General Practice Data for Planning & Research

Coded health data held in GP systems from your medical records will be uploaded to NHS Digital from 1st July unless patients opted out of this before 1st September 2021.

NHS Digital information on GPDPR

This is a legal requirement for practices and both the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners have called for improved communication with the public from NHS Digital on how their medical information will be used for Planning & Research with non-NHS sources.

The National Data Opt-Out will not apply to the collection of this data by NHS Digital, as this is a collection which is required by law, however it will be applied by NHS Digital on access or dissemination of data.

Data that will be shared:

  • data on sex, ethnicity and sexual orientation
  • clinical codes and data about diagnoses, symptoms, observations, test results, medications, allergies, immunisations, referrals, recalls and appointments, including information about your physical, mental and sexual health
  • data about staff who have treated you

What will not be shared:

  • your name and address (except your postcode in unique coded form)
  • written notes (free text), such as the details of conversations with doctors and nurses
  • images, letters and documents
  • coded data that is not needed due to its age – for example medication, referral and appointment data that is over 10 years old
  • coded data that we are not permitted to share by law – for example certain codes about IVF treatment, and certain information about gender reassignment

Opting out of this process will not affect your direct medical care, nor will it affect the sharing of your records to allow professionals treating you to have access to your relevant information. Opting out will not affect your use of the NHS App.

You can opt into the process later on if you feel you would like your data to be shared.

You can still contribute to medical trials and research, importantly where you are asked for your permission first.

Complaint Procedure

If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this GP surgery, please let us know. This includes Primary Care Network staff working as part of our GP surgery. We operate a complaints procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our complaints system meets national criteria.

Note: Making a complaint will not influence your care, treatment or support.

How to complain

We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly when they arise and with the person concerned. For example, by requesting a face-to-face meeting to discuss your concerns.

In the first instance please discuss your complaint with the staff member concerned. Where the issue cannot be resolved at this stage, you can write to Hannah Northall (Practice Manager) at:

Horseley Heath Surgery,
14 Horseley Heath,
Tipton,
DY4 7QU

or

Tandon Medical Centre,
Kent Street,
Dudley,
DY3 1UX

E-mail address: tmc.hhs@nhs.net

Hannah will try to resolve the issue and offer you further advice on the complaints procedure.

The practice will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days and look into your complaint as soon as possible. At this stage you should be offered an explanation or a meeting with the person(s) involved.

When we look into your complaint it aims to:
– Ascertain the full circumstances of the complaint
– Make arrangements for you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this
– Make sure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate
– Identify what the practice can do to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

Escalating further
The practice management team hope that your concerns will be addressed through the discussions with us via the Practice Complaints Procedure. However, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us, or you are dissatisfied with the response received from us, you can contact any of the following 2 bodies:

Patient Experience Team
Birmingham and Solihull NHS Cluster,
7th Floor,
Triplex House,
Eckersall Road,
Kings Norton,
Birmingham,
B38 8SS
Tel: 0800 389 8391

Independent Complaints and Advocacy Service (ICAS)
Unit 2.1,
Clarendon Business Park,
Clumber Avenue,
Nottingham,
NG5 1AH
Tel: 0115 962 1776 

If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried out by this Practice then you can contact the Local CCG via:
Time 2talk – swbccg.time2talk@nhs.net
Quality & safety – Sandwell & West Birmingham CCG – 0121 612 4110
or the Care Quality Commission on 03000 616161, or alternatively visit the following website: http://www.cqc.org.uk

Complaining on behalf of someone else

We take medical confidentiality seriously. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we must know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

Complaining to NHS England

We hope that you will use our Practice Complaints Procedure if you are unhappy. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our GP surgery.

However, if you feel you cannot raise the complaint with us directly, please contact NHS England. You can find more information on how to make a complaint at https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse/.

Unhappy with the outcome of your complaint?

If you are not happy with the way your complaint has been dealt with by the GP surgery and NHS England and would like to take the matter further, you can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO makes final decisions on unresolved complaints about the NHS in England. It is an independent service which is free for everyone to use.

To take your complaint to the Ombudsman, visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website or call 0345 015 4033.