Practice Policies & Patient Information

CCTV and Call Recording Policies

At the Village Practice, we are keen to monitor our services to improve patient experience. We use call recordings to monitor the quality and also training needs of our Team.

Please find attached our CCTV and Call Recording Code of Practice

Below is our Policy on access and the form to complete to request access. Aysian Parris the Practice Manager is responsible for this process

Request for Access to CCTV or Call Recording

Important Information
If your incident has been reported to the police. Please contact the relevant police force, we will not issue footage for any crime to anyone but the police. By submitting this form you are agreeing to the terms and conditions indicated in the Procedure for the release of evidence. All recordings are stored for a maximum of 28 days. If your request is for footage before this time, it may not be available.
Policy
The procedure and conditions under which CCTV evidence may be released to third party organisations (police, statutory authorities etc.) or to members of the public. Arguably, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) is one of the most powerful tools to be developed during recent years to assist with efforts to combat crime and disorder whilst enhancing community safety. Equally, it may be regarded by some as the most potent infringement of people’s liberty. If users, owners and managers of such systems are to command the respect and support of the general public, the systems must not only be used with the utmost probity at all times, they must be used in a manner which stands up to scrutiny and is accountable to the very people they are aiming to protect. The Practice is committed to the belief that everyone has the right to respect for his or her private and family life. Although the use of CCTV cameras has become widely accepted in the UK as an effective security tool, those people who do express concern tend to do so over the handling of the information (data) which the system gathers. After considerable research and consultation, a nationally recommended standard has been adopted by the system owners. General policy All requests for the release of data shall be channelled through the data controller or his nominated representative.
Primary request to view data Primary requests to view data generated by a CCTV system are likely to be made by third parties for any one or more of the following purposes:

providing evidence in criminal proceedings
the prevention of crime
the investigation and detection of crime (may include identification of offenders)
identification of witnesses (Information is only released on receipt of a crime or police log number)

Third parties, which are required to show adequate grounds for disclosure of data within the above criteria, may include, but are not limited to:

police
statutory authorities with powers to prosecute, (eg. Customs and Excise; Trading Standards, etc)
solicitors
claimants in civil proceedings
accused persons or defendants in criminal proceedings
other agencies, (as agreed by the Data Controller and notified to the Information Commissioner) according to purpose and legal status.

Upon receipt from a third party of a bona fide request for the release of data, the data controller shall:

not unduly obstruct a third party investigation to verify the existence of relevant data.
ensure the retention of data which may be relevant to a request, but which may be pending application for, or the issue of, a court order or subpoena.

A time limit shall be imposed on such retention, which will be notified at the time of the request. Where requests fall outside the terms of disclosure and Subject Access legislation, the data controller, or nominated representative, shall:

be satisfied that there is no connection with any existing data held by the police in connection with the same investigation
treat all such enquiries with strict confidentiality.

Secondary request to view data A ‘secondary’ request for access to data may be defined as any request being made which does not fall into the category of a primary request. Before complying with a secondary request, the data controller shall ensure that:

the request does not contravene, and that compliance with the request would not breach, current relevant legislation, (eg. Data Protection Act 1998, Human Rights Act 1998, section 163 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, etc);
any legislative requirements have been complied with, (e.g. the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998);
due regard has been taken of any known case law (current or past) which may be relevant, (eg. R v Brentwood BC ex p. Peck); and
the request would pass a test of ‘disclosure in the public interest’.

If, in compliance with a secondary request to view data, a decision is taken to release material to a third party, the following safeguards shall be put in place before surrendering the material:

in respect of material to be released under the auspices of ‘crime prevention’, written agreement to the release of the material should be obtained from a police officer, not below the rank of Inspector. The officer should have personal knowledge of the circumstances of the crime/s to be prevented and an understanding of the CCTV System Code of Practice.

if the material is to be released under the auspices of ‘public well being, health or safety’, written agreement to the release of material should be obtained from a senior officer within the Local Authority. The officer should have personal knowledge of the potential benefit to be derived from releasing the material and an understanding of the CCTV System Code of Practice.

Recorded material may be used for bona fide training purposes such as police or staff training. Under no circumstances will recorded material be released for commercial sale of material for training or entertainment purposes. Individual subject access under Data Protection legislation Under the terms of Data Protection legislation, individual access to personal data, of which that individual is the data subject, must be permitted providing:

the request is made in writing; •a specified fee is paid for each individual search;
the data controller is supplied with sufficient information to satisfy him or her self as to the identity of the person making the request;
the person making the request provides sufficient and accurate information about the time, date and place to enable the data controller to locate the information which that person seeks, (it is recognised that a person making a request is unlikely to know the precise time. Under those circumstances it is suggested that within one hour of accuracy would be a reasonable requirement);
the person making the request is only shown information relevant to that particular search and which contains personal data of her or him self only, unless all other individuals who may be identified from the same information have consented to the disclosure.

In the event of the data controller complying with a request to supply a copy of the data to the subject, only data pertaining to the individual should be copied, (all other personal data which may facilitate the identification of any other person should be concealed or erased). Under these circumstances an additional fee may be payable. The data controller is entitled to refuse an individual request to view data under these provisions if insufficient or inaccurate information is provided, however every effort should be made to comply with subject access procedures and each request should be treated on its own merit. In addition to the principles contained within the Data Protection legislation, the data controller should be satisfied that the data is:

not currently and, as far as can be reasonably ascertained, not likely to become, part of a ‘live’ criminal investigation;
not the subject of a complaint or dispute which has not been actioned; •the original data and that the audit trail has been maintained;
not removed or copied without proper authority;
for individual disclosure only (i.e. to be disclosed to a named subject). Process of disclosure Verify the accuracy of the request. Replay the data to the requestee only, (or responsible person acting on behalf of the person making the request). The viewing should take place in a separate room and not in the control or monitoring area. Only data which is specific to the search request shall be shown. It must not be possible to identify any other individual from the information being shown, (any such information will be blanked-out, either by means of electronic screening or manual editing on the monitor screen). If a copy of the material is requested and there is no on-site means of editing out other personal data, then the material shall be sent to an editing house for processing prior to being sent to the requestee. Media disclosure In the event of a request from the media for access to recorded material, the procedures outlined under ‘secondary request to view data’ shall be followed. If material is to be released the following procedures shall be adopted: •the release of the material must be accompanied by a signed release document that clearly states what the data will be used for and sets out the limits on its use, and indemnifies the partnership against any breaches of the legislation.
the release form shall state that the receiver must process the data in a manner prescribed by the data controller, e.g. specific identities/data that must not be revealed.
it shall require that proof of any editing must be passed back to the data controller, either for approval or final consent, prior to its intended use by the media (protecting the position of the data controller who would be responsible for any infringement of Data Protection legislation and the System’s Code of Practice).
the release form shall be considered a contract and signed by both parties. By submitting this form you are agreeing to the terms and conditions indicated in the Procedure for the release of evidence. All recordings are stored for a maximum of 28 days. If your request is for footage before this time, it may not be available.

Request for Access to CCTV or Call Recording Form

Complaints Procedure

Our Policy

At The Village Practice, we want to make sure that anyone using our service has a first class experience of us and that they are treated in a caring manner and with dignity and respect. We will always be prepared to listen to what you have to say and you can be assured that we will also be open and honest about any service failures. You can be assured we will always offer remedies to prevent problems recurring and will let you know what they are.

We promise to make sure your comments and complaints remain confidential, if that’s what you would like and we will make sure that we investigate fully and fairly any complaints or concerns you have, We will also ensure that where possible, our investigations are conducted by someone not directly involved in the complaint and that all investigations are transparent and methodical and we will focus on learning from our mistakes to improve the service you receive

Informing us of comments or complaints

We encourage any comments both positive and negative and we have a number of ways to let us know.

Call and speak with one of the managers. This is always recommended as any urgent medical attention can be handled immediately whilst also being able to address any concerns you may have.
Friends and Family Test – This is available on our website under ‘Have your say’ or in the waiting room.
NHS Reviews – Search for the Village Practice and you can leave a review.
Email the Practice Manager directly at [email protected] or the practice email at [email protected]

The designated lead for complaints in the Practice is Anastasia Remos, our Practice Manager. You can contact her to discuss any issues either formally or informally by email directly to her [email protected] or by phone 020 7700 6464.

If you wish your details to be kept anonymous from other members of staff please let us know when you contact us.

Complaints must be received within 12 months of the incident which caused the problem or within 12 months from the date which the event that is the subject of the complaint came to light to ensure we can investigate thoroughly and get all the facts.

If you would prefer, you can come and talk to us in person. Please call first to ensure you can be seen quickly.

What happens Next

Your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days.

We will look into your complaint to find out:

- What went wrong.

- Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this.

- Make sure you receive an apology, where appropriate

- Identify what we can do to ensure that the problem does not happen again.

- At the end of the investigation your complaint will be discussed with you in person or in writing. A full reply will be sent as soon as possible that will include any improvements we have made to the service following your complaint. This will depend on the complexity of the complaint and whether other agencies are involved. You will be kept up to date regarding the progress.

- If you are still not happy you can contact the practice and another member of Senior staff will review the complaint to see if there is anything that has been missed.

Help With Making Your Complaint

Please ask the Practice Manager, Anastasia Remos, who will be happy to help. However if you feel unable to ask her then please contact

The NHS Complaints Advocacy Service at:

[email protected] or telephone 0300 330 5454, Fax 0330 088 3762, Text phone 0786 002 2939

If you feel you cannot contact the practice directly

You can send details of your complaint to NHS England

NHS England
PO Box 16738,
Redditch B97 9PT
Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: [email protected]

If you are still not satisfied

If you are still not satisfied with the handling or response to your complaint you have the right to ask the Health Service Ombudsman to investigate the complaint on your behalf.

Please see the details below from their website:

Contact details for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

If you need to make a complaint about a UK government department, or one of its agencies or the NHS in England

Customer Helpline

Tel: 0345 015 4033

Problems with your hearing or speech?

You can contact us from a textphone (minicom) on 0300 061 4298. (Calls to these numbers cost the same as a call to a UK landline.) You can also call us on Text Relay.

If you have any special requirements for us to communicate with you, please let us know and we will make adjustments if we can. For example, we can use simple language or communicate using a signed video.

The Helpline is open 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Help in other languages

We strive to make our service as accessible as possible to everyone. If English is not your first language and you would prefer to speak to us in your own language, please let us know. We can get an interpreter on the telephone almost instantly. Just get in touch with us and tell us which language you speak.

Request a call back

If you would like us to call you back, please text ‘call back’ with your name and your mobile number to 07624 813 005. The text will be charged at your standard text rate. Standard text rates are set by your mobile network operator and charges may vary. Please check with your operator if you are not sure how much this text will cost.

We will acknowledge your text at no cost to you and call you back within one working day during our office hours, again at no cost to you.

Email [email protected]

We’ll keep in touch with you in whichever way works best for you. However, we do need to make you aware that with email there is always a small risk of messages being intercepted. If email is your preferred way for us to contact you, please let us know. As a precaution, and for added peace of mind, we will password protect any sensitive documents we send you.

Fax 0300 061 4000

If you wish to make a Freedom of Information request please email [email protected].

Please note
All email communications with PHSO pass through the Government Secure Intranet (GSI), and may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes.

Write to us

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

Millbank Tower,
Millbank,
London,
SW1P 4QP

Complaining on behalf of someone else

Please note that we observe the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must receive their permission to continue. A letter signed by the person concerned will be needed may be needed and in some circumstances, some form of identification. This is purely to preserve and protect the individual’s rights and information.

Confidentiality/Data Protection Act

Please note we are registered with the Information Commissioners Office – click below for registration details.

Information Commissioners – Data protection register – entry details (ico.org.uk)

Confidentiality of your medical records is important to us. Your records will only be seen and shared by professionals who are involved in your care. We do not share your personal information with third parties without your explicit consent; this also includes relatives (and parents).

Confidentiality will be breached only in exceptional circumstances such as concerns about an individual’s welfare or risk to others.

Display Energy Certificate

Equality Statement

The Village Practice is committed to promoting equality and diversity in all its activities to promote inclusive processes, practices and culture.

We will strive to work to eliminate any unlawful or unfair discrimination including direct or indirect discrimination, discrimination by association, discrimination linked to a perceived characteristic, harassment and victimisation.
We will remain proactive in taking steps to ensure inclusion and engagement for all the people who work for and with us.
We will continue to strive towards a culture that is diverse and inclusive that recognises and develops the potential of all staff and service users.

This includes promoting equality and diversity for all irrespective of:

age *
disability *
ethnicity (including race, colour and nationality) *
gender *
gender reassignment *
religion or belief *
sexual orientation *
marriage and civil partnership *
pregnancy and maternity *
refugees and asylum seekers,
people with diverse communication needs
ex-offenders.

All staff undergo Equality and Diversity training annually and we review our policy and procedures annually

-*Under the Equality Act (2010) these are known as “protected characteristics”.

Fair Processing Notice

How we use your information

This privacy notice explains why we as a Practice collect information about our patients and how we use that information.

The Village Practice manages patient information in accordance with existing laws and with guidance from organisations that govern the provision of healthcare in Wales such as the Department of Health and the General Medical Council.

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

Data Protection Act 1998
Human Rights Act 1998
Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
Health and Social Care Act 2012
UK Data Protection Act 2018
NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Information Security

As data controllers, GPs have fair processing responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998. In practice, this means ensuring that your personal confidential data (PCD) is handled clearly and transparently, and in a reasonably expected way.

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 changed the way that personal confidential data is processed, therefore it is important that our patients are aware of and understand these changes, and that you have an opportunity to object and know how to do so.

The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any NHS treatment or care you have received (e.g. NHS Hospital Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-in clinic, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

NHS health records may be processed electronically, on paper or a mixture of both; a combination of working practices and technology are used to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure.

Records held by this GP practice may include the following information:

Details about you, such as address and next of kin
Any contact the practice has had with you, including appointments (emergency or scheduled), clinic visits, etc.
Notes and reports about your health
Details about treatment and care received
Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.
Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you

The practice collects and holds data for the sole purpose of providing healthcare services to our patients and we will ensure that the information is kept confidential.

However, we can disclose personal information if:

It is required by law
You provide consent – either implicitly or for the sake of their own care, or explicitly for other purposes
It is justified to be in the public interest
Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we hold data centrally, we take strict and secure measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.Information may be used for clinical audit purposes to monitor the quality of service provided, and may be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we do this we ensure that patient records cannot be identified.Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for clinical research purposes – the practice will always endeavour to gain your consent before releasing the information.Improvements in information technology are also making it possible for us to share data with other healthcare providers with the objective of providing you with better care.Patients can choose to withdraw their consent to their data being used in this way. When the practice is about to participate in any new data-sharing scheme we will make patients aware by displaying prominent notices in the surgery and on our website at least four weeks before the scheme is due to start. We will also explain clearly what you have to do to ‘opt-out’ of each new scheme.A patient can object to their personal information being shared with other health care providers but if this limits the treatment that you can receive then the doctor will explain this to you at the time.

Mobile Telephone

If you provide us with your mobile phone number we may use this to send you reminders about any appointments or other health screening information being carried out.

Freedom of Information

GDPR and Privacy Policy

GP Earnings

GP Net Earnings

Infection Control (IPC)

Annual IC Statement 2021-2022

The Practice holds a contract with an Infection Control company called Infection Prevention Solutions who undertake an annual audit in conjunction with the Practice lead Cassie Kane.

The company organises annual training for staff as well as more robust training for the lead staff. The cleaning company who hold a contract with the practice for undertaking cleaning also conduct daily, weekly and monthly audits.

Above is a link to our Practice Annual Statement.

If you have any queries or concerns please contact Anastasia Remos at [email protected] or call the practice directly.

For help and advice on maintaining infection control standards at home please see below

Patient information

Together we can fight infection

Any infection can be caught or spread were there are ill people together, this can be in a hospital, a care home a GP surgery or in a public place. The information below explains how you can help the staff to reduce infection and provide a clean and safe environment in which you receive treatment and/ or care. By following the points in this advice, you can help us to prevent vulnerable individuals picking up an infection and prevent the spread of infections. If people pick up an infection, it can cause discomfort, pain and anxiety.

How does infection spread?

You need a germ. The germ lives in or on its host, another person, an animal, or a contaminated surface (door handle, worktop, equipment).

The germ is passed on by either direct or indirect contact, this can be coughing, sneezing, hand contact with someone who carries the germ on their hand, or by touching a contaminated surface.

If the germ then enters your system and you are not immune to it you can catch the infection. Generally healthy people are less likely to catch infections, as their immune system should protect them well. But if for any reason your immune system is weaker than normal, you will be more vulnerable and therefore need to protect yourself even more against any infection.

What you can do:

Hand Hygiene:

Wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet
Wash your hands before eating / taking medication
Where supplied use alcohol hand gel to clean your hands ( hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes, other care settings)
Avoid touching your wounds or any indwelling devices you may have (tubes, drains or needles for example.) If you must touch clean your hands before and afterwards.
If you are examined or have to have a procedure, do not be afraid to ask the staff if they have washed their hands or used alcohol hand gel first.

Personal Hygiene

Please shower or bath, wear clean clothes and check your footwear is not muddy before going to your GP surgery or any other clinical setting.
The area where you are receiving treatment/ care should be clean. However if you are concerned about the cleaning standards, please report it immediately.
Children should be discouraged from crawling on the floor and must be supervised at all times.
If you receive any treatment or care at home, please provide hand washing facilities where possible, for the person attending to you.

What is a Health Care Associated Infection (HCAI)?

This is an infection that may affect people when they are receiving healthcare. People may catch these infections in hospitals, care homes, doctors’ surgeries, health centres and even at home if they are being cared for there.

Why do some people get an HCAI when receiving healthcare?

There are lots of reasons why someone can develop an HCAI. Being ill or receiving treatment can make your natural defence system (immune system) weaker than usual. Most people won’t pick up an HCAI while they are being treated but it is impossible to completely remove all the risk during healthcare. This is because every disease, condition or procedure and sometimes medication can reduce your natural defences against infection.

What are the most common types of HCAI in hospital?

The most common types of HCAI in hospitals are urine infections, wound infections, skin infections, chest infections & sickness and diarrhoea.

What type of germs cause HCAI?

Some are caused by germs that live normally on our bodies and usually do us no harm such as Staphylococcus aureus, which many people can carry harmlessly in their nose. The most well known are ‘MRSA’, ‘C-diff’ and ‘Norovirus’ MRSA is short for Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This bacteria can cause an infection if it gets into a wound, the bloodstream, bladder or lungs. C-diff is short for Clostridium difficile a bacteria that some people have living naturally in their bowel. For some people unfortunately, this can develop into diarrhoea and fever (usually after certain kinds of antibiotics). Norovirus causes sickness and diarrhoea. This may last for a couple of days and usually has no lasting effects. This virus is often reported as causing outbreaks of infection in hospitals and care homes. You can find more information on the NHS website.

What do we do to prevent HCAI spreading?

Preventing and controlling HCAI is a national priority and all care settings are working hard to prevent the spread of infection in the NHS and care homes.

This includes:

Educating staff, patient and visitors on how to prevent and control infections, for example, washing hands regularly; getting support and advice from specialist infection control or health protection staff.
Making sure that the NHS and care homes meet government standards on HCAI;
Giving people information on how to prevent and control HCAI within all care settings and among members of the public;

HCAI are monitored and reported to Public Health England, for learning and improvement purposes.

What happens if I get an infection?

Your infection could require treatment, which probably can be given to you at home. You may be asked to stay at home for the duration of the treatment and not visit the GP surgery, they may arrange a home visit instead. If you don’t understand your condition and/or treatment please ask a member of staff.

Mission Statement

Mission Statement

Our mission at The Village Practice is to improve the health, wellbeing and quality of lives for those we care for. We are passionate about equality, community, sustainability and putting our patients in the heart of everything we do.

Vision & Values

Empowering patients to take control & make decisions about their own care
Ensuring that patients have a positive experience of the care we provide
Improving the health and wellbeing of our patients through effective clinical decision making
Ensuring our patients have safe and timely access to all NHS services
Valuing sustainability in a way that will improve care for our patients and the planet, making our patch of Islington a ‘greener’ place to be
Encouraging learning from each other to create a supportive culture

Core Values

Quality: To provide high quality, safe, professional primary health care general practice services to all our patients
Integrity: Operating within an ethical framework through openness and transparency. Being accountable for our actions.
Compassionate: Being compassionate about enhancing caring for all our patients within the community.
Working as a team: Valuing the contribution of every team member and building a mutually supportive environment with forward thinking attitudes.
Learning and improving: Adapting to change, building on achievements and developing our services and others.
Sustainability: being committed to making changes and improvements that will help reduce our carbon footprint, as well as improving health and wellbeing of patients and our own staff.

Service Quality and Safety Information Statement

Anastasia Remos is the Practice person responsible for creating systems from which she originates, manages, collates, analyses and evaluates all information:

About the quality and safety of the care, treatment, support and regulatory compliance achieved by the Practice;
Provided by external guidance and reviews issued by national organisations;
About the risk(s) to people’s health, welfare and safety.

She then reviews this with the Practice Partners, who agree relevant changes which are subsequently implemented. Anastasia Remos is responsible for ensuring that relevant and necessary audits are undertaken and completed by staff and the information is taken to the Partners, staff and if needed PPG in order to review service provision.

Summary Care Record

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who can see it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I know if I have one?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by looking at our interactive map or by asking your GP

Do I have to have one?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. You can use the form at the foot of this page.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website