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.

Talk to us

Every patient has the right to make a complaint about the treatment or care they have received at Reach Healthcare.

We understand that we may not always get everything right and, by telling us about the problem you have encountered, we will be able to improve our services and patient experience.

Who to talk to

A complaint can be made verbally or in writing.  A complaints form is available from reception. Additionally, you can email us on [email protected]

Time frames for complaints

The time constraint on bringing a complaint is 12 months from the occurrence giving rise to the complaint, or 12 months from the time you become aware of the matter about which you wish to complain.

The complaint lead will acknowledge your complaint in two working days.

We will aim to investigate and provide you with the findings as soon as we are able.

Investigating complaints

We will investigate all complaints effectively and in conjunction with extant legislation and guidance.

Confidentiality

We will ensure that all complaints are investigated with the utmost confidentiality and that any documents are held separately from the patient’s healthcare record.

Third-party complaints

We allow third parties to make a complaint on behalf of a patient. The patient must provide consent for them to do so.  A third-party patient complaint form is available from reception.

Click here to download form

Most complaints can be resolved at a local level. Please speak to a member of staff if you have a concern and we will assist you where possible.

Alternatively, please ask to speak to our reception managers for direct advice.

If you do not want to speak to a member of our staff for any reason, you can request that the Integrated Care Board (ICB) investigate your complaint.

They will contact us on your behalf:

South East Complaints Hub
NHS Frimley ICB
Aldershot Centre for Health
Hospital Hill
Aldershot
Hampshire
GU11 1AY

Contact: 0300 561 0290
[email protected]

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.

Your Data Matters to the NHS

Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.

How your data is used

Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.

Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.

You have a choice

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?

No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.

What do you need to do?

If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.

To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice, visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

Click to download the ‘Your NHS Data Matters’ patient leaflet.

Information about the General Practitioners 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.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an organisation established in English law by the Health and Social Care Act. The CQC is the regulator for English health and social care services to ensure that safe care is provided. They inspect and produce reports on all English general practices in a rolling 5 year program. The law allows CQC to access identifiable patient data as well as requiring this practice to share certain types of data with them in certain circumstances, for instance following a significant safety incident.

For more information about the CQC visit the CQC website

1) Data Controller contact details:

Reach Healthcare

Walderslade Village Surgery
62a Robin Hood Lane, Walderslade, Kent, ME9 5LD

Lordswood Healthy Living Centre
Sultan road, Lordswood, Kent, ME5 8TJ

Balmoral Gardens Healthy Living Centre
Gillingham, Kent, ME7 4PN

2) Data Protection Officer contact details:

Data Protection Officer at [email protected].

NHS Kent and Medway ICB
Gail House, Lower Stone Street
Maidstone
ME1 6NB
01634 335020

3) Purpose of the processing:

To provide the Secretary of State and others with information and reports on the status, activity and performance of the NHS.

4) Lawful basis for processing:

The legal basis will be

Article 6(1)(c) “processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.”

And

Article 9(2)(h) “processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services on the basis of Union or Member State law or pursuant to contract with a health professional and subject to the conditions and safeguards referred to in paragraph 3;”

5) Recipient or categories of recipients of the shared data:

The data will be shared with the Care Quality Commission, its officers and staff and members of the inspection teams that visit us from time to time.

6) Rights to object:

You have the right to object to some or all of the information being shared with NHS Digital. Contact the Data Controller or the practice.

7) Right to access and correct:

You have the right to access the data that is being shared and have any inaccuracies corrected. There is no right to have accurate medical records deleted except when ordered by a court of Law.

8) Retention period:

The data will be retained for active use during the processing and thereafter according to NHS Policies and the law.

9) Right to Complain:

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, you can use this ICO Contact Us link

or call their helpline Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate)

There are National Offices for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, (see ICO website)

10) GP Practice Transparency Notice:

Click Here

Please view our Removal of Patients Policy.

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who can see it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I know if I have one?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether you have a Summary Care Record by asking your GP.

Do I have to have one?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery. More information (and the opt-out form) are available from NHS Digital.

You can now register to receive information by text message on your phone regarding appointments and health care. If you wish to register for this messaging service, you will be asked to fill out a consent form; please contact reception to obtain this form.

New Data Protection Regulations from May 2018 (GDPR)

Under the new data protection regulations introduced from 25th May 2018, we will continue to contact patients via text messages regarding the delivery of care if they have provided consent to do so.

If practices are sending messages about recommended treatment for the management of a specific health issue, then this is defined as providing appropriate care for patients, not marketing purposes.

If you would like to opt out of any future contact via text messaging, then please complete the consent form and indicate in the marked section.

Walderslade Village Surgery is an accredited Advanced Training Practice with the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Deanery (KSS). We take doctors training to become GPs within the Medway vocational training scheme. Most stay with the practice for a year, and carry out normal GP consultations under the supervision of our GP trainers, Dr Shum and Dr Lall. These GP registrars are based mainly at the Walderslade or Lordswood sites, although they may work from other sites from time to time.

The practice also teaches medical students from King’s College London and St George’s Medical School, London. More recently we have also been one of the first practices in the country to take part in an innovative program to train paramedic practitioners. These are paramedics who are given enhanced training to enable them to deal with a range of common medical conditions, thus enhancing their effectiveness when responding to emergency calls.

Finally, most of our nursing staff have also had extended training in common medical conditions, similar to nurse practitioners. They also teach nurses in training from local universities.

The practice thus has a strong ethos in training and contributing to the future of health care provisions. We wish to thank our patients in advance for their help and cooperation in this, as from time to time you may be asked if you would mind speaking to a medical student or other trainees when you come for your appointment.

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.