The aim of the Accessible Information Standard is to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand, and any communication supoort that they need.
The Accessible Information Standard tells orgnaisations how they should make sure that patients and service users, and their carers and parents, can access and understand the information they are given. This includes making sure that people get information in different formats if they need it, for example in large print, braille, easy read or via email.
The Accessible Information Standard also tells organisations how they should make sure that people get any support with communication that they need, for example support from a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, deafblind manual interpreter or an advocate.
If you have any information or communication needs please let us know.
Accessible Information Standard
or for more information please visit: www.england.nhs.uk/accessibleinfo
Are You a Carer?
If you are please let us know – we may be able to help you
There is a wealth of information on the NHS website about carers and caring. Below are some links into the site that we hope you will find useful.
- A guide to care and support
Information for carers and people who have care & support needs.
- Caring for someone
Advice on providing care, medicines etc.
- Care after hospital
Providing care for people who have been recently discharged from hospital.
- Taking a break
Caring for someone can be a full-time job – find out about accessing breaks and respite care.
- Support and benefits for carers
Caring for someone can be a full-time job – find out about accessing breaks and respite care.
Guidance, support and help with employment issues.
Advice for carers 18 or under and their entitlement to support
Finance and Law
Help claiming benefits, looking after your bank balance and understanding the legal issues of caring.
- Benefits for carers
Directing carers to the benefits that can help them in their caring role
- Benefits for the under-65s
Advice and information on helping the person you look after get the benefits that they are entitled to.
Benefits for the over-65sAdvice and information on financial support for older people with a disability or illness.
- Carer’s Assement
How your benefits maybe affected after the death of the person you look after and what happens to their benefits
- Other benefits
Advice for carers and the people they are looking after on claiming a whole host of other benefits unrelated to their disability or caring
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can sometimes 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.
Our Practice Manager will be pleased to deal with any complaint. She will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.
You can make your complaint:
- In writing – please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to the Practice for the attention of the Practice Manager.
- Complaints Policy
All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.
The average pay for GPs working in Barton Hills Medical Group in the last financial year was £62,794 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 1 full time GP and 2 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.
However 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.
The NHS wants to give people better ways to see their personal health information online. We know that people want to be able to access their health records. It can help you see test results faster. It also lets you read and review notes from your appointments in your own time.
We’re now letting you see all the information within your health record. If you are over 16 and have an online account, such as through the NHS App, NHS website, or other GP online services and apps, you will now automatically be able to see all future information entered on your medical record. Some people can already access this feature, this won’t change for you.
This means that you will be able to see records from your appointments, as well as test results and any letters that are saved on your records. This only applies to records from your doctor (GP), not from hospitals or other specialists, although you will be able to see any letters that hospitals or specialists send to your doctor (GP). You will only be able to see information from 18th October 2023. For most people, access will be automatic, and you won’t need to do anything.
Your doctor (GP) may talk to you to discuss test results before you are able to see some of your information on the app. Your doctor (GP) may also talk to you before you are given full record access to make sure that having access is of benefit to you. If you are concerned that seeing your records is not right for you, you should speak to your practice.
These changes only apply to people with online accounts. If you do not want an online account, you can still access your GP health record by requesting this information via reception or email us on bartonhills.surgery@nhs.net. The changes also only apply to personal information about you. If you are a carer and would like to see information about someone you care for, speak to reception staff.
The NHS App, website and other online services are all very secure. You’ll need to make sure you protect your login details. Do not share your password with anyone as they will then have access to your personal information.
If you do not want to see your health record, or if you would like more information about these changes, please speak to your GP or reception staff. You can also read more by going to www.nhs.uk/gp-record.
Confidentiality & Medical Records
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.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practioners 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.
Access to Records
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.
Copying of correspondence
Due to the increasing demand in patients requesting copies of letters and pathology results, requests must be made in writing. We have to advise you that there may also be a charge.
These will only include copies initiated within the Practice and written to other healthcare professionals external to the Practice (i.e.Referrals).
Letters not initiated within the Practice (e.g. Consultant/Hospital) will not be permitted; these are the responsibility of the originator.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can sometimes 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.
Our Practice Manager will be pleased to deal with any complaint. She will explain the procedure to you and make sure that your concerns are dealt with promptly.
You can make your complaint:
- In writing – Please give as much information as you can, then send your complaint to the Practice for the attention of the Practice Manager.
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the Practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard Practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient 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.
You do not require a doctor’s sickness certificate for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer, at the Practice or on the HMRC website.
Evidence that you are sick
If you are sick for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay).
Your employer can ask you to confirm that you’ve been ill.You can do this by filling in a form yourself when you return to work. This is called self-certification.
If you’re sick and off work for more than seven days, your employer will probably ask for proof of your illness. Most employers ask for a fit note from your GP.
However, this will also depend on your employer’s company policy on sick leave (or sickness absence). This policy should tell you how many days you can be off sick before you need to provide proof of illness or a fit note.
You could also provide evidence from someone who is not a medical practitioner, e.g. a dentist. Your employer will decide whether or not this evidence is acceptable. If your employer has any doubts, they may still ask for a medical certificate from your GP.
Statement of Fitness for Work – ’Fit Note’
The ‘fit note’ was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer’s support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.
For more information see the DirectGov website (where this information was sourced)
There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). The Summary Care Record is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the Surgery is closed. Initially, it will contain just your medications, sensitivities and allergies.
Later on as the central NHS computer system develops, (known as the ‘Summary Care Record’ – SCR), other staff who work in the NHS will be able to access it along with information from hospitals, out of hours services, and specialists letters that may be added as well.
Your information will be extracted from Practices such as ours and held on central NHS databases.
As with all new systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so.
On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing your personal information and wish to keep your information at the level of this Practice. Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the Summary Care Record have agreed with doctors’ leaders that new patients registering with this Practice should be able to decide whether or not their information is uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System.
For existing patients it is different in that it is assumed that you want your record uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System unless you actively opt out.
For further information visit the Connecting for Health Website
If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery.
From the the 1st April 2015 registered users of Systmone online, will be able to view their Summary Care Record .
Barton Hills is approved for training GP Registrars. We usually have one or two GP Registrars, working under the supervision of Dr A Siddique.
Registrars are experienced doctors gaining the skills necessary to work independently as a GP.
As part of this training, it is occasionally necessary to video consultations, your consent will always be requested for this.
You can now register to receive information regarding your appointments via our SMS (text) service. However, please note that this service is automated, therefore, cancellations or amendments to appointments can only be acted upon by phoning the Surgery.
If you require any vaccinations relating to foreign travel you need to complete the travel vaccination form below or make an appointment with the nurse to discuss your travel arrangements. This will include which countries and areas within countries that you are visiting to determine what vaccinations are required.
There is further information about countries and vaccinations required on the links below
 Europe & Russia |
 North America |
 Central America |
 South America |
 Caribbean |
 Africa |
 Middle East |
 Central Asia |
 East Asia |
 Australasia and Pacific |
It is important to make this initial appointment, or complete the form as early as possible – at least 6 weeks before you travel – as a second appointment will be required with the Practice nurse to actually receive the vaccinations. These vaccines have to be ordered as they are not a stock vaccine. Your second appointment needs to be at least 2 weeks before you travel to allow the vaccines to work.
Some travel vaccines are ordered on a private prescription and these incur a charge over and above the normal prescription charge. This is because not all travel vaccinations are included in the services provided by the NHS. Payment will be required before ordering, please note the Surgery does not have the facility to accept credit/debit cards.
Travel Vaccination Form
Cover your Healthcare abroad If you are travelling abroad follow the link to help you get the most out of your holiday.