All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. The chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present i.e. a trained member of staff.

Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking your appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible, we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However, it may be necessary to re-schedule your appointment.

Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our Chaperone Policy.

If you would like to see a copy of our Chaperone Policy or have any questions or comments regarding this, please contact the Practice Manager.

We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints.

Our complaints system meets national criteria.

The practice will provide within core hours, primary medical services required for the management of its registered patients and temporary residents, who are, or believe themselves to be, ill with conditions from which recovery is generally expected, terminally ill or suffering from chronic disease; delivered in the manner determined by the practice in discussion with the patient.

The practice will also provide primary medical services required within core hours for the immediately necessary treatment of any person requesting treatment owing to an accident or emergency at any place within its practice area.

The practice will include the provision of appropriate ongoing treatment and care to all registered patients and temporary residents, taking account of their specific needs including the provision of advice in connection with patients health, including relevant health promotion and the referral to other NHS services.

If you would like to opt out please see Opt out of sharing your health records on the NHS website.

The average pay for the GPs working in this surgery in the last financial year was £66,812 Before tax and national insurance.

This is for the following who worked in the practice for more than six months:

Part time GPs: 2, Salaried GPs: 1

We are a training practice, so you may occasionally be offered an appointment with a GP registrar. These doctors are fully qualified and have gained valuable experience working in several hospitals. They are now completing their specialist training to become GPs.

We also support the training of medical students. From time to time, we may ask if you’re comfortable having a student present during your consultation with a doctor or nurse. Your consent is important to us, and you are always welcome to request a private appointment without the student, if that is your preference.

For information please see National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

Our responsibility to you:

• You will be greeted courteously
• You have a right to confidentiality
• You have the right to see your medical records subject to the limitations of the law
• You will be seen the same day if your problem is urgent
• You will be seen by your own (preferred) doctor whenever possible
• You will be informed if there will be a delay of more than 20 minutes for your appointment
• You will be referred to a consultant when your GP thinks it is necessary
• You will be given the result of any test or investigation on request or at your next appointment, or contacted if there is an abnormality
• Your repeat prescription will be ready for collection within 48 hours (2 working days) of your request
• Your suggestions and comments about the services offered will be considered sympathetically and any complaint dealt with promptly

Your responsibility to us:

• Please treat all surgery staff with the same respect. We are all just doing our job. We reserve the right to remove patients from our list if they exhibit violent or abusive behaviour towards any member of staff or other patients
• Do not ask for information about anyone other than yourself
• Tell us of any change of name, address or telephone numbers, so that our records are accurate
• Only request an urgent appointment if appropriate. Home visits should only be requested if you are really too ill to attend the surgery
• Please cancel your appointment if you are unable to attend
• Please be punctual, but be prepared to wait if your own consultation is delayed by an unexpected emergency
• Please allow sufficient time for your consultant’s letter or the results of any tests to reach us. You will be advised of the usual length of time to wait for results of tests we have arranged but should contact the hospital for results of tests arranged for you by a Consultant
• Please attend for review, when asked, especially if asked to do so by a clinician before your next prescription is due
• Do let us know whenever you feel we have not met our responsibility to you

• Practice Information Governance Lead: Emma Shenton & Laura Cadman
• Practice Caldicott Guardian: Dr Manu Agrawal
• Practice Digital Safety Officer: Laura Cadman & Emma Shenton
• Practice Data Protection Officer (DPO): Paul Couldrey of PCIG Consulting Limited

Information Governance (IG) Lead

The IG Lead is the overall Information Governance Lead for the practice and will lead on Caldicott, Data Protection and Freedom of Information issues.

Core Responsibilities

1. Ensure there is an up‑to‑date IG policy in place.
2. Ensure that the organisation’s approach to information handling is communicated to all staff and made available to the public.
3. Coordinate the activities of staff given data protection, confidentiality and Freedom of Information Act responsibilities.
4. Monitor the organisation’s information‑handling activities to ensure compliance with law and guidance.
5. Ensure staff are sufficiently trained to support their role.
6. Ensure that the organisation submits its annual DS&P Toolkit assessment.
7. Support monitoring visits from the commissioning organisation (where appropriate).
8. Ensure that IG is regularly discussed in practice meetings.

Additional duties (non‑exhaustive)

• Maintain an IG action plan for the practice and ensure an improvement plan is followed.
• Assist with investigations into complaints about breaches of confidentiality, the Data Protection Act 2018 / UK‑GDPR 2016, or the Freedom of Information Act 2000; undertake reporting/remedial action as required, and keep a log of incidents and recommendations.
• Provide advice to the practice on Information Governance issues.

Caldicott Guardian

A Caldicott Guardian is a senior person within a health or social‑care organisation who is responsible for ensuring confidential patient and service‑user information is used ethically, legally, and appropriately. They act as the organisation’s “conscience” for data sharing, advising on ethical and legal considerations to uphold patient confidentiality while also enabling responsible data use to improve care and services.

Key Responsibilities

• Advising on ethical and legal matters: providing leadership and guidance on complex cases involving confidential information, especially when the correct course of action isn’t immediately clear.
• Upholding the Caldicott Principles: ensuring the organisation follows the eight principles for the ethical and legal use of patient‑identifiable information.
• Ensuring appropriate information sharing: enabling lawful and ethical sharing of information when necessary to improve patient care, while protecting confidentiality.
• Promoting high standards of data handling: ensuring policies and practices for handling personal information meet high standards for confidentiality.

Who they are

• Senior individuals: senior figures (e.g., a medical director) who provide authority and insight.
• Mandatory in certain organisations: since 2002, all NHS organisations and local authorities providing social services must have a Caldicott Guardian.
• Supported by a council: the role is supported by the UK Caldicott Guardian Council, which provides guidance and standards.

Role in the practice

• Act as the “conscience” of the practice, supporting work to facilitate information sharing while advising on lawful and ethical processing.
• Champion Information Governance requirements at practice level.
• Ensure confidentiality issues are reflected in organisational policies and working procedures for staff.
• Oversee all arrangements, protocols and procedures where confidential patient information may be shared with bodies inside or outside the NHS.
• Be consulted where necessary on information requests, such as:
  • A request from the police for access to patient information
  • Requests from patients to delete information from their records
  • An actual or alleged breach of confidentiality

Digital Safety Officer

An NHS Digital Safety Officer (DCSO) is a senior clinical professional responsible for ensuring digital health systems and applications are safe for patient care. Key requirements include clinical registration with a professional body (e.g., GMC or NMC) and expertise in clinical safety and risk management. The role involves managing clinical risks associated with digital systems throughout their lifecycle, promoting safe digital adoption, overseeing safety assurance processes, and providing training to foster a strong safety culture.

Role and Responsibilities

• Clinical Safety Oversight: ensure digital clinical safety is a central priority in all digital transformation and change‑management projects.
• Risk Management: develop, maintain and refine processes for identifying and addressing clinical safety risks in digital health applications and IT systems.
• System Assurance: manage and oversee safety assurance of health‑IT software, ensuring manufacturers and other organisations meet required safety standards.
• Training and Culture: provide clinical risk‑management training to manufacturers and care organisations, promoting a positive safety culture.
• Lifecycle Management: establish and maintain business processes for managing clinical safety risks from procurement to decommissioning.
• Collaboration: work with project managers, clinicians and other stakeholders to ensure digital systems are safe and enhance patient outcomes.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Clinical Registration: must be a senior clinician with current registration with a professional body (e.g., GMC or NMC).
• Clinical Safety Expertise: significant training and experience in clinical safety and clinical risk management.
• Leadership and Management – demonstrated leadership and management experience.
• Education: a postgraduate qualification (e.g., MSc or diploma) in a relevant subject such as Occupational Safety and Health, or equivalent knowledge or experience.
• Training: completion of specific training such as the Digital Clinical Safety Intermediate e‑learning and the Practitioner course.
• Professional Development: a record of continuous professional development.

Data Protection Officer

A Data Protection Officer (DPO) is an expert within an organisation responsible for ensuring compliance with data‑protection laws such as the UK‑GDPR. Their tasks include informing and advising the organisation on data protection obligations, monitoring compliance with regulations, providing advice on Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), and acting as a point of contact for data subjects and the relevant supervisory authority, like the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). DPOs must be independent, adequately resourced, and report to the highest management level.

Key Responsibilities

• Inform and Advise: provide guidance and information to the organisation and its employees about their data‑protection obligations and how to comply with relevant laws.
• Monitor Compliance: monitor the organisation’s internal adherence to data‑protection policies and regulations.
• Advise on DPIAs: offer advice on Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), a crucial tool for assessing and mitigating data‑privacy risks.
• Serve as a Contact Point: act as the primary contact for individuals whose data is being processed (data subjects) and for the supervisory authority (e.g., the ICO in the UK).
• Ensure Independence: operate independently, without fear of penalty or dismissal for performing DPO duties.

Specific duties for this practice

• Educate the company and employees on important compliance requirements.
• Train staff involved in data processing.
• Conduct audits to ensure compliance and proactively address potential issues.
• Serve as the point of contact between the company and UK‑GDPR supervisory authorities.
• Produce and manage assurance for all governance policies, processes, procedures and patient information to comply with UK‑GDPR, DPA 2018 and the DS&P Toolkit requirements.
• Provide document templates for the DS&P Toolkit submission.
• Offer a dedicated help‑desk call facility.
• Issue practice updates.
• Manage the reporting of all IG SIRIs (Serious Incident Reports) and ICO communications.

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You and Your General Practice (YYGP) has been developed to help patients understand what to expect from their general practice and how they can get the best from their GP team. YYGP also enables patient to provide feedback or raise concerns with their GP Practice, Healthwatch or the Integrated Care Board (ICB).

To find out more please see the You and Your General Practice document published on the NHS England website.

The document is also available in other languages, see Translated versions of the You and Your General Practice document.