Practice Policies & Patient Information
Confidentiality & Data Protection
Patient Confidentiality & Data Protection
We ask you for personal information so that you can receive appropriate care and treatment. This information is recorded on the clinical system on the computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act. The practice will ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the practice team. However, for the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about you is shared between members of the practice team.
Click here to download the Confidentiality Code of Practice for the surgery (PDF, 340KB).
Access To Records
Patients may apply for access to their own medical records with a written request. In the case of a minor, access may be gained by the child’s parent or guardian. If you have the access to the online services you will be able to access your medical records.
Freedom of Information – Publication Scheme
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 obliges the practice to produce a Publication Scheme. A Publication Scheme is a guide to the ‘classes’ of information the practice intends to routinely make available. This scheme is available from the practice manager.
GDPR and Privacy Notice
Click here for the NHS Digital GP Practice Transparency Notice
We understand how important it is to keep your personal information safe and secure and we take this very seriously. We have taken steps to make sure your personal information is looked after in the best possible way and we review this regularly.
Please download and read this Privacy Notice carefully, as it contains important information about how we use the personal and healthcare information we collect on your behalf.
Practice Privacy Notice (PDF, 380KB)
Practice Privacy Notice for Children and Young Adults (PDF, 251KB)
What is a Privacy Notice? (PDF, 311KB)
GDPR Patient Leaflet (PDF, 561KB)
How We Use Your Medical Records Leaflet (PDF, 260KB)
ICO Registration Certificate (PDF, 57KB)
ICO Registration Details (PDF, 181KB)
Information governance and usage of the Joy platform by the practice.
GP Average Earnings
Publication of GP Earnings 2021/22
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 at Shrewsbury Road Surgery in the last financial year was 31st March 2021 was £126,199 before tax and National Insurance.
This is for 5 full time GPs, 2 part time GPs and 2 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.
Infection Control
Practice Charter
Patient’s Responsibilities
We ask that you treat our doctors and all practice staff with courtesy and respect.
The first hour of the morning can be extremely busy. Please keep telephone calls brief. If possible, leave routine calls until later in the day.
You are responsible for your own health and that of your children. Please take the advice given to you at the practice. Let us know immediately if you change your address or name and remember to give your phone number and postcode.
Please speak to a member of the practice staff if you wish to see your medical records. This can then be arranged with your doctor. There may be a fee payable. if you have signed up for online access you can also view your records this way.
Please use the out-of-hours service in a responsible manner.
If tests are ordered for you, please ask your doctor or a member of staff about receiving the results.
Please refer to the rest of this website to get the best out of the services available including details of our repeat prescription procedure.
You can discuss any medical matter with the doctor, including asking for a second opinion.
Text reminders are sent for your appointments. Please let us know if you are unable to keep an appointment. You can text to cancel your appointment. We can then offer that appointment to someone else.
Where an appointment or acknowledgement of a routine referral for a hospital appointment is not received within six weeks, contact the hospital concerned.
GP’s Responsibilities
You will be treated as an individual and will be given courtesy and respect at all times. You have the right to be treated confidentially.
Respect for religious and cultural beliefs will be honoured.
You have the right to information about your own health (illness and treatment, possible side effects, prevention of recurring illness etc). We will offer medical advice and information for promotion of good health. You have the right to see your own medical records subject to the limitations of the law.
Home visits will be made when requested. These visits are then triaged by the doctor who will make a decision on whether a visit is appropriate or not.
We may give you test results when you telephone the surgery for them, or you may be asked to make an appointment with the doctor to discuss them.
On registering as a new patient, you will be offered a health check with the Healthcare Assistant or Nurse.
If your doctor believes that you need a second opinion, then they will arrange this.
You will be given a time to see the doctor in accordance with the system used in the practice. If there is a substantial delay for any reason, you will be given an explanation.
Repeat prescriptions will normally be ready within 48 working hours from the surgery or for collection from a local pharmacy, following your written request arriving at the surgery.
Routine referral letters for hospital appointments will normally be dispatched from the surgery. Urgent referrals for hospital appointments may be faxed, telephoned or provided as a handwritten note for the patient to take to the hospital.
Practice Mission Statement
Click here to download the practice Mission Statement (PDF, 393KB).
Shrewsbury Road Surgery ‘Mission Statement’
To provide good quality, safe, up-to-date, timely and cost effective medical care for the practice population
Shrewsbury Road Surgery ‘Values’
Our Surgery Values support our Vision, Shape our Culture and reflect what we value the most. We use these as our identity in the services we deliver to our patients
Quality Care
We have a single common definition of high quality care, that is Safe, Effective and a positive ‘Patient Experience’ delivered by our team
Patient Safety
Our approach to patient care encompasses our commitment to safety, effectiveness, patient focused, efficiency and equality.
Patient Satisfaction
To ensure patient satisfaction we will deliver the right treatment, keep our patients safe, listen to our patients & provide equitable care every time
Private and Non NHS Fees
About Charging Fees
The NHS provides most health care free of charge. However there are a number of other services for which fees can be charged. These are mainly for services not covered by the NHS, such as medical reports for insurance companies.
Doctors are involved in a whole range of non-medical work, largely on the basis that they occupy a position of trust within the community, and are in the position to verify the accuracy of information. If a GP signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a professional duty that s(he) checks the accuracy of such information. This may involve examining the patient’s entire medical record.
What Certificates Do I Have to Pay For?
There are a number of certificates which GPs are obliged to provide free of charge. These include certain certificates supporting claims by patients for social security benefits.
If a patient is off work for seven days or less the GP does not have to provide a sick note. A patient can be refused a note or charged for a private one for illnesses of seven days or less.
Fees
Click here to download our current fees and charges (PDF, 147KB).
Suggestions & Complaints
Comments & Suggestions
We try to provide a friendly and quality service to our community. If you have any helpful comments or suggestions to make, please put them in writing to the practice manager. A comments and suggestions box is available in the waiting area and it is easily accessible for wheelchair users.
Complaints Policy
We endeavour to give you the best service possible at all times; but there may be occasions when you feel you wish to express your dissatisfaction. If you have any comments or suggestions please let us know. We offer an in-house procedure to deal with your concerns. This procedure does not deal with matters of legal liability or compensation, but we hope you will use it to give us an opportunity for looking into, and if necessary correcting, any problems that may have arisen or mistakes that have been made. Please note that we respect our duty of confidentiality to patients, and patient’s consent will be necessary if a complaint is not made by the patient directly.
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets nationally agreed criteria.
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise, with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.
How to complain
Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise, with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.
If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a formal complaint, please do so as soon as possible, ideally within a matter of a few days. This will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If you are unable to do this, your complaint should be submitted within 12 months of the incident that caused the problem; or within 12 months of discovering that you have a problem. Complaints will be considered outside this time limit if the complainant has good reason for the delay and where it is still possible to investigate the complaint fairly.
Complaints should be addressed to Mira Rajan – Practice Manager, or to the doctor. Alternatively, you may ask for an appointment with the Practice Manager in order to discuss your concerns. She will explain the complaints procedure to you and ensure that your concerns are dealt promptly. The Practice Manager will take full details of your complaint and inform the outcome of the complaint after the investigation. We hope to address your concerns fully, provide you with an explanation and discuss any action that may be taken. We trust that you will feel satisfied the matter has been resolved.
Making a complaint will not adversely affect the care you receive from the practice.
Please send your written complaint to:
The Practice Manager
Shrewsbury Road Surgery
Shrewsbury Road
Forest Gate
London E7 8QP
Complaining on behalf of someone else
We keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are not the patient, but are complaining on their behalf, you must have their permission to do so. An authority signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness or infirmity) of providing this.
What we will do
We will usually acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have fully investigated within 28 days of the date it was received. If we expect it to take longer we will explain the reason for the delay and tell you when we expect to finish. When we look into your complaint, we will investigate the circumstances and/or make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned; make sure you receive an apology where appropriate, and take steps to make sure any identified problem does not arise again.
You will receive a final response letter that will include details of the result of the investigation into your complaint and also your right to take matters further if you remain dissatisfied with the response.
If you remain dissatisfied with the responses to your complaint, you have the right to ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review your case. The Ombudsman is an independent body established to promote improvements in healthcare through the assessment of the performance of those who provide the service.
For further information or if you need any help from an independent body you may wish to contact the following regarding complaints:
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0345 015 4033
Fax: 0300 061 4000
Email: [email protected]
NHS Newham Clinical Commissioning Group
4th Floor
Unex Tower
5 Station Street
London. E15 1DA
Tel: 020 3688 2300
Email. [email protected]
Website: [email protected]
Independent Complaints Advocacy Service
Tel: 0203 598 6414
Email: [email protected]
NHS England
You have the right to approach NHS England if you feel you cannot raise your complaint directly with us. In the first instance you should contact them for further advice on how to go about this.
They can be contacted at:
NHS England
PO Box 16738
Redditch B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 2233
Email: [email protected]
If using email ensure that you state: ‘For the attention of the complaints manager’ in the subject line.
The Care Quality Commission
Details can be found at:
Lead partner for complaints: Dr G Purushothaman
Complaints Manager: Mira Rajan (Practice Manager)
Page checked and modified January 2021
Violent & Abusive Behaviour
Violent Behaviour Policy
As an employer, the practice has a duty to care for the health and safety of its staff. The practice also has a legal responsibility to provide a safe and secure working environment for staff. All patients are expected to behave in an acceptable manner and violent or abusive behaviour towards staff or patients may result in removal from our practice list or even criminal proceedings. The practice follows the NHS guidance concerning Zero Tolerance.
The Practice has a policy of “zero tolerance” of verbal and physical violence towards GP’s, staff or other patients.
The practice will request the removal of any patient from the practice list who is aggressive or abusive towards a doctor, member of staff, other patient, or who damages property.
All instances of actual physical abuse on any doctor or member of staff, by a patient or their relatives will be reported to the police as an assault.
We expect all patients to be responsible and avoid attending the surgery under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Any alteration of prescriptions is illegal and will not be tolerated.
If you are seriously unhappy with the quality of service you have the right to register with another practice without notifying us. Similarly, on the very rare occasions when a patient repeatedly ignores their responsibilities to the Practice, we have the right to remove the patient from our Practice list.
Examples of Unacceptable Standards of Behaviour
- Violence.
- Excessive noise e.g recurrent loud or intrusive conversation or shouting.
- Threatening or abusive language involving swearing or offence remarks.
- Derogatory racial or sexual remarks.
- Malicious allegations relating to members of staff, other patients or visitors.
- Offensive sexual gestures or behaviours.
- Abusing alcohol or drugs on practice premises.
- Drug dealing on practice premises.
- Wilful damage to practice property.
- Threats or threatening behaviour.
- Theft
Zero Tolerance
We strongly support the NHS policy on zero tolerance. Anyone attending the surgery that abuses the GPs, staff or other patients be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner whatsoever, will risk removal from the practice list. In extreme cases we may summon the police to remove offenders from the surgery premises.
Removal from the List
In exceptional circumstances, a breakdown may occur between a doctor and his patient. If the breakdown is of a serious nature e.g. serious physical or verbal abuse to any member of the practice team, the doctors may feel that the doctor/patient relationship has been compromised. Steps may be taken to have the patient removed from the doctor’s list. Where possible, conciliation would always be the preferred route. Reasons for removal will be given in writing.
Your Data Matters to the NHS
Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments.
In May 2018, the strict rules about how this data can and cannot be used were strengthened. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning.
To find out more visit: nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters
Your Named GP
All Patients registered with the surgery will have been allocated a named accountable GP who will be responsible for your overall care. However, you can book appointments with any of the GPs at the surgery. If you have a preference to which GP you are allocated, the practice will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your requests. If you wish to know which GP has been allocated to you, please ask reception at your next visit.