National Diabetes Audit

We are taking part in an important national project about people at risk of diabetes and diabetes care and treatment in the NHS. The project is called the National Diabetes Audit (NDA).

If you have diabetes, non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, impaired glucose tolerance or pre-diabetes your GP practice will share information about your diabetes care and treamtent with the NDA. The type of information and how it is shared is controlled by law and enforced by strict rules of confidentiality and security.

For further information about how your data is used please see the NDA patient leaflet.

Taking part in the NDA shows that we are committed to reducing diabetes and improving care for people with diabetes. If you do not want your information to be used please inform the receptionist, doctor or nurse. This will not affect your care.

More information is available – please ask a member of staff for a patient leaflet of click on the link to view the national reports.

Our Charter

• Our charter is a statement of what you can expect from the practice.
• Our charter has been developed in consultation with patients and general practice(s) across Dudley borough.
• Our charter is endorsed and reviewed by Healthwatch Dudley; an organisation that exists to ensure that the patient voice is heard.

Our Commitments

• We aim to provide our patients with the best possible care.
• We will treat all patients equally. We will not discriminate on the grounds of gender, gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.
• We will listen and involve our patients in providing services that respond to their needs.

Making an Appointment

• We will plan the number of appointments we provide based on our appointment demand, and review this routinely to meet the needs of our patients.
• We will ensure that patient needs are consistently assessed and prioritised allowing us to provide patients with the most appropriate care or other response, from the right member of the practice team, including signposting or referring patients to other appropriate services.
• We will ensure that every patient will be assessed and prioritised according to need in the same way, regardless of whether contacting the practice by phone, online or in person.
• We will provide a variety of options for advice and consultations including face to face, online, and over the telephone.
• We will continuously review our online platforms, telephone systems, booking
• systems, websites to address patient need.

Signposting

• We recognise the important role our staff play in signposting to services of help, advocacy and support, which helps patients to feel empowered to take action to support their own health and wellbeing and in turn improves access to primary care services. We will provide clear accessible explanations and examples of
  signposting to other services, including NHS 111, emergency information, pharmacy services, mental health numbers, and other relevant resources.
• We will ensure that the practice is making best use of social prescribers i.e. staff who have access to a directory of health, social and voluntary sector services within Dudley to best meet patient need.
• Commitment to share information on other services and practice staff roles through a number of avenues such as practice newsletter, practice information screens, social media, posters etc.

Digital Services

• We will offer and promote to our patients (and those acting on their behalf) the following:
  – an online consultation tool.
  – a secure electronic communication method.
  – an online facility to provide and update personal or contact information.
• We are committed to ensuring that all of our patients can access and utilise our digital services should they wish too.
• We are committed to ensuring that our staff are trained and have the necessary skills to support patients to access programmes such as the Black Country Connected Programme.
• For those who are unable to use digital services we will work with you to find alternatives.

The Practice Website

• We are committed to developing a website not to simply display information, but to provide an area where patients can interact and complete tasks for example:
  – Make, change, or cancel an appointment.
  – Get a repeat prescription.
  – Get a sick note for work.
  – Get test results.
  – Register with/join the practice.
  – Get the practice phone number.
  – Find out the practice opening times.
  – Find the practice address.
  – The ability to provide feedback on patient experience.
• Online forms (provided via ‘online consultation tools’) should be available via the practice website or via tools like the NHS App to provide an easy route for patients to explain what they need and to request support.

Health Inequalities

• We are committed to identifying and providing services that support and help us to provide equitable services to all our patients, with the aim of reducing health inequalities related to access.

Language and Communication Barriers

• We are committed to ensuring that patients are able to access primary care services in a way that ensures their language and communication requirements do not prevent them receiving the same quality of healthcare as others. This includes reasonable adjustments for a wide range of needs, including different languages, stroke recovery, Deaf/BSL users, learning disabilities, stammering, and other communication needs

Longer Appointments

• We are committed to reviewing and adjusting people’s appointment length if they need more time with a Doctor or Nurse to make sure they understand the information they are given

Registration Rights and Eligibility Criteria

• We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone can register with our practice without the need for ID or proof of address. We will make the registration process as simple, accessible and visible as possible, particularly for vulnerable groups such as those without a fixed address, refugees, and migrants.
  *if a GP surgery only accepts patients inside their boundary*
• We are dedicated to ensuring people who live within our boundary [available on the practice website] can register without the need for ID. We may ask for supporting documentation to ensure patients live within the area. Where people who live within the area, but do not have a fixed address, we will be flexible with supporting documentation required and will allow them to register using the practice address.
• If we refuse to register a patient with the practice, we will provide a written explanation within 14 days.

Safer Surgeries

• We are committed to addressing the particular barriers to primary care faced by migrants in vulnerable circumstances, including refugees and survivors of trafficking.
• We are committed to registering and becoming a ‘safer surgery’ ii to ensure that everyone is able to access the healthcare they’re entitled to.

LGBTQ+ Friendly

• We are committed to improving the experiences of LGBTQ+ people accessing  primary care services recognising our commitment to LGBTQ+ excellence in healthcare in line with Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) guidelines.

Veterans

• We are committed to supporting veterans healthcare and will work towards improving our identification and understanding of their needs and referring appropriately.

Training

• We will ensure that our staff especially those who interact with patients, have the necessary skills and training to recognise and understand the importance of addressing health inequalities and are well prepared to identify and support patients facing barriers related to communication, literacy, and other challenges and support them with accessing primary care.

Working with Patients

• We are committed to working with our patients to understand and respond to their needs.
• We are committed to supporting and developing our Patient Participation Group (PPG) by actively involving patients in shaping our services. We will regularly update patients about upcoming PPG meetings and ensure feedback from the National Patient Survey and Friends and Family Test is shared and acted upon. Information about these meetings will be clearly displayed in communal areas and our website to encourage participation and engagement.

Working with Healthwatch Dudley

• We recognise the value and importance of Healthwatch Dudley in gathering the views of the patients across Dudley on challenges and opportunities for practices to improve access.
• We are committed to working with Healthwatch Dudley to better understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities to make improvements in access.
• Contact details will be available for anyone who wishes to share their experiences or if they feel the charter’s points are not being upheld after addressing their concerns directly with the practice.
  Healthwatch Dudley can be contacted on
  – Phone: 03000 111 001 (local rate)
  – Email: hello@healthwatchdudley.co.uk
  – Website: www.healthwatchdudley.co.uk
  – Address: 7 Albion Street, Brierley Hill, DY5 3EE

Working with NHS England and the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB)

• We recognise the value and importance of NHS England and the ICB who set the standards that we are required to meet.
• We are committed to working with NHS England and the ICB to implement the national standards and requirements set for general practice.

Patient Charter

Whilst we are committed to upholding our responsibilities and delivering care in line with this charter, we appreciate your understanding that some factors may be beyond our control and thank you for your patience in these situations.

We ask of you

• We ask that you value the dedication of our staff, as we do. We expect all patients to treat them with respect. Abuse towards our team will not be tolerated.
• We ask if you are unable to attend for an appointment please let us know, so that we can offer it to someone else.
• We ask that if you are unavoidably delayed you let us know as soon as possible, so that we can make alternative arrangements to meet your needs.
• We ask you to be patient if the clinician is running late. This is often due to unforeseeable emergencies, but you are welcome to ask the Receptionist for more information.
• We ask you to only request a home visit for those who are unable to leave the house. If you need a home visit, if possible please telephone before 10.30am.
• We ask you to provide our reception staff with information about your condition and we reassure you that our staff have received comprehensive training in order to signpost patients to appropriate source of help, which maybe in the practice or somewhere else.
• We ask that if you are unclear about your treatment please discuss this with a member of the practice team. Try to follow any medical advice given to you.
• We ask you to let us know if you change your contact details, so we can keep your records up to date.
• We ask you to share any specific communication or accessibility requirements with us, to enable us to better meet your needs.
• We ask you to respond or act upon any correspondence received in a timely manner, in order for us to provide continuing appropriate medical care.
• We ask patients to raise any concerns directly with the practice so that these can be addressed promptly.

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 Rangeways Road Surgery in the last financial year was £83,566 before tax and national insurance.  This is for 4  part time GPs, 0 full time GPs and 0 locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.

You will be offered a health check when you join the practice. Any patients aged 16 –74 years who have not had a consultation within the last three years may request a consultation.

Patients 75 years and over who have not had a consultation within the last twelve months may request a health check with one of our practice team. If you are unable to attend the surgery, a home visit could be arranged.

All members of staff will do their utmost to assist you but if you do have any complaints about the service we provide please do not hesitate to contact our practice manager  who will look into your complaint and report back to you.

For further information please view our Complaints procedure.

• Complaints Leaflet

All patients have a named accountable GP who is responsible for the patients overall care at the practice. This does not mean that they will be the only GP or clinician who will provide care to that patient. It is important to note that you can still make your appointment with any GP at the practice. Out of hours service will remain the same.

For patients aged 75 years or older that have previously been allocated a named GP this will remain the same.

For patients under 75 your named GP will be allocated as follows:
A – L – Dr John
M – Z- Dr Nickalls
If you have a preference to your named GP please speak to reception and the practice will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your request.

National Data Opt Out – The current NHS Digital (NHSD) extract of GP data for Research purposes (known as the GDPR) has been delayed due to NHSD wishing to review the way in which this data will be collected, to conduct more public involvement and information about the plans and change the way in which patients can opt out of the extract of their GP data.

Currently the only way to opt out is to complete a Type 1 opt out form and return this to the practice by the 1^st September.  However, this extract will not be taken until the NHSD have changed the way it will take the data and respect the patient’s choice for using their data.

NHSD are introducing the following changes to the opt out process which will mean that patients will be able to change their opt-out status at any time:

• Patients do not need to register a Type 1 opt-out by 1st September to ensure their GP data will not be uploaded.

• NHS Digital will create the technical means to allow GP data that has previously been uploaded to the system via the GDPR collection to be deleted when someone registers a Type 1 opt-out.

• The plan to retire Type 1 opt-outs will be deferred for at least 12 months while we get the new arrangements up and running and will not be implemented without consultation with the RCGP, the BMA and the National Data Guardian.

This means that you can opt out at any time in the future and NHSD will delete data that they already have taken for research purposes, the deadline of the 01/09/2021 has been delayed until a new system of opt out is developed.

Hopefully, this will be a simple centralised approach via the NHS app or NHS website to avoid paper form and administration work for your GP. We will update you when we know more about the NHSD plans to change how you can control who has access to your data.

GPES data for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19) – NHS Digital.

This practice is supporting vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. For more information about this see the General Practice Transparency Notice for GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19).

What is Proxy Access?

Proxy access was developed to allow someone other than the patient to access and manage parts of their GP online services account. The person acting on behalf of the patient for example a parent or carer (the proxy) is given their own online access account (rather than using the patient’s login details).

To obtain proxy access a person must be registered for online access at the practice where the patient they are acting for is registered. Proxy access is the recommended alternative to sharing login details. Every practice is required to verify patient identity documentation, or individually vouch for each patient requesting access to online services.

Please contact the practice who will advise how to request Proxy Access.

We do accept final year medical students who are overseen by a supervising GP at the practice. Our reception team will advise you accordingly.

Please note this Practice operates Zero Tolerance to violence and aggression towards doctors and staff. Patients will be removed from the list immediately.

As a patient you have the right to:

• Be registered with a named doctor
• Change doctor if desired (but please remember that you may have to see any of the doctors if your need is urgent)
• Receive emergency care
• Receive appropriate drugs and medicines
• Be referred for specialist or second opinion if they and GP agrees
• See your medical records or a copy, subject to certain laws
• Know that by law, everyone working for the NHS must keep the contents of your medical records private

With these rights come responsibilities for the public. That means being:

• Courteous to staff at all times
• As prompt as possible for all appointments
• Responsible for cancelling appointments in adequate time