this may be accepted up to the value limit, with the balance (if the patient agrees) to a charity selected by the staff group.

Fundraising

These provisions apply to the receipt of funds, or the offer of funds, to the Practice from an individual, charity, patient group, or other benefactor, who is looking to support the Practice in the purchase of equipment or facilities. These guidelines are in accordance with the recommendations of the BMA Fundraising Guidelines of April 1995.

Patients must not be placed under a perceived obligation to contribute. Voluntary funds from patients may be construed as a charge for treatment and would therefore breach Terms of Service. Fundraising activity must not impose either direct or indirect pressure on patients to contribute. Collecting boxes in waiting rooms are not acceptable. It is “unethical for charities or voluntary organisations to be encouraged to raise money for equipment which forms part of the indirect expenses element of GP remuneration”. Also “where a Practice wishes to become involved in fundraising, a charitable trust should be established acceptable to the Charity Commissioners”. (BMA Fundraising for GP Practices)

The policy of this practice is that funds of this nature are not accepted.

Hospitality

The acceptance of hospitality, such as from representatives, must not be sufficient to influence judgement in any way or to present conflict of interest. Drug company sponsorship of events is acceptable; however fees must not be accepted to see representatives. The level of sponsorship should not be open to misinterpretation, and the value of all acceptances must be entered into the Gifts Register as a “sponsored event”.

Tax Implications

Income tax on gifts received from patients is generally not chargeable to tax if all the following provisions are met:

Is goods or a voucher only exchangeable for goods (not cash).
The donor is not the employer or a person connected to the employer.
The gift is not made in recognition of a service performed in the course of employment or anticipation of the service.
The gift has not been procured by the employer or person connected.
The cost of the gift(s) made by the same donor to the employee does not exceed £150 in any tax year.

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.

Please note that this Doctors’ Practice abides by the following:- https://www.leedsccg.nhs.uk/health/campaigns/abuse-is-not-in-a-days-work/