There are several different types of health records, accessing them is free, and healthcare professionals have a legal requirement to allow you to see them.

GP records

GP records include information about your medicine, allergies, vaccinations, previous illnesses and test results, hospital discharge summaries, appointment letters and referral letters. You can access your GP records, and nominate someone you trust to access them by contacting us directly or through GP online services like NHS App. More information about GP online services on the NHS website: Visit GP online services.

Your Summary Care Record

If you’ve registered with us, you’ll have a Summary Care Record unless you’ve chosen not to have one. It contains basic information including your allergies, medicines and any reactions you’ve had to medicine in the past. During the coronavirus outbreak, you will also have extra information added to your record. This includes significant medical history (past and present), reasons for medicines, care plan information and vaccinations. You cannot get your Summary Care Record online. If you’d like to see it, please contact us.

Accessing someone else’s records

Health and care records are confidential so you can only access someone else’s records if you’re authorised to do so. To access someone else’s health records, you must:

• be acting on their behalf with their consent, or
• have the legal authority to make decisions on their behalf (power of attorney), or
• have another legal basis for access

Applying for access to someone else’s health records

A request for someone’s health and care records should be made directly to The Surgery⁽¹⁾ or the NHS SAR team⁽²⁾. This is known as a Subject Access Request (SAR), as set out by the Data Protection Act of 2018.

⁽¹⁾To request this directly from The Surgery, please download the SAR form (there are two versions: PDF or Word), fill it in on paper or electronically and send it:

• by post to: FAO Administration Team, The Old School Surgery, Manor Road, Bristol, BS16 2JD, or
• by email to: general.oldschool@nhs.net

⁽²⁾To request this from the NHS SAR team please download the Subject Access Request form here, fill it in on paper or electronically and send it:

• by post to: Information Governance Delivery Team, NHS England, 7 and 8 Wellington Place, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4AP, or
• by email to NHS SAR team enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk

More information about the NHS SAR is here.

You will need the patient or service user’s written consent if you wish to access their record. Where written consent is not possible, other arrangements will be necessary. Under the Data Protection Act, requests for access to records should be responded to as soon as possible, or within 1 month. However, government guidance for healthcare organisations says they should aim to respond within 21 days.

Refused request

We can refuse to supply some of your requests if, for example:

• it is likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of any individual
• the information you have asked for contains information that relates to another person

If your request is rejected or you have a complaint about the process, you can complain to James Burns our Operations Manager. If you are still not satisfied, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Patients unable to give consent

If a person does not have the mental capacity to manage their own affairs and you are their attorney, you will have the right to apply for access to their health and care records. This would apply, for example, if you have a Lasting Power of Attorney with authority to manage their property and affairs. The same applies to a person appointed to make decisions about such matters by the Court of Protection in England and Wales.

Accessing children’s records

A person with parental responsibility will usually be entitled to access the records of a child who is aged 12 or younger. Children aged 13 or older are usually considered to have the capacity to give or refuse consent to parents requesting access to their health records unless there is a reason to suggest otherwise. Although British Medical Association guidance says that every reasonable effort must be made to encourage the child to involve parents or guardians. Read more information about accessing someone else’s records.

Getting your records changed

If you think your health record is incorrect, you should let us know and we will help you to update it.

Accessing someone else’s information

As a parent, family member or carer, you may be able to access services for someone else. We call this having proxy access. We can set this up for you if you are both registered with us.

To requests proxy access:

• collect a proxy access form from reception from 10am to 6pm

Linked profiles in your NHS account

Once proxy access is set up, you can access the other person’s profile in your NHS account, using the NHS App or website.

The NHS website has information about using linked profiles to access services for someone else.

If you have a complaint or a compliment, you can share this with us in a variety of ways. This can be submitted in the following ways:

•  Through our online portal, Klinik: https://access.klinik.co.uk/contact/old-school-surgery
• Via email: bnssg.general.oldschool1@nhs.net
• In writing to : The Old School Surgery, Manor Road, Bristol BS16 2JD or handed in at reception

If these ways are not suitable, you can also call the practice on 0117 965 3102 and one of our Care Navigators will assist you in capturing your feedback.

If you need assistance in submitting feedback, you can access free support through an advocacy service such as: Home | The Advocacy People

We welcome all feedback as it helps us understand the needs of our patients and how we can provide high quality healthcare to the people who rely on us. The person responsible for this feedback is James Burns, Operations Manager.

People with complaints or concerns about the decision making processes used by the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) or the outcomes of decisions, can either make a formal complaint:

Through their website : Making a complaint – NHS BNSSG ICB

By email: bnssg.customerservice@nhs.net

By telephone: Tel: 0117 900 2655 or 0800 073 0907 (freephone)

Write to:
Customer Services Team
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB
Floor 2
North Wing
100 Temple Street
Bristol
BS1 6AG

Full information about the ICB complaint process is held on their website, as above.

The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (BNSSG ICB) has responsibility for commissioning hospital, mental health, community and GP out of hours services.  People with complaints or concerns about hospital care, etc. can contact either the ICB as above or the individual hospital:

North Bristol NHS Trust: Frenchay, Cossham and Southmead Hospitals
Advice & Complaints Team (ACT)
Beaufort House, Beaufort Way,
Southmead Hospital, Southmead,
Bristol, BS10 5NB
Tel: 0117 323 3741
Fax: 0117 323 6561
Email: complaints@nbt.nhs.uk

University Hospitals Bristol: Bristol Eye Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Dental Hospital, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre, Bristol Heart Institute, South Bristol Community Hospital, Bristol Homeopathic Hospital, Bristol Sexual Health Centre:

Patient Support & Complaints Team
Trust Headquarters
University Hospitals Bristol
Marlborough Street
Bristol, BS1 3NU
Tel: 0117 342 3604
Email: pals@uhbristol.nhs.uk

NHS England has responsibility for primary care in Bristol; GP practices, dental practices, opticians and pharmacies.  People with complaints or concerns about a GP practice, dental practice, optometry practice (optician) or pharmacy will need to contact either the individual practice or the NHS England Customer Contact Centre:

NHS England
PO Box 16728
Redditch, B97 9PT
Email: england.contactus@nhs.net
Tel: 0300 311 2233

In all complaints, the second stage of the NHS complaints process remains to ask the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to review the complaint.

Advocacy is commissioned by the council from HealthWatch Bristol.  They can offer different levels of support from self-advocacy through to trained volunteer advocates and professional advocacy.  They support patients to look at different options and possible outcomes so they can make informed choices about what action they can take. They can be contacted on 0808 808 5252.

Hear to listen, not to tell

You can be sure that anything you discuss with any member of this practice – Doctor, nurse or receptionist – will stay confidential.

Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone – including parents, other family members, care workers or tutors – without your permission. The only reason we might have to consider passing on confidential information without your permission, would be to protect you or someone else from serious harm. We would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you are being treated elsewhere – for example at a Hospital or a young people’s clinic – it is best if you allow the Doctor or nurse to inform the practice of any treatment you are receiving.

Connecting Care is a digital care record system for sharing information in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.  It allows instant, secure access to your health and social care records for the professionals involved in your care. 

When things go wrong

At The Old School Surgery and UWE Health Centre, we endeavour to provide a first-class service at all times. However, we acknowledge that sometimes things may go wrong and our service may fall below our expected levels.

In order to comply with Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulations 2014), we pledge to:-

• Have a culture of openness and honesty at all levels
• Inform patients in a timely manner when safety incidents occur which may affect them
• Provide a written and truthful account of the incident, explaining any investigations and enquiries made
• Provide a written apology
• Provide support if you are affected directly by an incident

We aim to achieve this by following the principles:

Openness – Enabling concerns and complaints to be raised freely without fear and questions asked to be answered.

Transparency – Allowing information about the truth, performance and outcomes to be shared with staff, people who use the service, the public and regulators.

Candour – Any person who uses the service and is harmed by the provision of a service provider is informed of the fact and an appropriate remedy offered, regardless of whether a complaint has been made, or a question asked about it.

Apology – An ‘apology’ is an expression of sorrow or regret in respect of a notifiable safety incident. It is not an admission of guilt.

Appropriate Written Records – Records are complete, legible, accurate and up to date. Every effort must be made to ensure records are updated without any delays.

Cancelling Treatment – where planned treatment is not carried out as a direct result of the notifiable safety incident.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities.

It does this in two ways:

• public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities; and
• members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.

The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland. Information held by Scottish public authorities is covered by Scotland’s own Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Your rights for information:

• The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is designed to promote openness and accountability amongst all organisations that receive public money.
• From January 1st 2005 it will oblige GP practices to respond to requests about the NHS related information that it holds, and it will create a right of access to that information. These rights are subject to some exemptions that have to be taken into consideration before releasing information.
• In addition to accessing the information identified in the publication scheme, you are entitled to request information about our NHS services under the NHS Openness Code 1995  (see the NHS foi website page).
• New environmental information regulations was introduced early 2003. These will enable similar access to environmental information as under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
• Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact any practice where your records are held to do this.

In more detail

• What is the Freedom of Information Act for?
• What are the principles behind the Act?
• Are we covered by the Act?
• When is information covered by the Act?
• Who can make an FOI request?
• What are our obligations under Act?
• What do we need to tell people about the Act?
• How does the Act affect data protection?
• How does the Act affect copyright and intellectual property?
• What other laws may we need to take into account when applying the Act?

To find out what patients in the most recent survey think of the practice go to the following link: www.gp-patient.co.uk

All GP practices are required to declare the mean net earnings (eg. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice. This is required in the interests of greater public accountability recognising GP pay is ultimately funded from tax paid by the public.

The average pay for GPs working in The Old School Surgery in the last financial year was £65643 before tax and national insurance. This is for 0 full-time GPs,17 part-time GPs and 2 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is a voluntary annual reward and incentive programme for all GP surgeries in England, detailing practice achievement results. It is not about performance management but resourcing and then rewarding good practice.

The QOF contains three main components, known as domains. The three domains are: Clinical; Public Health and Public Health – Additional Services. Each domain consists of a set of achievement measures, known as indicators, against which practices score points according to their level of achievement. The 2018/19 QOF measured achievement against 77 indicators; practices scored points based on achievement against each indicator, up to a maximum of 559 points.

• Clinical: consists of 65 indicators across 19 clinical areas (e.g. chronic kidney disease, heart failure, hypertension) worth up to a maximum of 435 points.
• Public health: consists of seven indicators (worth up to 97 points) across four clinical areas – blood pressure, cardiovascular disease – primary prevention, obesity 18+ and smoking 15+.
• Public health – additional services: consists of five indicators (worth up to 27 points) across two service areas – cervical screening and contraception. For accessibility purposes, all six conditions/measures within public health and public health additional services are to be found under the one heading ‘Public Health’.

The QOF gives an indication of the overall achievement of a surgery through a points system. Practices aim to deliver high-quality care across a range of areas for which they score points. Put simply, the higher the score, the higher the financial reward for the practice. The final payment is adjusted to take account of surgery workload, local demographics and the prevalence of chronic conditions in the practice’s local area.

NHS Digital has developed an online database to allow patients and the public easy access to the latest annual QOF points as an indication of how well the surgery is doing. NHS Digital is working to make information more relevant and accessible to patients and the public, regulators, health and social care professionals and policymakers, leading to improvements in knowledge and efficiency.

For more information about QOF follow this link here: www.qof.ic.nhs.uk

To see our latest CQC report please click here

What is a privacy notice?

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that data controllers provide certain information to people whose information (personal data) they hold and use. A privacy notice is one way of providing this information. This is sometimes referred to as a fair processing notice.

A privacy notice should identify who the data controller is, with contact details for its Data Protection Officer. It should also explain the purposes for which personal data are collected and used, how the data are used and disclosed, how long it is kept, and the controller’s legal basis for processing.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are cooperating to establish a joint enterprise. We may collect and use personal data for the functions that we exercise jointly. Our joint privacy notice explains how we do this.

As the two organisations still have distinctive statutory responsibilities and accountabilities, NHS England and NHS Improvement will continue to publish separate privacy notices explaining how we use personal data for our respective purposes.

Find out more

• NHS England privacy notice (web page)
• NHS England privacy notice (pdf)
• NHS Improvement privacy notice
• Joint NHS England and NHS Improvement privacy notice

Old School Surgery is a teaching practice for the University of Bristol. As part of this, we have students on placement from all five years. For the junior students, this is mainly for tutorials but the more senior students sit in on surgeries and occasionally see patients under supervision. If this is a problem for you please let reception know when booking an appointment.

We also have qualified doctors working at the surgery for 4-month placements as part of their post-graduate training. They have daily appointments and work closely with the GPs.