In order to provide the right level of care, we are required to hold personal information about you on our computer systems and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe-keeping. Please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.

Confidentiality and Personal Information

Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with others involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record is properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.

All information about you is held securely and appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent accidental loss.

In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues. In other circumstance you may be required to give written consent before information is released – such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.

To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone or fax unless we are sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not, leave messages with others.

You have a right to see your records if you wish. Please ask at reception if you would like further details about our patient information leaflet. An appointment may be required. In some circumstances a fee may be payable.

• https://youtu.be/YLi9gh7RyLA

INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL (IPC)

ANNUAL STATEMENT 2023-2024

GP LEAD – DR KATIE SPENSLEY

IPC LEAD FOR PRACTICE – HELEN SHAW PRACTICE NURSE

PREMISE LEAD – KATY EDWARDS (PRACTICE MANAGER)

It is a requirement of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance that the Infection Prevention and Control Lead, produces an annual statement with regard to compliance with good practice on infection prevention and control and makes it available for anyone who wishes to see it, including patients and regulatory authorities.

As best practice, the Annual Statement should be published on the Practice website.

This annual statement will be generated every June/July and will summarise;

• Any infection transmission incidents and any action (these will be reported in accordance with our significant event procedure)
• Details of IPC audits undertaken and actions undertaken
• Details of staff training
• Any review and update of policies, procedures and guidelines

INFECTION TRANSMISSION INCIDENTS (SIGNIFICANT EVENTS)

Significant events (which may involve examples of good practice as well as challenging events) are investigated in detail to see what can be learnt and to indicate changes that might lead to future improvements.

There were no significant events relating to IPC in the previous 12 months.

INFECTION PREVENTION AUDITS

All staff are aware of the importance of hand hygiene in reducing healthcare associated infections, annual audit of hand hygiene is in progress.

An aseptic technique was performed in July with all clinicians involved in this procedure with excellent results.

An infection Prevention Control Annual Audit was also carried out in July.

A Pre-acceptance waste audit was carried out by Sister Helen Shaw in October 2023 for Anenta Waste Management Service.

RISK ASSESSMENTS

Risk assessments are carried out so that best practice can be established and then followed. In the last year the following risk assessment were carried out/reviewed.

Legionella (Water) Risk Assessment

TSS Facilities Ltd, carried out legionella risk assessment every 2 years and perform a legionella test twice a year. Julie Taylor (deputy practice manager) monitors the water temperature monthy

Cleaning specifications, frequencies and cleanliness: We work with our cleaners to ensure that the surgery is kept as clean as possible. Monthly assessments of cleaning processes are conducted with our cleaning contractors to identify areas for improvement

IPC ADVICE TO PATIENTS

All eligible patients have been invited for Flu vaccine (2023-24)

Parents/Guardians are sent regular invites/reminders for childhood immunisations.

There are posters in the surgery and information on the surgery website regarding current vaccination programmes.

In additional the nurses have opportunistically offered MMR, Shingles and Pneumonia to eligible patients during routine appointments.

STAFF TRAINING

All clinical staff receive annual training in infection control and prevention.

All non-clinical staff receive 3 yearly training in infection control and prevention.

POLICIES

All infection Prevention and Control related policies are in date for this year.

Policies relating to infection Prevention and Control are available to all staff and are reviewed/amended on an ongoing basis as current advice, guidance and legislation changes.

25/07/2024

HS

There are two types of Opt-out you can make.

Type 1 Opt-out which is handled by the Surgery and prevents information being shared outside of the Surgery for purposes other than direct care.

Please download and complete the Type 1 Opt-out form and hand into the Surgery, or attach it via email to wsxccg.lindfield.reception@nhs.net

National Data Opt-out allows patients to opt-out of their confidential patient information being used for research and planning.

 NHS National Data Opt-out

Type+1+Opt-out+form (1).pdf

Patients can expect to be treated with dignity and respect and will not be discriminated against on any grounds including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Sharing Your Medical Record

Increasingly, patient medical data is shared e.g. between GP surgeries and District Nursing, in order to give clinicians access to the most up to date information when attending patients.

The systems we operate require that any sharing of medical information is consented to by patients beforehand. Patients must consent to sharing of the data held by a health provider out to other health providers and must also consent to which of the other providers can access their data.

e.g. it may be necessary to share data held in GP practices with district nurses but the local podiatry department would not need to see it to undertake their work. In this case, patients would allow the surgery to share their data, they would allow the district nurses to access it but they would not allow access by the podiatry department. In this way access to patient data is under patients’ control and can be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis.

GP Privacy Notice current 2023

Introduction 

 At Lindfield Medical Centre we have a legal duty to explain how we use any personal information we collect about you at the organisation. We collect records during the recruitment stage and then data is continued to be collected for any successful candidate. This is in both electronic and paper format.     

 This privacy notice applies to personal information processed by or on behalf of this organisation. We are required to provide you with this privacy notice by law. It provides information on how we use the personal and healthcare information we collect, store and hold about you. If you have any questions about this privacy notice or are unclear about how we process or use your personal information or have any other issue regarding your personal and healthcare information, then please contact our data protection lead Katy Edwards, Practice Manager. 

 This notice explains:  

• Who we are, how we use your information and our Data Protection Officer (DPO) 
• What kind of personal information about you we process  
• What the legal grounds are for our processing of your personal information (including when we share it with others)  
• What you should do if your personal information changes  
• How long your personal information is retained by us  
• What your rights are under data protection laws  

The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) became law on 24th May 2016. This is a single EU-wide regulation on the protection of confidential and sensitive information. It entered into force in the UK on the 25th May 2018, repealing the Data Protection Act (1998).  

 For the purpose of applicable data protection legislation (including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (the “GDPR”), and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA2018) the organisation responsible for your personal data is Lindfield Medical Centre  

This notice describes how we collect, use and process your personal data and how, in doing so, we comply with our legal obligations to you. Your privacy is important to us and we are committed to protecting and safeguarding your data privacy rights. This privacy policy applies to the personal data collected from candidates applying for roles within the organisation. 

 How we use your information and the law 

This organisation will be what is known as the ‘controller’ of the personal data you provide to us. Upon applying for work with the organisation you will be asked to supply the following personal information: 

•  Name
• Address 
• Telephone numbers 
•  Email address  
•  Date of birth 
• Previous employment data 
• Recruitment information such as your application form and CV, references, qualifications and membership of any professional bodies and details of your employment history, skills and experience 
• Information about your current level of remuneration, including benefit entitlements
• Whether or not you have a disability for which the organisation needs to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process 
• Information in relation to your right to work in the UK [as per the Rights to Work in the UK –  guide to checking] 
• Information from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in order to administer relevant checks and procedures
• Vaccination and immunisation status/information 

The information that we ask you to provide to the organisation is required for the following reasons: 

• In order for us to review your application 
• In order for us to contact you with interview details 
• To comply with appropriate employment law 
• To ensure that we can provide any reasonable adjustments as necessary 

The organisation may collect this information in a variety of ways, for example from application forms, CVs or resumes, obtained from your passport or other identity documents such as your driving licence and from forms completed by you or through interviews, meetings or other assessments including on-line tests. 

This personal data might be provided to us by you, or someone else (such as a former employer’s reference, information from background check providers including criminal records checks permitted by law) or it could be created by us. 

The organisation will seek information from third parties only once a job offer has been made to you and we will inform you that we are doing so. 

Your personal data will be stored in a range of different places including in your application record, in the organisation’s HR management systems and in other IT systems (including the organisation’s email system). 

Throughout the application process we will collect data and add this to your personnel file i.e., interview question answers, interview scores etc.  

Special categories of personal data 

Some special categories of personal data, such as information about health or medical conditions, is processed to carry out employment law obligations (such as those in relation to job applicants with disabilities). 

For some roles, the organisation is obliged to seek information about criminal convictions and offences. Where we seek this information, we do so because it is necessary for us to carry out our obligations and exercise specific rights in relation to employment. 

Where the organisation processes other special categories of personal data such as information about ethnic origin, sexual orientation or religion or belief, this is done for the purposes of equal opportunities monitoring. This is to carry out its obligations and exercise specific rights in relation to employment. 

If your application is unsuccessful, the organisation may keep your personal data on file in case there are future job opportunities for which you may be considered. We will seek your consent to do this and you are free to withdraw your consent at any time. 

Automated decision-making 

Employment decisions are not based solely on automated decision-making. 

 How do we lawfully use your data? 

• We need to know your personal, sensitive and confidential data in order to employ you. Under the General Data Protection Regulation we will be lawfully using your information in accordance with: 
  
• Article 6, (b) Necessary for performance of/entering into contract with you  
• Article 9(2) (b) Necessary for controller to fulfil employment rights or obligations in employment 

 This notice applies to the personal data of our candidates applying for work at this organisation. 

 How do we maintain the confidentiality of your record? 

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:   

• Data Protection Act 2018 (incorporating the UK GDPR at Part 2, Chapter 2) 
• Human Rights Act 1998  
• Common Law Duty of Confidentiality  
• NHS Codes of Confidentiality, Information Security and Records Management  

 We will only ever use or pass on information about you to others who have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e., life or death situations) or where the law requires information to be passed on. 

Our policy is to respect the privacy of our candidates and to maintain compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and all UK specific Data Protection Requirements. Our policy is to ensure all personal data will be protected.  

All employees and sub-contractors engaged by this organisation are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. The organisation will, if required, sign a separate confidentiality agreement if the client deems it necessary. If a sub-contractor acts as a data processor for the organisation, an appropriate contract (art 24-28) will be established for the processing of your information.  

Where do we store your information electronically? 

All the personal data we process is processed by our organisation in the UK. However, for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance this information may be located on servers within the European Union.  

No third parties have access to your personal data unless the law allows them to do so and appropriate safeguards have been put in place.  We have a data protection regime in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your personal and or special category (sensitive, confidential) data. 

Who are our partner organisations? 

We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations: 

• Primary Care Networks 
• Integrated Care Systems 
• NHS Commissioning Support Units  
• Clinical Commissioning Groups  
• NHS England (NHSE) and NHS Digital (NHSD)  
• Local authorities  
• CQC 
• Private sector providers providing employment services 
• Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of  

 Sharing your personal data 

Your information may be shared internally for the purpose of the recruitment exercise including with members of the practice management and recruitment team, interviewers in the recruitment process, managers in the business area with the vacancy and other staff if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. 

The organisation will not share your personal data with third parties except those engaged for the purposes of the recruitment process or unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment.  We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you, employment background check providers to obtain necessary background checks and the Disclosure and Barring Service to obtain necessary criminal record checks. 

The organisation will not transfer your data to countries outside the European Economic Area. 

You will be informed who your data will be shared with and in some cases asked for consent for this to happen when this is required. 

We may also use external companies to process personal information such as for archiving purposes. These companies are bound by contractual agreements to ensure information is kept confidential and secure.  All employees and sub-contractors engaged by this organisation are asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. If a sub-contractor acts as a data processor for the organisation, an appropriate contract (art 24-28) will be established for the processing of your information. 

Who is the data controller?  

This organisation is registered as a data controller under the Data Protection Act 2018. Our registration number is Z6232325 and our registration can be viewed online in the public register at http://www.ico.gov.uk. This means we are responsible for handling your personal and healthcare information and collecting and storing it appropriately. 

We may also process your information for a particular purpose and therefore we may also be data processors. The purposes for which we use your information are set out in this privacy notice. 

How long do we keep your personal information? 

We are required under UK law to keep your information and data for the full retention periods as specified by the NHS Records Management Code of Practice for health and social care and national archives requirements. 

If your application is unsuccessful, the organisation will hold your personal data for a period of six months following the recruitment process. If you agree to allow the organisation to keep your personal data on file, for consideration for future job opportunities, we will hold your data for a further six months.  At the end of that period (or once you withdraw consent), your data will be deleted or destroyed.   

If your application for employment is successful, personal data gathered during the recruitment process will be transferred to your personnel file and retained during your employment.   

More information on records retention can be found online at: NHSE – Records Management Code of Practice 2023. 

Storing DBS certificates 

The correct storage of DBS certificate information is important. The code of practice requires that the information revealed is considered only for the purpose for which it was obtained and should be destroyed after six months. 

How can you access, amend or move the personal data that you have given to us? 

Even if we already hold your personal data, you still have various rights in relation to it. For further information about this, please contact the Practice Manager. We will seek to deal with your request without undue delay and in any event in accordance with the requirements of any applicable laws. Please note that we may keep a record of your communications to help us resolve any issues which you raise. 

Right to object: If we are using your data because we deem it necessary for our legitimate interests to do so, and you do not agree, you have the right to object. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases). Generally, we will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.

• Right to withdraw consent: Where we have obtained your consent to process your personal data for certain activities (for example for a research project), or consent to market to you, you may withdraw your consent at any time. 
• Right to erasure: In certain situations (for example, where we have processed your data unlawfully), you have the right to request us to “erase” your personal data. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases) and will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply. If we do agree to your request, we will delete your data but will generally assume that you would prefer us to keep a note of your name on our register of individuals who would prefer not to be contacted. That way, we will minimise the chances of you being contacted in the future where your data is collected in unconnected circumstances. If you would prefer us not to do this, you are free to say so.
• Right of data portability: If you wish, you have the right to transfer your data from us to another data controller. 
• Your rights as a candidate applying for work 

Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR): You have a right under the data protection legislation to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information this organisation holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate. To request this, you need to do the following:  

•  Your request should be made to the Practice Manager at sxicb-wsx.lindfield.reception@nhs.net 
• There is no charge to have a copy of the information held about you. However, we may, in some limited and exceptional circumstances, have to make an administrative charge for any extra copies if the information requested is excessive, complex or repetitive
• We are required to provide you with information within one month. We would ask therefore that any requests you make are in writing and it is made clear to us what and how much information you require
• You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth and details of your request) so that your identity can be verified, and your records located 

 What should you do if your personal information changes? 

You should tell us so that we can update our records. Please contact the Recruiting Manager as soon as any of your details change, this is especially important for changes of address or contact details (such as your mobile phone number).  

What to do if you have any questions 

Should you have any questions about this privacy policy or the information we hold about you, you can:  

Contact the organisation via email at sxicb-wsx.lindfield.reception@nhs.net 

Objections or complaints 

In the unlikely event that you are unhappy with any element of our data-processing methods, do please contact the practice manager at Lindfield Medical Centre in the first instance. If you feel that we have not addressed your concern appropriately, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO. For further details, visit ico.gov.uk and select “Raising a concern” or telephone: 0303 123 1113 

The Information Commissioner’s Office is the regulator for the General Data Processing Regulations and offers independent advice and guidance on the law and personal data including your rights and how to access your personal information. 

Changes to our privacy policy 

We regularly review our employee privacy policy, and any updates will be published to reflect the changes. This policy is to be reviewed Nov 2026.  

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). The Summary Care Record is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. Initially, it will contain just your medications and allergies.

Later on as the central NHS computer system develops, (known as the ‘Summary Care Record’ – SCR), other staff who work in the NHS will be able to access it along with information from hospitals, out of hours services, and specialists letters that may be added as well.

Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held on central NHS databases.

As with all new systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so.

On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing your personal information and wish to keep your information at the level of this practice. Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the Summary Care Record have agreed with doctors’ leaders that new patients registering with this practice should be able to decide whether or not their information is uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System.

For existing patients it is different in that it is assumed that you want your record uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System unless you actively opt out.

View our Armed Forces Veteran Friendly Accreditation Here

There are many good reasons why insurance companies may request a copy of your medical records or a Doctor’s report. For example, you may be making a claim under your medical insurance policy. In this instance, the insurance company is entitled to request access to relevant medical information to allow them to process your claim.

Lindfield Medical Centre takes the processing of your data very seriously and so we will only process data when we can be certain that there is a lawful basis for doing so.

There have been reported cases where insurance companies (or other 3rd parties) have requested information using a Data Subject Access Request and have asked for a copy of all of a patient’s medical records. In such cases, they will have the patient’s consent to do so, but we have found instances where patients have not been fully aware of the extent of the information that will be released.

Therefore, when we receive such a request, we will always contact you, verify your identity and confirm that you are fully aware of the extent of the request.

The British Medical Association has questioned whether the law allows insurance companies to use Data Subject Access Requests to obtain confidential and sensitive personal data. The General Data Protection Regulation states that only data which is sufficient for the purpose for which it is required should be disclosed and sensitive personal data which is not relevant or excessive in relation to this purpose should not be disclosed.  

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has recently written to the insurance industry to confirm that they consider the use of Data Subject Access rights in this way is inappropriate and an abuse of that right to access medical records. As the guardian of your medical record we are responsible for ensuring only necessary and relevant information held on your record is shared with an insurance company, however we also have a duty to comply with a Data Subject Access Request made by you as a patient and do not want to cause any delays to your application.  

We feel that contacting you to discuss the request is the best way to ensure that we meet all of our lawful obligations without causing any unnecessary delay.

The Practice supports the government’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused.

To successfully provide our services a mutual respect between all the staff and patients has to be in place. All our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances.

They would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time.

Our staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint. However, rude or aggressive behaviour, be it intimidating, violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.

In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the occasional types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable:

• Using insulting language, bad language or swearing at practice staff
• Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, such as pushing or shoving
• Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting the staff
• Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice
• Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted. Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot
• Causing damage/stealing from the Practice’s premises, staff or patients
• Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently
• We ask you to treat your GPs and their staff courteously at all times.

Patients should be mindful that our staff are following the rules, regulations and guidance as dictated by NHS England and the Management of the Practice. It is not in their power to change or alter these.

Removal from the practice list

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. If any of the behaviours listed above are reported by a member of staff, a review will be held internally and a decision made if the patient should receive a warning letter.

If and when trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of the Practice, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the Police are involved.

Removing other members of the household

In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household. The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family. This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.

Zero Tolerance Policy.pdf