In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge.

No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

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 contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

• Complaints Policy

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

• To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
• To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
• When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

All consulting rooms are on the ground floor level with good access for disabled patients.

Information about the General Practitioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.

The average pay for GPs working in Groves Medical Group in the last financial year was £50,922 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 5 full time GPs, 39 part time GPs and 7 long term locum GPs who worked in the practice for six months or more.

NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised by 31 March 2024 at the latest. However, it should be noted that the prescribed method of 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 for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparisons with other practices.

There is currently a national shortage on the Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Vaccinations. We have a very limited stock of the vaccination and this will be prioritised for at risk patients.

Why do GPs sometimes charge fees?

Your questions answered…

Isn’t the NHS supposed to be free?

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951, and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged. Sometimes the charge is made to cover some of the cost of treatment, for example, dental fees; in other cases, it is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, medical reports for insurance companies.

Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?

It is important to understand that GPs are not employed by the NHS, they are self-employed, and they have to cover their costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc – in the same way as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work, but for non-NHS work the fee has to cover the doctor’s costs.

What is covered by the NHS and what is not?

The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients. In recent years, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to be sure that information provided is true and accurate.

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients are:

• accident/sickness insurance certificates
• certain travel vaccinations
• private medical insurance reports

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:

• medical reports for an insurance company
• some reports for the DSS/Benefits Agency
• examinations of local authority employees
• DS 1500 Form (Disability Living/Attendance Allowance)

Is it true that the BMA sets fees for non-NHS work?

The BMA suggests fees for non-NHS work which is not covered under a GP’s NHS contract, to help GPs set their own professional fees. However, these fees are guidelines only, not recommendations, and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested.

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?

Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of his or her patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload – the majority work up to 70 hours a week – and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time, so many GPs find they have to take some paperwork home at night and weekends.

I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record. Carelessness or an inaccurate report can have serious consequences for the doctor with the General Medical Council or even the Police.

What will I be charged?

The BMA recommends that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and how much. It is up to the individual doctor to decide how much to charge, but the BMA produces lists of suggested fees which many doctors use. Surgeries often have lists of fees on the waiting room wall based on these suggested fees.

What can I do to help?

• Not all documents need signature by a doctor, for example passport applications. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge.
• If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your GP if he or she is prepared to complete them all at once as a (job lot) at a reduced price.
• Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight. You should expect the form(s) to take up to 4 weeks for the GP to complete and return

The Groves Medical Group

Fees for Non NHS Services

The Practice will make a charge for certain services that are not available under the NHS.

Forms may take on average a minimum four weeks to complete by the surgery.

Payment is required by the practice prior to forms being completed.

Non-NHS Services (No Charge)

• Job Centre Plus ESA Reports
• Get Active Referrals
• Achieving for Children Reports
• Debt Evidence forms
• Health Assessment Advisory forms
• Public Health England Immunisation Questionnaires
• Housing Association/Application/Benefit forms
• Council Tax Exemption form

Please note that the doctors cannot provide the following services:

• Passport countersignature
• Character Reference

The Team at The Groves Hinchley Wood will always do their best for you. But they need your help to provide the best care for all patients. Please show your support by following these simple guidelines:

• Please treat the Doctors and all their staff as you would expect to be treated by them – with politeness and respect.
• Please cancel appointments that you cannot attend or no longer need – somebody else is always waiting.  You can now do this ‘on line’.
• Please think twice before requesting a doctors visit to your home – is a visit really necessary?
• Please do not expect a prescription every time you visit the Surgery – most things get better without the  doctors prescription pad and good advice is often the best treatment!
• Please remember that you can find basic health information elsewhere – for example your local Pharmacist  NHS 111 and on this website.
• Please request your repeat prescriptions in good time, giving 2 working days notice – this will help avoid delays. Again online is the preferred choice.
• Please remember that doctors are only human and the NHS does not fund certain treatments. The doctors cannot solve many problems and though we will always strive to relieve pain and distress many illnesses have no specific treatment.
• If you do have a genuine complaint, please first contact Marilyn Miller our Practice Manager. This is usually the quickest way to begin to resolve any problems.

All of our patients have a right to confidentiality. This means that we do not share any information about you with anyone except those working for other health and social care organisations involved with your care.

However, you may wish other members of your family or close friends who might be involved in your care, to be able to talk to the staff about your care on your behalf. This can be particularly useful if you find it difficult to get to the GP surgery or communication is difficult for you (such as hearing a voice on the telephone) or if that person helps to care for you.

This form will allow you to enable us to share information about your care with the person you specify on this form. We need both you and the person you would like us to share your information with to sign this form. It is important that your carer or relative treats information about your care as confidential.

You have the right to allow access to all or only part of your medical information. For instance if you have had previous medical problems you would prefer your carer or relative not to know about, you can specify this on the form. You can also override this consent to share information at a later date if you wish, for instance if you are currently undergoing treatment for a mental health condition requiring a carer to be involved and then your condition resolves.

If you have more than one person whom you wish to give permission for us to share information with, please fill out a separate form for each and return to the surgery.

• Consent to share information with relative/carer

The Surrey Care Record is an Electronic Health Record (EHR) linking system that brings together patient/client’s information across health and care systems in a secure manner, giving a summary of your information which is held within a number of local records.

For more information see: www.surreyheartlands.uk/surrey-care-record-privacy-notice

You have the right to object to information being shared for your own care. Please speak to the practice if you wish to object. You also have the right to have any mistakes or errors corrected.

Further Information

For further information, you can visit our website and public-facing FAQs here:

• www.surreyheartlands.uk/surreycarerecord
• www.surreyheartlands.uk/frequently-asked-questions

The Practice is firmly committed to ensuring that the doctors and staff are free to go about their daily work without fear or threat from violence, aggression and intimidation.

For this reason Lantern Surgery adopts a policy of zero tolerance.

Any patient who is in any way violent or abusive within the practice will be removed immediately from the practice list and the incident will be reported to the police.

If so advised, we will always pursue prosecution.

• Zero Tolerance Policy