Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) 2000

A Guide to Information Provided by GPs Under the Model Publication Scheme.

Introduction

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires all public authorities to adopt and maintain a publication scheme. In 2008, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) introduced a single generic model publication scheme, for adoption by all public authorities that are subject to the FoIA.

The model publication scheme commits a public authority to “produce and publish the method by which the specific information will be available so that it can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public”. This is a very general scheme based on the principle that all public authorities need to recognise the public interest in the transparency of the services provided and paid for by the general public.

It is a commitment to make information easily available to the public. General Practitioners (GPs), providing primary medical services under most contracts with the
NHS in England and Wales and with HSC Northern Ireland, are public authorities in respect of information relating to those services.

The Freedom of Information Act gives the public the right to ask for certain information held by public authorities, such as the NHS (and including GP practices), and allows members of the public to see information about how public services are developed and delivered.

The Practice and The Freedom of Information Act

In line with the FoIA, and our status as a GP surgery, we operate a publication scheme providing information about the Practice and the services that we provide. Information covered by this scheme is only about the general medical services that we provide under contract to the National Health Service.

Charges for Information Requests and Information

All documents and information we make available free of charge under this Scheme are identified in the table with “No cost”. All documents available under this Scheme for which we may charge a fee are identified as “In accordance with FoIA request Fees & Regulations”.

Information/text taken from our Practice website is available free of charge, but remain the copyright of the Practice.

Third party leaflets may also be available for download from our website too, and they remain the property of their respective copyright holders. There may be a charge for you to access our website (from your internet service provider), in
addition to personal printing costs, which would have to be met by you.

If you do not have internet access, we would be able to provide printouts and send them via the post or make them available at a surgery to collect. There would be a cost for printing and postage, if applicable (see below).

Charges for Information Requests and Information (continued)

You may also be able to access the internet through your local community, from a library, friends, neighbours, etc., but any associated costs for such access or any printing/duplication must be met by you.

Be especially careful to secure your data if you use other parties’ internet access with online patient services, medical record retrieval, printing of your medical record or any other personal information. For all printing/duplication carried out by the Practice, each single sheet printed on one side is charged at £0.25; each single sheet printed on both sides is charged at £0.35.

We will generally produce documents printed on both sides of the sheet to save money and paper. However, some documents not created by us, or originating in other systems, may be single sided (printed on one side only). Copies of audits, reports, etc. attract a one-off administration fee of £25 (plus the per sheet
printing/duplication charge, as outlined above).

A request for multiple printouts or copies of a single document or report, and for archived copies of documents which are no longer easily accessible or available, may attract an additional administration fee for their retrieval and/or duplication. We will let you know if this is the case and the charges that will have to be paid.

Any postage costs are charged at their prevailing (Royal Mail) face value, and we use their “Special Delivery” service for sending requested information. A signature is required for this delivery service to receive your information.

Royal Mail generally review their prices annually in March, so this in turn will affect our postage costs to you. Current Royal Mail charges will prevail at all times (at the point of sending information) irrespective of when the information request was made.

We will only send information to the address given on the verified originator’s information request, and, if you are a patient, the address must match that of your patient record. You may also collect the information in person from one of our sites. You will be required to provide appropriate identification as the originator of the information request, if you collect the information in person.

We will not release information to a third party without good reason or authority (lasting power of attorney for example). Please note that we will not provide printouts of others’ copyrighted information, other organisations’ websites, or any other forms of their information or data.

Wherever a charge is applicable, it (including all administration, printing/duplication and postage costs) must be paid in advance of the release of information. All our charges are reviewed annually, in line with this document, and the Freedom of Information Act request Fees & Regulations.

Class 1: Who We Are and What We Do

Partners

• Dr Richard Hems
• Dr Khalid Aziz
• Dr Ardyn Ross
• Dr Rachel Thomson

Salaried GPs

• Dr Temitayo Adegun
• Dr Claire Blake
• Dr Stuart Burgess
• Dr Wendy Clark
• Dr Kevin D’Mello
• Dr Gary Dalton
• Dr Thomas Flahive
• Dr Navin Ghosh
• Dr Ian Gibson
• Dr Jo Honney
• Dr Mary Howman
• Dr Mia Krywawych
• Dr Subhash Patel
• Dr Jasmine Thomas
• Dr Andrew Thompson
• Dr Hilary Burgess

Key staff

• John Broughton (Finance Manager)
• Sarah-Jane Smith (Operations Manager)
• Mary Weatherstone (Practice Pharmacist)
• Nic Woods (IT Manager)

Clinical Staff

We also employ nurses, specialist nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical pharmacists, paramedics and health care assistants across all our sites.

Admin Staff

We additionally employ receptionists, Practice administrators, medical secretaries, finance administrators and dispensary staff

Other Staff

Cleaners, buildings and maintenance, delivery driver Indirect Staff Health visitors, community staff (district nurses, midwives), diabetic specialists, alcohol/drug specialists, locums.

Site/Surgery Details

• Hemsby Medical Centre, 1 Kings Court, Hemsby, NR29 4EW
  Details Tel: 01493 730 449
• Ormesby Village Surgery, Pippin Close, Ormesby, NR29 3RW
  Tel: 01493 730 205
• Martham Medical Centre, Hemsby Road, Martham, NR29 4QG
  Tel: 01493 748 833
• North Caister Surgery, Branford Road, Caister-On-Sea, NR30 5NE
  Tel: 01493 720 618
• Old Palace Surgery, 148 Old Palace Road, Norwich, NR2 4JA
  Tel: 01603 663 363
• Beechcroft Surgery, 23 Beechcroft, New Costessey, NR5 0RS
  Tel: 01603 746 683
• Windmill Surgery, London Road, Wymondham, NR18 0AF
  Tel: 01953 607 607

Available at www.coastaldoctors.co.uk. A Practice Booklet is available on
our website or at any surgery.

Opening Hours

8am to 1pm/1:30pm/5:30pm/6pm/6:30pm/7pm/8pm Hours Monday to Friday, depending on the site and day of the week. Extended and Improved Access for late evening (weekdays) and early morning (weekends).

Available at www.coastaldoctors.co.uk. A Practice Booklet is available on
our website or at any surgery.

Class 2: What We Spend and How We Spend It

We receive payments in relation to our General Medical Services (GMS) and Personal Medical Services (PMS) contracts, which are held with the three Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) our 8 surgeries fall under: Great Yarmouth and Waveney; Norwich and South Norfolk.

In addition, we also receive income from other sources such as Enhanced Services (ES) and also other non-NHS work and fees. Please note that some of this information may be commercially (or confidentially) sensitive and as such, may not be released within the public domain or within the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) and this publication scheme. This is likely to include any work that we do outside of our GMS or PMS contracts

How you can obtain this information

Request in writing, to our Practice/Business Manager.

Cost of obtaining

In accordance with FoIA request Fees & Regulations

Class 3: What Our Priorities Are and How We Are Doing

Our priority is to provide first class patient care, to the highest clinical standards for all our patients registered with the Practice. We do this by working together with other healthcare providers and support organisations and the CCGs.

We also work with the CCGs in their development of plans for new and future services and the 2020 Local Digital Roadmap. We involve the local Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) in the development of new ideas and services and feedback on how our services are delivered and review feedback from the “Friends and Family” scheme, direct patient contact, together with online feedback submissions from our website.

How you can obtain this information

Request in writing, to our Practice/Business Manager.

Cost of obtaining

In accordance with FoIA request Fees & Regulations

Core Values

We are passionate about what we do, providing high quality NHS care and putting patients first. To underpin this, we have established a set of Core Values:

• Patients First Our first priority is to our patients, providing them with excellent, safe and timely care.
• Quality We work hard to improve the quality of our services, learning from our successes and mistakes, and avoiding blame.
• Integrity We are open, honest, empathetic and respectful, avoiding discrimination at all times.
• Safe and We provide safe clinical care to every patient, in a timely fashion. We Efficient keep our administrative actions and processes simple.
• Communicating We communicate clearly and listen well, whilst employing the highest and Listening standards of confidentiality.
• Teamwork We recognise the importance of good teamwork, within our own teams and across organisational boundaries.

Available at www.coastaldoctors.co.uk.

Class 3: What Our Priorities Are and How We Are Doing (continued)

Continued developments in line with the NHS England five year plan and CCG and community healthcare priorities.

This information is available at www.england.nhs.uk/fiveyear-forward-view. There is no cost for obtaining this information.

Plans for development and provision of NHS services are discussed at monthly Business Meetings, whilst strategic development meetings are used to review and plan for upcoming contract initiatives, new services and changes in NHS and CCG policy, which are in turn used to plan for future Practice development, resourcing and service delivery.

You can obtain this information by Request in writing, to our Practice/Business Manager. Costs for obtaining this information are in accordance with FoIA request fees & regulations.

Active participation in the Quality & Outcomes Framework (QOF), where our performance can be viewed. You can obtain this information from www.qof.digital.nhs.uk/search.

Results from our Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections are published on both our and the CQC websites.

Available at www.coastaldoctors.co.uk.

Class 4: How We Make Decisions

We hold meetings at local (site/surgery) level, organisational unit (i.e. CCG) level, at whole Practice level and also at strategic Business (i.e. Partners’) level. Attendees are recorded, together with minutes of the meetings.

• Meeting Type Attendees (frequency) Business/ Partners and the senior management team (monthly) Partners Partners (weekly).
• Strategic Team Senior management team, Partner process lead, other administrative leads as required (e.g. quality lead) (monthly).
• Site Leads The reception/site lead from each site, IT Manager (quarterly). Site All site (local) staff (monthly).
• MDT Doctors, nurses, community, MH teams (monthly, or as required by needs).
• Nurse All nurses and HCAs, IT Manager (monthly).
• Education Open to all staff (weekly).

Decisions affecting the Practice, its capacity and resourcing (e.g. staffing, appointment, rota allocation), and commercial operation are agreed by the Partners at the monthly Business meetings, with decisions evidenced in minutes.

These decisions (including confidential or commercially sensitive information) may be shared with key personnel in the Practice, but will not be disclosed publicly and is outside of the scope of this publication Scheme.

Other minutes, without confidential information, may be made available on application to the Practice/Business Manager.

How you can obtain this information

Request in writing, to our Practice/Business Manager.

Cost of obtaining

In accordance with FoIA request Fees & Regulations.

Class 5: Our Policies and Procedures (continued)

Customer Service

• Carers policy and carer tool kit
  Communication
  Complaints procedure
  Constitution for PPG
  Emergency telephone handling protocol
  Identifying patient needs and new registration protocol
  Patient dignity and respect

Internal Instructions to Staff relating to the Delivery of Services

• Advance directives protocol forms leaflet
  Call and recall
  Cervical smear defaulters
  Cervical smear procedure
  Chaperone
  Codes of conduct
  Complaints procedure
  Computer failure policy
  Consent for vaccination
  Consent for video recording for assessment purposes
  Consent policy including child consent
  Consultations protocol
  Continuity of care
  Declining national screening
  Disaster planning and business continuity
  Discharge from hospital
  End of life policy patient charter and advance care plan
  Equipment loan protocol
  Minor surgery policy

Complaints Procedure

• Complaints procedure and leaflet

Records Management (records retention, destruction and archive)

• Backup of computer data protocol
  Caldecott protocol
  Clinical governance policy
  Computer and data security procedure
  Disposal of confidential waste
  Scanning protocol
  Summarising policy
  Third party confidentiality agreement

Data Protection

• Backup of computer data protocol
  Caldecott protocol
  Computer and data security procedure
  Data Breach
  Electronic transfer of patient data
  Home access policy
  Information governance
  Information security
  Media handling
  Sharing, disclosure of patient information
  Smart card policy
  Staff confidentiality
  Third party confidentiality agreement

Internal Instructions to Staff relating to the Delivery of Services (continued)

• New guidance protocol
  New patient flow chart
  Palliative care policy
  Practice development plan
  Practice policy for DNAs
  Preconceptual advice
  Protocol for maintenance of patient demographic information
  Patient isolation protocol
  Specimen handling
  Telephone consultation process
  Test results protocol
  Workforce planning

Recruitment and Employment of Staff

• Access to occupational health
  Age discrimination act
  Application form
  CRB and consent form
  Equal opportunities policy
  HR policy statement
  Induction policy
  Practice procedures and checks to prevent illegal working
  Safeguarding vulnerable adults and children policy
  Staff confidentiality
  Staff handbook

Equality and Diversity

• Age discrimination
  Bulling and harassment policy
  Equal opportunities
  Equality act operational procedures policy
  Mental capacity act
  Sickness and capability
  Health and Safety
  Calibration and maintenance of equipment
  Cleaning disinfection of equipment surfaces and environment skin policy
  Clinical waster protocol
  Fire safety policy
  Hand hygiene policy

Health and safety policy

• Hepatitis B policy
  Infection control policy
  Needle stick injury
  Risk assessment policy
  Safety alert protocol and procedure
  Staff uniform policy
  VDU risk assessment
  Waste management policy

Handling Requests for Information

• Caldecott
  Communication
  FoIA publication scheme (this document)
  Data protection act & UK-GDPR
  Information governance
  Media handling

How can you obtain this information

Request in writing, to our Practice/Business Manager.

Cost of obtaining

In accordance with FoIA request Fees & Regulations.

Class 6: Lists and Registers

To successfully deliver patient care, administer long term conditions and to provide a first class service, we manage and maintain lists and registers of our patients.

These lists are strictly confidential and contain patient identifiable information. As such, they are not available for public inspection or scrutiny and are therefore outside of the scope of this publication scheme.

Class 7: The Services We Offer

Under our GMS or PMS contracts with the NHS, we offer (at no cost):

• Alcohol and drugs advice and support
• Asthma clinics and chronic obstructive disease clinics (COPD)
• Baby clinics
• Cervical cytology screening
• Child health surveillance
• Childhood vaccinations and immunisations
• Contraceptive services, IUD/IUS fitting/removal
• Diabetes clinics
• Ear syringing
• ECGs (electrical heart trace)
• Flu immunisation and routine adult immunisations
• GP consultations
• Home visits
• Maternity services (midwife)
• Medication review
• Minor surgery procedures
• NHS and new patient health checks
• Nurse consultations
• Nursing home visits
• Phlebotomy
• Smoking cessation advice and support
• Spirometry (lung/breathing) clinics
• Telephone triage
• Travel advice and immunisations
• Wound management / dressings / suture removal

We also provide lots of free information, self-help, “what to do if” and leaflets on our website, through links to other websites (NHS, NHC Choices, etc.) and within our surgeries themselves.

When our surgeries are closed (e.g. out of hours, weekends, bank holidays, training days, etc.) a phone answering service is provided by the NHS 111 Service. This can be accessed by dialling 111 from any landline or mobile phone, and is free to call.

In an emergency or life threatening situations (e.g. chest pain, difficulty breathing), patients should IMMEDIATELY dial 999 whether our surgeries are open or closed.

Available at www.coastaldoctors.co.uk. A Practice Booklet is available on
our website or at any surgery.

Class 7: The Services We Offer (continued)

We also provide non-NHS services, which are chargeable.

These services may be payable by the patient directly, by solicitors, by insurance companies or other third parties requesting this information for, about or on behalf of a patient.

There is a list charges for these services. These services include:

• Patients Copies of medical records (unless where covered under a Data Subject Access Request)
• Fitness certificates
• Holiday cancellation claim forms
• Letters requested by, or on behalf of, the patient
• Non-NHS vaccinations
• Private medical insurance reports and medicals
• Private appointments and treatments
• Private sickness notes
• Sports, pre-employment, taxi and HGV medicals
• Vaccination certificates
• Other Copies of medical records for medical insurance purposes (unless (e.g. solicitors, where covered under a Data Subject Access Request) insurance co.) Private medical insurance reports Some examinations for local authority employees.

How you can obtain this information

Available from any surgery reception.

Cost of obtaining

No cost for the list (but charges apply for the services)