Practice Information

Practice Mission Statement

We aim to provide a high level of quality primary care in a friendly, pleasant and informal environment. The relationship between a Patient and the Surgery is an important one. In order that our relationship can flourish we need to understand what we can reasonably expect from each other. For our part we undertake to:

• Aim to give our patients the best care possible within the constraints of the NHS system
• Aim to provide good accessible medical care to our local community
• Aim to provide a healthy work environment where members of the team are valued
• Play to each other’s strengths, not exploit our weaknesses.
• Aim to keep abreast of the changes in the NHS

Confidentiality & Medical Records

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.

Freedom of Information

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.

Access to Medical Records

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.

Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available HERE or from reception.

Violence Policy

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.

Lost Property in the Surgery

The surgery have a lost property box where we store any surgery lost property for one month. After that date we will dispose of as appropriate.

GP Earnings 2021-2022

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 Southbourne Surgery in the last financial year was £59,622 before tax and National Insurance.

This is for 1 full time GP and 11 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

It should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating this is potentially misleading as it does not take into account the amount of time doctors spent working and therefore it should not be used to form judgements about GP earnings.

Full details of primary care services available in the area may be obtained from:

NHS West Sussex, The Causeway, Goring on Sea, West Sussex, BN12 6BT – Telephone Number 01903 707478