Verbal or physical abuse will not be tolerated. We have a zero tolerance policy, and will remove any patient from our list who adopts such behaviour.

You have the right to register with a doctor of your choice, subject to acceptance by that doctor. If you leave the practice we will return your medical records as soon as they are requested by the Health Authority to pass to your new doctor.

There are occasions when patients need to be examined by a clinician (a doctor, nurse, midwife, or health care assistant) that may involve intimate examinations.

This practice is committed to putting patients at ease whenever possible, and if you wish a chaperone to be present during your examination please do not hesitate to ask the clinician or receptionist for a chaperone.

It may not be possible for such a chaperone to be provided immediately and you may have to return for the examination to be carried out at a mutually convenient time.

Trust is important in the relationship between clinician and patient and we would, at all times, wish you to feel able to ask for a chaperone, should you require it.

We operate a practice-based complaints procedure, which adheres to the NHS Complaints Procedure. If a problem does arise, please ask at Reception for a leaflet explaining this procedure.

We will review and monitor the services we provide to ensure that our commitment to high quality patient care remains constant. Your views are important to us, as is your co-operation in achieving these aims. Positive and negative feedback will help us to judge whether we are meeting these standards.

Our computer is used to help both you and us by organising our repeat prescriptions and medical records systems, and in running screening and recall programmes. Most clinical information about you is now stored on computer at a remote, secure server. The use of this information is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR).

All staff in the practice are bound to maintain patient confidentiality. Any proven breach of confidentiality will be treated extremely seriously. Confidentiality also extends to family members, therefore information about you will not be divulged to a family member without your consent.

Supplementary privacy note on Covid-19 for patients using GP Surgeries based in Kent and Medway 

This notice describes how we may use your information to protect you and others during the Covid-19 outbreak. It supplements our main Privacy Notice which is available here.

The health and social care system is facing significant pressures due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Health and care information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support health and social care services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the outbreak. In the current emergency it has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant organisations.

Existing law which allows confidential patient information to be used and shared appropriately and lawfully in a public health emergency is being used during this outbreak. Using this law the Secretary of State has required NHS Digital; NHS England and Improvement; Arms Length Bodies (such as Public Health England); local authorities; health organisations and GPs to share confidential patient information to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. Any information used or shared during the Covid-19 outbreak will be limited to the period of the outbreak unless there is another legal basis to use the data.  Further information is available on gov.uk here.

During this period of emergency, opt-outs will not generally apply to the data used to support the Covid-19 outbreak, due to the public interest in sharing information.  This includes National Data Opt-outs.  However in relation to the Summary Care Record, existing choices will be respected. Where data is used and shared under these laws your right to have personal data erased will also not apply.  It may also take us longer to respond to Subject Access requests, Freedom of Information requests and new opt-out requests whilst we focus our efforts on responding to the outbreak.

In order to look after your health and care needs we may share your confidential patient information including health and care records with clinical and non clinical staff in other health and care providers, for example neighbouring GP practices, hospitals and NHS 111. We may also use the details we have to send public health messages to you, either by phone, text or email.

During this period of emergency we may offer you a consultation via telephone or video-conferencing with in Kent and Medway CCG we are using AccuRx. By accepting the invitation and entering the consultation you are consenting to this. Your personal/confidential patient information will be safeguarded in the same way it would with any other consultation.

We will also be required to share personal/confidential patient information with health and care organisations and other bodies engaged in disease surveillance for the purposes of

protecting public health, providing healthcare services to the public and monitoring and

managing the outbreak.  Further information about how health and care data is being used and shared by other NHS and social care organisations in a variety of ways to support the Covid-19 response is here. 

NHS England and Improvement and NHSX have developed a single, secure store to gather data from across the health and care system to inform the Covid-19 response. This includes data already collected by NHS England, NHS Improvement, Public Health England and NHS Digital. New data will include 999 call data, data about hospital occupancy and A&E capacity data as well as data provided by patients themselves.  All the data held in the platform is subject to strict controls that meet the requirements of data protection legislation.

In such circumstances where you tell us you’re experiencing Covid-19 symptoms we may need to collect specific health data about you.  Where we need to do so, we will not collect more information than we require and we will ensure that any information collected is treated with the appropriate safeguards.

We may amend this privacy notice at any time so please review it frequently. The date at the top of this page will be amended each time this notice is updated.

We have produced a publication scheme under the Act which provides, on request, standard information about the use of NHS funding by the Practice. Should you require a copy please ask one of our reception staff.

We are required to ask you what you think of the service we give you each time we see you. This feedback is anonymous, and we are required to send a monthly report to NHS England. You can go to our website and complete the Friends and Family Test, or you can complete a paper copy in the Surgery.

Matrix Medical Centre has a legal duty to explain how we use any personal information we collect about you, as a registered patient, at the practice.

Staff at this practice maintain records about your health and the treatment you receive in electronic and paper format.

What information do we collect about you?

We will collect information such as personal details, including name, address, next of kin, records of appointments, visits, telephone calls, your health records, treatment and medications, test results, X-rays, etc. and any other relevant information to enable us to deliver effective medical care.

How we will use your information

Your data is collected for the purpose of providing direct patient care; however, we can disclose this information if it is required by law, if you give consent or if it is justified in the public interest. The practice may be requested to support research; however, we will always gain your consent before sharing your information with medical research databases such as the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and QResearch or others when the law allows.

In order to comply with its legal obligations, this practice may send data to NHS Digital when directed by the Secretary of State for Health under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Additionally, this practice contributes to national clinical audits and will send the data that is required by NHS Digital when the law allows. This may include demographic data, such as date of birth, and information about your health which is recorded in coded form; for example, the clinical code for diabetes or high blood pressure.

Processing your information in this way and obtaining your consent ensures that we comply with Articles 6(1)(c), 6(1)(e) and 9(2)(h) of the GDPR.

Maintaining confidentiality and accessing your records

We are committed to maintaining confidentiality and protecting the information we hold about you. We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security, as well as guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You have a right to access the information we hold about you, and if you would like to access this information, you will need to complete a Subject Access Request (SAR). Please ask at reception for a SAR form and you will be given further information. Furthermore, should you identify any inaccuracies, you have a right to have the inaccurate data corrected. 

Risk stratification

Risk stratification is a mechanism used to identify and subsequently manage those patients deemed as being at high risk of requiring urgent or emergency care. Usually this includes patients with long-term conditions, e.g. cancer. Your information is collected by a number of sources, including Matrix Medical Centre; this information is processed electronically and given a risk score which is relayed to your GP who can then decide on any necessary actions to ensure that you receive the most appropriate care.

Invoice validation

Your information may be shared if you have received treatment to determine which Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is responsible for paying for your treatment. This information may include your name, address and treatment date. All of this information is held securely and confidentially; it will not be used for any other purpose or shared with any third parties.

Opt-outs

You have a right to object to your information being shared. Should you wish to opt out of data collection, please contact a member of staff who will be able to explain how you can opt out and prevent the sharing of your information; this is done by registering to opt out online (national data opt-out programme) or if you are unable to do so or do not wish to do so online, by speaking to a member of staff.

Retention periods

In accordance with the NHS Codes of Practice for Records Management, your healthcare records will be retained for 10 years after death, or if a patient emigrates, for 10 years after the date of emigration.

What to do if you have any questions

Should you have any questions about our privacy policy or the information we hold about you, you can:

• Contact the practice’s data controller via email at p.mills1@nhs.net. GP practices are data controllers for the data they hold about their patients
• Write to the data controller at Matrix Medical Centre
• Ask to speak to the Clinical Governance Manager Pam Mills

Complaints

In the unlikely event that you are unhappy with any element of our data-processing methods, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO. For further details, visit ico.org.uk and select ‘Raising a concern’.

Changes to our privacy policy

We regularly review our privacy policy and any updates will be published on our website, in our newsletter and on posters to reflect the changes. This policy is to be reviewed August 2018

All GP Practices are required to declare the mean earnings (eg average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice. The average pay for GPs working in Matrix Medical Centre in the last financial year was £58,205 before tax and National Insurance. This is for one full-time GP and one locum who worked in the practice for more than six months.

Disclaimer: NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised. 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 for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparisons with other practices.

The care of our patients is fundamental to the service we provide, and it should be recognised that you also have a responsibility for your own wellbeing. We may prescribe treatments to aid a particular problem, and may make recommendations to effect changes or modifications in lifestyle.

Your responsibilities to us are:

• To comply with any treatment recommended or prescribed.

• To try to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible and ask for help and advice if necessary.

Because the doctor can see four patients in the time it takes to make one home visit, it is always better to be seen in the surgery where all our equipment and computer records are at hand. If your medical condition prevents you from attending the surgery, the doctor may decide to visit you at home. Try to give an indication of the problem to the receptionist so that we can assess the urgency. Always give the receptionist a contact telephone number, as the doctor may decide it is more appropriate to speak to you over the telephone rather than visit you.

Your responsibilities to us are:

• To please bear in mind that the Surgery is the preferred place to be seen, as this is where we have access to all our equipment, staff and computer records.
• Not to ask for a home visit because you have problems with transport or because you feel it is more convenient to be seen at home. We can only visit you on medical grounds. It is your responsibility to make your own way to the surgery if there is no medical reason preventing you from doing so.
• If you feel a home visit is necessary, please telephone before 10.00am if possible.
• If you think that an urgent home visit is required please make this clear to the receptionist when you call.
• To be willing to accept alternatives, such as telephone advice or a prescription if the doctor feels this is the most appropriate treatment in your case.

From Monday 1 October 2018, you will be able to book an appointment to see a GP in the evenings or weekends at one of the new Primary Care Hubs within Healthy Living Centres across Medway. 

Primary Care Hubs are funded by Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (www.medwayccg.nhs.uk) as part of the national NHS Improving Access to General Practice Programme. The service has been developed to improve the availability of services you would normally get from your GP practice. 

You must book an appointment to be seen at a hub – appointments need to be booked in the same way you would book usually, with your own GP receptionist team. 

This service is provided by Medway Practices Alliance (MPA) (www.medwaypracticesalliance.co.uk), a federation of Medway GP practices, created to enhance the delivery of healthcare services to over 300,000 patients in Medway. 

You must have booked an appointment through your GP surgery, as walk-in appointments are not available.

The service will be available at the following times:

Rochester Healthy Living Centre, Delce Road, Rochester, ME1 2EL

Monday           13:00 – 20:00 

Tuesday          13:00 – 20:00

Thursday         13:00 – 20:00

Saturday          09:00 – 16:00

Sunday            09:00 – 14:00

Rainham Healthy Living Centre, 103-107 High Street, ME8 8AA

Monday            13:00 – 20:00 

Wednesday      13:00 – 20:00 

Friday               13:00 – 20:00

Lordswood Healthy Living Centre, Sultan Road, Chatham, ME5 8TJ 

Tuesday           13:00 – 20:00

Wednesday      13:00 – 20:00

Friday               13:00 – 20:00

At Matrix we aim to provide high quality, accessible care for all our patients provided by our valued and supported practice team. We will embrace change and innovation in partnership with you, in order to uphold safe and sustainable care.

All patients are notified of their named and accountable GP on registration. If you are unsure who your GP is please ask the receptionist.

www.nhs.uk/nhs111

This is a free, telephone-based, Government-funded service independent from the surgery. You can obtain advice on a wide variety of problems, but the person you are speaking to will not have access to your medical records, so be prepared to supply this information if requested to do so.

NHS 111 is a service to help people access urgent local health services when they need them. Calls are free and answered by trained advisers who assess symptoms, give advice, arrange for patients to speak directly to a health professional if they need to, or send an ambulance if needed.

NHS 111 is for patients who:

• Need medical help fast but it’s not a 999 emergency
• Think they need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service
• Don’t know who to call or don’t have a GP
• Don’t have a dentist – people who dial 111 and will be given the numbers of local dentists.

This is the local organisation responsible for administering and paying for the health care that we give you under the NHS. Their address is:

NHS Kent and Medway CCG
Kent House
81 Station Road
Ashford
Kent

TN23 1PP

Telephone: 01634 335095

email: kmccg.kentandmedway@nhs.net

Website: www.kentandmedwayccg.nhs.uk

Patients should expect to be treated with respect and courtesy, and not to be discriminated against on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religious belief, political opinion or affiliation, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, age or disability.

Your responsibility to us is:

• To afford the same level of courtesy and respect to all members of our practice.

If you have any issues or concerns a senior member of staff is always available for a confidential chat.

Not all the services we provide are available free on the NHS. Services that attract a fee include private medicals (for example, driving and employment medicals), certain certificates, letters and vaccinations. Please ask the receptionist for details of our current fees.

If you want to make any suggestions on how we can improve our services please share your ideas with any member of staff, or go to our online Feedback page.