Comments & Complaints
We aim to provide a friendly, courteous and professional service at all times and we welcome any comments regarding your views on the service we provide.
Please contact our Practice Manager, Mrs Claire Wright, either in writing, by telephone or via email.
Address:
Wellside Surgery
45 High Street
Sawtry
Huntingdon
PE28 5SU
Telephone:
01487 833855 (direct line)
Email:
[email protected]
Please see our Practice Complaints Procedure, available from reception, for further information regarding the process for making a formal complaint.
The Health Service Ombudsman in England
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website contains detailed information on raising a complaint about any aspect of the NHS in England. There is also a leaflet explaining the procedure of bringing a complaint to the ombudsman.
Confidentiality
We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. All members of the practice team are bound by strict rules regarding patient confidentiality.
Please note, due to our obligation to protect patient confidentiality, we are unable to provide any information to a third party without consent of the patient concerned. This may include information relating to a child depending upon their age and level of competency.
Data Protection Act
Wellside Surgery is registered with the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act and conforms to all the requirements regarding our handling of your confidential information.
Our Privacy Notice has been revised to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into effect on 25th May 2018. A copy can be accessed here – Wellside Surgery Privacy Notice.
GP Net Earnings
All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (eg average) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
The average pay for GPs working at the WELLSIDE SURGERY in the last financial year before tax and national insurance is £83,958.
This is for 1 full time GP and 5 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.
It should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice, and should not be used to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.
Medical Records
All patients have the right to access their own health records. Please contact our Administration Team on 01487 833852 for further information.
Patients may now register for online access to their medical records. If you would like to be able to view this information online please collect a registration form from our reception team.
Named GP
All patients registered with the practice have a Named GP as per our contractual requirements – details of your Named GP will appear on the right hand side of your prescription.
Please be assured that you are still able to see any member of our GP team.
Online Access to Prospective Records
Online Access to Prospective Records
All practices nationally have been asked to provide patients with prospective access to their medical record from 31st October 2023. Access is via the NHS app and/or NHS website if you have a suitable NHS login.
Your GP medical record contains consultation notes based on conversations between you, your GP and their team: medicines prescribed to you; all test results including hospital investigations; allergies; vaccines; and your medical conditions along with documents that may have been sent from local hospitals, clinics or other agencies, eg. the police. There is likely to be sensitive and personal information within your medical record.
We are supportive of providing you with access to your record, but we wish to do this safely. You will need to understand the risks which may be involved in having such confidential data either on your smartphone with the NHS app installed or online if there is a possibility that other people might have access to that information through your devices. If you are in a difficult or pressured relationship for example, you may prefer your records to remain accessible only to those treating you, with them not appearing on your smartphone or online. Government has been clear that if a patient does not wish to have access, then we do not have to provide it.
For those who would like access, there are now different levels:
Everyone already has access to their medication history and allergies, and can order their repeat prescriptions, if they use the NHS App or have an NHS login set up.
As of 31st October 2023 you will be able to request access to your prospective record which will allow you to see everything which gets added to your record starting from the date your request is approved.
For several years now it has also been possible to request access to what we call your retrospective ‘coded record’ where you can see historical data contained in your record. The application process for this level of access can take much longer due to the workload involved and the need for a GP to review the whole of your medical record as part of the application process.
It’s important to remember that medical documents may, at times, contain information that could be upsetting, especially if they contain news of a serious condition. It can also be a cause for worry seeing results online when it isn’t clear what the results might mean, and no one is available to ask, as can be the case during the evening or at weekends, for example.
Sometimes people might prefer not to see information that remind them of difficult times in their life. Letters from healthcare providers sometimes need to go into detail about past events, and great consideration would be needed in deciding whether you would want to see these letters.
Consideration is also needed if there is a possibility that private details might cause harm at home, should people in a difficult or pressured relationship be forced to show their medical record to an abusive partner.
Requesting access to prospective records – what do I need to do?
The easiest way to get access is to create an NHS login through the NHS app. Although you can also access your GP records via the internet on a computer, the first bit is easiest if done through a smartphone. If you don’t have one, you may have a family member or friend you trust who can help you.
If you use the NHS app, you’ll have to set up an account using a unique e-mail address and then ‘authenticate’ yourself to the NHS system to prove you are who you say you are. This will involve confirming your name, date of birth and contact details. The NHS login has several levels of authentication and to gain access to your records you’ll need the highest level of authentication. This generally involves you recording a short video of yourself to prove you are a real person as well as uploading a copy of a suitable identification document.
Once you have suitably authenticated yourself to the NHS app and created your NHS login you can contact us and ask for access, being mindful of the risks associated with access and the importance of not sharing passwords or having them stored in your smartphone if you think other people might want to see them without your permission.
We will provide you with an application form (or you can download it (Application for prospective online access)) to complete and bring back to the surgery with relevant items of identification. Your application will then be passed to a GP for review. As we are unsure as to how many people will ask for prospective access there may be a wait, but we will do our best to get you online access as soon as we can.
Research
This practice is part of a network of General Practices in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who host medical research on a regular basis. Occasionally we may invite you to take part in a research project. This information may be sent to you or given to you by a health professional. Your participation in any research study is entirely voluntary and much appreciated.
You can find out more about taking part in research on the NIHR website:
Sedative Prescribing Policy
Wellside Surgery – Sedative Prescribing Policy
Phobia (flying) FEAR OF FLYING
Patients come to us, asking us to prescribe sedative drugs such as diazepam for fear of flying. There are a number of very good reasons why prescribing this drug is not recommended.
1) Diazepam is a sedative, which means it makes you sleepy and more relaxed. If there is an emergency during the flight it may impair your ability to concentrate, follow instructions and react to the situation. This could have serious safety consequences for you and those around you.
2) Sedative drugs can make you fall asleep, however when you do sleep it is an unnatural non-REM sleep. This means you won’t move around as much as during natural sleep. This can cause you to be at increased risk of developing a blood clot (DVT) in the leg or even the lung. Blood clots are very dangerous and can even prove fatal. This risk is even greater if your flight is greater than 4 hours.
3) Whilst most people find benzodiazepines like diazepam sedating, a small number have paradoxical agitation and increased aggression. They can also cause disinhibition and lead you to behave in a way that you would not normally. This could impact on your safety as well as that of other passengers and could also get you into trouble with the law.
4) According to the prescribing guidelines doctors follow (BNF) Benzodiazepines are contraindicated (not allowed) in treating phobia. Your doctor would be taking a significant legal risk by prescribing against these guidelines. They are only licensed short term for a crisis in generalised anxiety. If this is the case, you should be getting proper care and support for your mental health and not going on a flight.
5) Diazepam and similar drugs are illegal in a number of countries. They may be confiscated or you may find yourself in trouble with the police.
6) Diazepam stays in your system for quite a while. If your job requires you to submit to random drug testing you may fail this having taken diazepam.
We appreciate that fear of flying is very real and very frightening. A much better approach is to tackle this properly with a Fear of Flying course run by the airlines. We have listed a number of these below.
Easy Jet http://www.fearlessflyer.easyjet.com
British Airways http://www.flyingwithconfidence.com
Virgin https://www.flyingwithoutfear.co.uk/fear-of-flying-courses/adult-course/
Sedatives For Scans
We are unable to prescribe sedatives, such as diazepam, for any procedure or scan being undertaken outside of Wellside Surgery, this includes MRI scans and dental procedures. If you feel you need sedation in such circumstances, please speak to the team undertaking the procedure or scan.
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.
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. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
How your data is used
Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnosis is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital.
It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.
Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.
You have a choice
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?
No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.
What do you need to do?
If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.
To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters