Along with all NHS organisations, this practice operates a zero-tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse.

Our practice staff are here to help you. Our aim is to be as polite and helpful as possible to all patients. The Practice does not tolerate rude, abusive or violent behaviour towards any member of staff. Shouting and swearing at Practice staff will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety.

Any patient who is physically violent, or threatens violence, will be removed from the practice list with immediate effect, in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. The Practice may also remove from its list any patient who is verbally abusive.

All incidents of violence or aggression will be reported to the Practice Manager. Patients removed from the list will be notified in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.

The NHS Constitution sets out the responsibilities of patients and staff in the NHS

The NHS Constitution for England – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Patients and the public: Your Responsibilities

• The NHS belongs to all of us. There are things that we can all do for ourselves and for one another to help it work effectively, and to ensure resources are used responsibly.
• Please recognise that you can make a significant contribution to your own, and your family’s, good health and wellbeing, and take personal responsibility for it.
• Please register with a GP practice – the main point of access to NHS care as commissioned by NHS bodies.
• Please treat NHS staff and other patients with respect and recognise that violence, or the causing of nuisance or disturbance on NHS premises, could result in prosecution. You should recognise that abusive and violent behaviour could result in you being refused access to NHS services.
• Please provide accurate information about your health, condition and status.
• Please keep appointments, or cancel within reasonable time. Receiving treatment within the maximum waiting times may be compromised unless you do.
• Please follow the course of treatment which you have agreed, and talk to your clinician if you find this difficult.
• Please participate in important public health programmes such as vaccination.
• Please ensure that those closest to you are aware of your wishes about organ donation.
• Please give feedback – both positive and negative – about your experiences and the treatment and care you have received, including any adverse reactions you may have had. You can often provide feedback anonymously and giving feedback will not affect adversely your care or how you are treated. If a family member or someone you are a carer for is a patient and unable to provide feedback, you are encouraged to give feedback about their experiences on their behalf. Feedback will help to improve NHS services for all.

It is NHS policy to treat all patients and employees fairly and equally regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, age or disability.

Equality is based on the legal obligation to comply with anti-discrimination legislation. Equality protects people from being discriminated against on the grounds of group membership i.e. sex, race disability, sexual orientation, belief, or age.

Diversity implies a wide range of conditions and characteristics. Diversity encompasses visible and non-visible individual differences. It can be seen in the makeup of patients and the workforce in terms of gender, ethnic minorities, disabled people etc.

Please view our Data Privacy Notice, here.

At the Kennet and Avon Medical Partnership we strive to deliver the best quality patient care in all areas of contact with the patient or patient’s representative. However, we are aware that things can go wrong and there may be times when you feel you are less than happy with the service you have received.

If you have a complaint or concern or some positive feedback about the service that you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in the Practice, please let us know. Your comments whether positive or negative can help us to improve the service we offer.

How Do I Complain

Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned, and we ask you try this approach first. Alternatively, you could discuss your concern with the Practice Manager to see if your concerns can be resolved. Or, if you feel your doctor is the most appropriate person to approach, then you may do so. All complaints are taken seriously and will be dealt with honestly and openly in a timely way.

You can choose to complain to KAMP OR to Bath & North-East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB), not both.

To complain to the practice, we would prefer these to be in writing to the Practice Manager by either completing our complaints form, Feedback – The Kennet and Avon Medical Partnership or, by sending an email to kamp.practice@nhs.net or, sending a letter to the practice address, marked for the attention of the Practice Manager. Alternatively, please phone the practice and ask to speak to the Practice Manager and we will endeavour to find a suitable time for a discussion.

If you would rather not raise a complaint directly with the practice, you can complain to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) of the Bath and North-East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB) as follows:

• By telephone: 0300 561 0250
• By email: england.southwestcomplaints@nhs.net

You can choose to complain to KAMP OR to Bath & North-East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board (BSW ICB), not both.

Please let us know promptly if you have a complaint. In accordance with the NHS Complaints Procedures, a complaint must be raised within twelve months of the incident, or within twelve months of you becoming aware of the matter.

What Will Happen Next

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt.

The complaint will be investigated, and you will receive written follow up (email or letter) as soon as practicable. This will provide details either of the outcome of any investigations and any appropriate steps that will be taken to ensure that the situation does not re-occur, or details of how we will proceed with the complaint together with any timescales. There is no fixed time within which we have to respond to a complaint, but we will keep you regularly updated on the progress of a complaint.

If considered appropriate by all parties, you may be invited to attend the surgery to discuss the matter with the most appropriate staff members. If you wish, you may bring a friend or relative to this meeting. Following any such meeting, you will receive a written statement from the Practice detailing the outcome of the discussion.

Where other parties are involved you will be kept informed about the steps being taken to obtain their statements.

If we receive a complaint that may be better directed to another organisation, we will advise you within three working days of receipt and ask you to confirm if you wish it to be forwarded on and give you the full contact details of who we would send it to.

Confidentiality

All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of your medical records, we will advise you if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the Practice or an employee of the Practice.

The Practice will keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints, but such records will be kept separate from patients’ medical records.

Complaining On Behalf of Someone Else

Please note we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have their permission to do so. Signed consent by the person concerned will be needed, using either our complaint form, or through receipt of a letter in the practice, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

You may also find that if you are complaining on behalf of a minor (someone who is under 18 years of age) who is capable of making their own complaint, we will expect that minor to contact us themselves to lodge their complaint, or provide written consent as above that they are happy for us to discuss their care with the complainant.

KAMP is committed to providing a safe and comfortable environment and strives to achieve good practice at all times.

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present during any consultation, examination or procedure.

Clinicians at this practice will advise patients that a chaperone is necessary during any intimate examination; this is to safeguard both the clinician and you, the patient.

Where a chaperone is not available, the clinician will ask you to make an appointment and request the presence of a chaperone at the time of booking.

We only use staff as chaperones that have had the appropriate training and have knowledge of the examination or procedure you may be undergoing.

Family and friends are not permitted to act as chaperones as they do not have the knowledge required, nor do they have the necessary training. They are, however, welcome to be present if the patient consents to this.

Should you wish to see the full chaperone policy, please ask to speak to the Patient Services Manager.

If you have any questions, please speak to a Patient Navigator who will direct you to the most appropriate member of the team. Should you wish to see the full chaperone policy, please make this request to the Practice Manager.

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.
• Audit NHS accounts and services

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.

We may also share information with the following main partner organisations:

• NHS England and NHS England Local Area Teams
• NHS Trusts (hospitals)
• Special Health Authorities
• Ambulance Service
• Care Quality Commission

If you do not wish information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know. You can complete our Data Sharing Consent Form, or write to Amy Lacey, Patient Services Manager.

The purpose of the Confidentiality Policy is to lay down the principles that must be observed by all who work within NHS England and have access to person-identifiable information or confidential information. All staff need to be aware of their responsibilities for safeguarding confidentiality and preserving information security.

All employees working in the NHS are bound by a legal duty of confidence to protect personal information they may come into contact with during the course of their work. This is not just a requirement of their contractual responsibilities but also a requirement within the common law duty of confidence and the Data Protection Act 1998. It is also a requirement within the NHS Care Record Guarantee, produced to assure patients regarding the use of their information.

It is important that NHS England protects and safeguards person identifiable and confidential business information that it gathers, creates processes and discloses, in order to comply with the law, relevant NHS mandatory requirements and to provide assurance to patients and the public.

Confidential information within the NHS is commonly thought of as health information; however, it can also include information that is private and not public knowledge or information that an individual would not expect to be shared. It can take many forms including patient level health information, employee records, occupational health records, etc.

Your Integrated Care Record

What is it?

The BSW ICR is an electronic health record that combines information from the different organisations involved in your health and care, such as your GP practice, hospitals and social care services and displays it all in one place.

Your Integrated Care Record (ICR) is confidential and secure and helps doctors, nurses and other health and social care professionals involved in your care to make better, safer decisions.

What information is included?

Your ICR contains important information about you, including your contact details, medical history, medications, allergies, test results, hospital admissions, hospital referrals, social care and mental health referrals.

Who can see it?

Only people directly involved in your care will be able to see your data. This may include health and social care staff from GP Practices, hospitals, community trusts, mental health trusts, social care and NHS 111 staff.

For more information please visit bsw.icb.nhs.uk/your-health/your-care-record.

This policy sets out your rights under the General Data Protection Regulations (2018) for your access to medical records that we hold, and how we will fulfil those rights.

If you require this information in a different format, or you need further information or assistance, please contact our Data Protection Officer at the either of the surgery addresses, or by email stating “DPO Request” in the subject line – Go to Contact Us

Continuing access to your medical record online

You can view, in real time, a version of part of your medical record, via the GP online version of our clinical records system, SystmOnline. To do this, please log in and request “Detailed Coded Access” and “Full Clinical Records Access.” Please note, Full clinical records access will only be from the date of your request. We are not currently able to offer you access to the whole of your medical record online.

Obtaining a copy of your medical record

You can ask for us to provide you with a copy of your medical record, and we will do so within one month of receiving your request.

Please think carefully before you request a copy of your records. Your record may be held in both paper form and electronically. We will have to copy both parts, and then a GP will have to review the entire record to check that there are no entries that contain personal data belonging to another individual. Where the GP finds such third party data, we will have to remove it from the copy that we are preparing for you.

Please help us to help you by making reasonable requests of our valuable time. In particular, do you need a copy of your entire record, or only a part of the record, for example covering a particular period? The form that you must complete to request a copy enables you to ask for just a part of your record.

What will it cost?

KAMP will not charge you for an initial single copy of your medical records. However, we will charge for any further request for copies or part copies.

How will I receive my copy?

We will contact you to let you know when your copy has been reviewed and is ready to collect. You must come into the practice in person to collect the copy. You must bring photo ID with you, which we will copy and ask you to sign as confirmation of proof of collection.

We can only give the copy record to you. Please do not ask a friend or relative to collect the copy on your behalf as we will not hand your record over to them.

Can a Third Party (e.g. solicitor,insurance company, employer, etc) ask for a copy of my record?

Third Parties may make a request on your behalf. In accordance with the principles of the Act, it is our policy to only provide SARs to the Data Subject (you, the patient). We are under no obligation to release this information to anyone but you and we are unable to send the SAR to the Third Party.

On receipt of a request from a Third Party, we will contact you directly to make you aware of the request, seek your consent and to confirm that you will be required to collect the complete SAR.

Very often, solicitors or insurance companies ask us to provide a medical report on your behalf, relating to a specific issue, such as to take out a life insurance policy. Although such reports draw on information in your medical record, they do not count as a copy of your record. In such circumstances there is a charge for the report, which we would ask the solicitor or insurance company to pay before it is produced.

What do I do next?

If you want to have access, in real time, to a version of your medical record, please request this via online services.

In the event that you need to speak to someone, please ask a member of our patient navigation team.

If you want to obtain a copy of your medical record, or a part of it, please complete our online Application Form for Access to Medical Records.

If you think your medical records are wrong

From November 2023, people are able to access their medical records, such as through your NHS account and will be able to see entries to their records from that date.

If you think any part of your medical records is wrong, you should alert the practice as soon as possible. Please do this via the contact us form providing as much information about the error as you can.

If you spot something in the record that is not about you, please log out of the system and contact the practice as soon as possible.

All GP Practices are required to declare mean earnings (i.e. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in the practice of Kennet and Avon Medical Partnership, before tax and National Insurance, has been as follows:

19/20 £41,143
20/21 £53,877
21/22 £54,882
22/23 £54,511

23/24 £50,546

This is based on any GPs working in KAMP for more than six months in the relevant 12 month period.