Chaperone Policy
We will always respect your privacy, dignity and your religious and cultural beliefs particularly when intimate examinations are advisable – these will only be carried out with your express agreement and you will be offered a chaperone to attend the examination if you so wish. In some instances, if a chaperone is not available, the clinician may ask you to rebook, unless the examination is felt to be clinically urgent.
You may also request a chaperone when making the appointment or on arrival at the surgery (please let the receptionist know) or at any time during the consultation.
Confidentiality
You can be assured that anything you discuss with any member of the surgery staff, whether doctor, nurse or receptionist, will remain confidential. Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone, including parents, other family members, care workers or teachers, without your permission. The only reason why we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect either you or someone else from serious harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first.
If you have any worries or queries about confidentiality, please ask a member of staff.
If you would like to discuss matters of a confidential nature, either with our receptionists or a member of the dispensary team, we have a side room available in reception for this purpose.
Data Protection
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.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The practice is compliant with the GDPR regulation. Click here to see what this means for your data and how it is handled
Disabled Access
Disabled patient facilities are available at this practice. We have a ramp for wheelchair access, and automated doors. There are disabled toilet facilities on the ground floor and lift access to the first floor consulting rooms.
For patients who are hard of hearing the clinician will come out to the reception area to ensure you are able to attend your appointment. We have access to an induction loop system at reception.
If you have any special communication needs this can be flagged in your medical records and staff who are caring for you will be alerted to this when they access your records
IT policy
This practice is committed to preserving, as far as is practical, the security of data used by our information systems. This means that we will take all reasonable actions to;
Maintain the Confidentiality of all data within the practice by:
- Ensuring that only authorised persons can gain access to our systems
- Not disclosing information to anyone who has no right to see it
Maintain the integrity of all data within the practice by:
- Taking care over input
- Ensuring that all changes are reported and monitored
- Checking that the correct record is on the screen before updating
- Reporting all apparent errors and ensuring that they are resolved
Maintain the availability of all data by:
- Ensuring that all equipment is protected from intruders
- Ensuring that backups are taken at regular, predetermined intervals
- Ensuring that contingency is provided for possible failure or equipment theft and that any such contingency plans are tested and kept up to date
Additionally we will take all reasonable measures to comply with our legal responsibilities under:
Non NHS Services
Some services provided are not covered under our contract with the NHS and therefore attract charges. Visit out Private Fees page.
Our practice commitment
The practice and all clinicians are committed to providing the following services to all patients, regardless of their personal beliefs, sexual orientation, lifestyle, cultural backgrounds and socio-economic status. We will treat all patients equally and will respect their dignity and integrity. All patients will be treated confidentially.
We promise to:
- Offer you an appointment the same day to speak to a doctor if you have a problem that you feel is urgent.
- Make authorised repeat prescriptions available within two full working days if requested in writing by 10.00, Monday to Friday.
We will endeavour to:
- See you as close as possible to your appointment time.
- Answer your telephone call courteously.
- Give you the highest possible standard of service.
To help us to help you we ask that you:
- Inform us of any good or bad aspects of our service.
- Come along to the surgery rather than request a home visit.
- Cancel any unwanted appointments in plenty of time, allowing us to reallocate the appointment to another patient. Please note that patients who continue to miss appointments after receiving a warning from the practice may be removed from our list.
- Keep yourself as healthy as possible by taking advantage of the screening and preventative services that we have to offer.
Privacy Policy
NHS information on Opting out of sharing your Health Data
Read about the privacy policy on our website page.
Suggestions & Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
To pursue a complaint please complete this form and the practice manager will deal with your concerns appropriately.
Summary Care Record and eDSM
Your patient record is held securely and confidentially on the electronic system at your GP practice. If you require treatment in another NHS healthcare setting such as an Emergency Department or Minor Injury Unit, those treating you would be better able to give you appropriate care if some of the information from the GP practice were available to them.
This information can now be shared electronically via: The Summary Care Record, used nationally across England
The information will be used only by authorised health care professionals directly involved in your care. Your permission will be asked before the information is accessed, unless the clinician is unable to ask you and there is a clinical reason for access.
If you would like to opt out, please ask reception for our opt out form.
A parent or guardian can request to opt out children under 16 but ultimately it is the GP’s decision whether to create the records or not, because of their duty of care to the child. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 and feel that they are able to understand, then you should make this information available to them.
Who Has Access?
Across all health care settings, including urgent care, community care and outpatient departments in England.
Information Source
GP record
Content
- Your current medications
- Any allergies you have
- Any bad reactions you have had to medicines
- Additional information (upon request to your GP)
For more information visit:
www.digital.nhs.uk
Summary Care Record with Additional Information (SCRAI)
With your consent the amount of information shared with other NHS providers on the secure NHS spine can include further useful information like major diagnoses, your care preferences and current and past medication. We have to have your explicit consent to share this information, but this is a one-off consent unless you decide not to at a later date. Sensitive information is removed from this Summary Care Record facility in most cases at source.
Enhanced Data Sharing Model (eDSM)
See here for more information but please note changes as of 18th March 2020 due to the Covid-19 coronavirus emergency.
Our computer system allows your record to be shared with organisations involved in your direct care, such as:
GP practices, community services such as district nurses, rehabilitation services, telehealth and out of hospital services and primary care networks, child health services that undertake routine treatment or health screening, urgent care organisations, minor injury units or out of hours services, community hospitals, palliative care hospitals, care homes, mental health trust hospitals, social care organisations and pharmacies.
Your electronic health record contains lots of information about you. In most cases, particularly for patients with complex conditions and care arrangements, the shared record plays a vital role in delivering the best care and a coordinated response, taking into account all aspects of a person’s physical and mental health.
Many patients are understandably not able to provide a full account of their care or may not be in a position to do so. The shared record means patients do not have to repeat their medical history at every care setting.
Your record will be automatically setup to be shared with the organisations listed above; however you have the right to disable this function or restrict access to specific elements of your record. This will mean that the information recorded by your GP will not be visible at any other care setting.
Please contact the surgery if you wish to dissent to sharing your record in this way.
You can also reinstate your consent at any time by giving your permission to override your previous dissent.
Training
Appointment with GP Registrars
Charter Medical Centre is a training practice for GP registrars.
A GP registrar is an experienced doctor who has decided to pursue a career in general practice.
The registrar is usually based in the practice for one year and is fully supervised by one of the doctors who has been trained to teach. You will be informed when booking your appointment if you are seeing the registrar. You may choose to see a GP rather than a registrar and this will not affect your consultation in any way.
The practice needs to be inspected for this purpose and this involves inspection of the medical records. Only doctors approved for this purpose will do this and they will respect completely the confidentiality of the information.
If you do not wish your notes to be subjected to a confidential review, please let us know in writing, addressing your letter to the practice manager.
Periodically during their training, GP registrars are required to video tape their consultations. This allows for analysis of their consultation skills. These videos are completely confidential and are viewed only by experienced trainers. You will be informed prior to seeing the registrar if a surgery is being recorded and you will be asked for your full consent to the recording prior to seeing the doctor. If you do not wish to be filmed, the camera will be switched off. This will in no way affect your consultation.
Click here to visit the Brighton VTS website
Trainee Advanced Nurse Practitioners
We are a training practice for Paramedics and Advanced Nurse Practitioners. You may be offered an appointment with a trainee. You will be informed when booking your appointment that you are seeing a trainee, and you may choose to see a different clinician if you prefer. Trainees are supervised by Doctors and Advanced Nurse Practitioners.
Medical and Pharmacy Students
Medical and pharmacy students from Brighton University sometimes spend time visiting the practice. As students, they observe consultations but do not treat patients. You will be informed if a student is observing consultations and you may choose not to have one present when you see the doctor.
Travel and Accessibility
Violence Policy
The Practice staff shall always show due respect and courtesy when dealing with patients and their representatives. We respectfully request that patients and their representatives do the same when dealing with members of the practice team.
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.
No form of aggression (whether verbal or physical in nature) will be tolerated – any instances of such behaviour on the practice premises may result in the perpetrator being reported to the Police and removed from the practice’s List of Registered Patients.
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.