Practice Information

Practice Area

The practice area is no more than 7.0 miles by road from Greenlaw Surgery TD10 6XJ.

Patients who move out of our practice area will be advised to re register with a new practice as soon as possible.  We can no longer keep patients on our list who live out of our practice area.

If you have moved away from  your GP’s practice area into the Greenlaw area you are welcome to register with us.

There are occasions when GP boundaries overlap.  We are not obliged to accept registration requests if you already have a GP in the local area.

Surgery Facilities

The surgery has full disabled access and facilities.

A baby changing unit is available.

There is a hearing loop available at reception and in the consultation rooms for patients with hearing aids. Please ask if you wish to use the hearing loop.

Surgery Hours

The surgery is open from 8am—6 pm Monday to Friday. To make an appointment please book online, call in or phone 01361 885161 during surgery hours. All surgeries are by appointment only.

Statement Of Fitness For Work

If you are unwell and are unable to work you do not need to attend the doctor for a certificate until you have been off work for 5 working days. For periods of sickness less than this, you should obtain an SC2 form from your employer or from the surgery. For longer periods of sickness you will need to see the doctor for a medical certificate.

Out Of Hours Medical Cover

Out of hours medical care is organised by NHS Borders. For urgent medical advice or attention out of surgery hours please call NHS 24 on 111

Registration

To register with the practice you need to fill in a registration form (available from reception) and provide some form of photo ID.  You will then be asked to make a new patient appointment with the practice nurse/HCA.  For this appointment you will need to bring a urine sample (urine containers available at reception or the pharmacy) and evidence of any medications you are currently taking.

Your registration will be with Dr Laura Gillan,  Greenlaw Surgery.

GPR 2018

Students

Greenlaw Surgery is not a training practice, however on some occasions the district nurse, midwife or health visitor may have a student in attendance.

There is no obligation for this student to be included in your consultation.

Smoking

Greenlaw Surgery operates a strict no smoking policy on any of its grounds (including the car park), this policy extends to e cigarettes.

Patient’s Rights & Responsibilities

the charter of patients rights

Your Rights
Everyone has certain rights. You have the right to:

  • Receive treatment from a general practitioner (please refer to section titled GP services)
  • Receive information on health services
  • Have your treatment explained to you
  • Refuse to be treated in front of students or be involved in medical trials
  • Have access to an interpreter or signer
  • Confidentiality
  • Have access to emergency medical care
  • Complain without fear of subsequent discrimination
  • Have access to contraceptive and maternity services
  • Receive treatment regardless of your race, gender, age, social class, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition

Your Responsibilities
You can help yourself and health care staff by doing the following:

  • Be on time for appointments
  • Tell the surgery or clinic if you cannot keep an appointment
  • Tell your GP, or any hospital you are attending, if your address or telephone number change
  • Use emergency services responsibly
  • Treat health care staff politely
  • Pass on your comments to healthcare staff
  • Take care with medicines. Do not use medicines which are out of date; your pharmacist can safely dispose of these for you.

Problems
We hope that we provide a good service. However, if things do go wrong and you have a complaint or suggestion, please write to or ask to speak to Catherine Cotton, Practice Manager.

There is a suggestions box situated in the waiting room for any comments or suggestions you wish to make anonymously.

GP Services

You have the right to be registered at a surgery and receive NHS treatment from a GP. Ask your preferred surgery if you can be registered on their list. GP’s can refuse to register you if you are out of their practice area.

If you wish to change from your current surgery, ask for a registration form at the surgery you want to join. Your health records will be transferred to your new GP surgery. You do not need to tell your current GP but it is helpful if you do.

Unacceptable, aggressive or violent behaviour from patients is not acceptable under any circumstances and may result in their removal from our list. We will normally discuss the problem with the patient and if removal from the list is appropriate , we will provide a written reason. The patient will be expected to register with another practice.

You can get a list of GP’s in your area from; NHS Borders, Newstead, Melrose, TD6 9DB, Tel 01896 825500, www.nhsborders.org.uk 

General Data Protection Regulation & Data Protection Act 1998—

Confidentiality of Personal Records

 What is GDPR? (General Data Protection Regulation)

 The GDPR is Europe’s new framework for data protection laws – it will apply from 25th May 2018 and replaces the previous 1995 data protection directive, which current UK law is based upon.

When the Data Protection Act 1998 was written we didn’t have the uses of data that we have now via the internet and services, such as Facebook and Google.

The new legislation is designed to “harmonise” data privacy laws across Europe as well as give greater protection and rights to individuals. It

includes new rights for people to access the information companies hold about them, obligations for better data management for businesses, and a new regime of fines.

The practice already complies with the Data Protection Act (1998) and the new legislation will strengthen many of the principles we adhere to.

What is personal data?

Personal data is information that is related to a single person, such as their name, age, medical history, etc

What is consent?

Consent is permission from you. An individual’s consent is defined as:-

– Any freely given

– Specific and informed

– Indication of their wishes by which the data subject (you) agrees to relevant personal data being processed

The changes in GDPR mean that we must get explicit permission when using your data for purposes other than care directly related to your health. This is to protect your right to privacy and we may ask you to provide consent to do certain things like send you general healthcare information not specific to you.

You have the right to withdraw consent at any time.

For further information about how the practice complies with GDPR please of to www.ico.org.uk or contact the Practice Manager.

Greenlaw Surgery Privacy Notice

Greenlaw Surgery, acting under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, is contracted to provide NHS services on behalf of NHS Borders, which is one of the organisations which form part of NHS Scotland (NHSS).

About the personal information we use

We use personal information on different groups of individuals including;

  • Patients
  • Staff
  • Contractors
  • Suppliers
  • Professional experts and consultations

The personal information we use includes information that identifies you like your name, address, date of birth and postcode.

We may also collect more sensitive types of personal information; this is known as Special Category data and can include; Racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, genetic and biometric data, health, sex life or sexual orientation.

Our Purpose for using personal information

Under the 1978 Act, Greenlaw Surgery has the statutory responsibility to provide or arrange for the provision of healthcare. We act to promote the improvement of physical and mental health, conduct research, review performance of services, deliver education and training and assist in operating a comprehensive and integrated health service in Scotland.

Data Controller

Greenlaw Surgery are the Data Controllers for any personal information that we hold about you.

Our legal basis for using personal information

Greenlaw Surgery, as data controller, is required to have a legal basis when using personal information. Greenlaw Surgery considers that performance of our tasks and functions are in the public interest. So when using personal information our legal basis is usually that its use is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, or in the exercise of official authority vested in us. In some situations we may rely on a different legal basis; for example, when we are using personal information to pay a supplier, our legal basis is that its use is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests as a buyer of goods and services.

When we are using more sensitive types of personal information, including health information, our legal basis is usually that the use is necessary:

  • for the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services; or
  • in order to protect the vital interests of an individual; or
  • for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or in the case of a court order.

On rare occasions we may rely on your explicit consent as our legal basis for using your personal information. When we do this we will explain what it means, and the rights that are available, to you.

Who provides the personal information

Information that may not be directly obtained from you, can be received from other individuals and organisation involved in the delivery of your health and care in Scotland. These include; Other NHS Boards; other GP Surgeries; Community Care providers; Opticians; Pharmacists; Mental Health; other public bodies e.g. Local Authorities. This information may be provided electronically or in paper form or a mixture of both. We use a combination of technologies and working practice to ensure that we keep your information secure and confidential.

Sharing personal information with others

Depending on the situation, where necessary we will share appropriate, relevant and proportionate personal information in compliance with the law, with the following:

  • Our patients and their chosen representatives or carers
  • Staff
  • Current, past and potential employers
  • Healthcare social and welfare organisations
  • Suppliers, service providers, legal representatives
  • Auditors and audit bodies
  • Educators and examining bodies
  • Research organisations
  • People making an enquiry or complaint
  • Financial organisations
  • Professional bodies
  • Business associates
  • Police forces
  • Security organisations
  • Central and local government
  • Voluntary and charitable organisations

Emergency Care Summary (ECS)

In addition, NHS Scotland have implemented the Emergency Care Summary which contains information including medication you are taking and any bad reactions to medication that you have had in the past.

In most cases, particularly for patients with complex conditions and care arrangements, the shared electronic health record plays a vital role in delivering the best care and a coordinated response, taking into account all aspects of a person’s physical and mental health.  Many patients are understandably not able to provide a full account of their care, or may not be in a position to do so.  The shared record means patients do not have to repeat their medical history at every care setting.

Your record will be automatically setup to be shared with the organisations listed above, however you have the right to ask your GP to disable this function or restrict access to specific elements of your record.  This will mean that the information recorded by your GP will not be visible at any other care setting.

You can also reinstate your consent at any time by giving your permission to override your previous dissent.

Health Risk Screening/Risk Stratification

Risk stratification data tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person’s risk of suffering a particular condition, preventing an unplanned or (re) admission and identifying a need for preventive intervention. Information such as age, gender, CHI number, diagnosis, existing long term condition(s), medication history, patterns of hospital attendances, admissions and periods of access to community care are collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP Practice. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information using software managed by the Scottish Government and is only provided back to your GP as data controller in an identifiable form. Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. Please note that you have the right to op out of your data being used in this way.

To summarise Risk Stratification is used in the NHS to:

  • Help decide if a patient is at a greater risk of suffering from a particular condition;
  • Prevent an emergency admission;
  • Identify if a patient needs medical help to prevent a health condition from getting worse; and/or
  • Review and amend provision of current health and social care services.

Retention periods of the information we hold

Within Greenlaw Surgery we keep personal information as set out in the Scottish Government Records Management: NHS Code of Practice (Scotland) Version 2.1 January 2012. The NHS Code of Practice sets out minimum retention periods for information, including personal information, held in different types of records including personal health records and administrative records. As directed by the Scottish Government in the Records Management Code of Practice, we maintain a retention schedule, detailing the minimum retention period for the information and procedures for the safe disposal of personal information.

How we protect personal information

We take care to ensure your personal information is only accessible to authorised people. Our staff members have a legal and contractual duty to keep personal health information secure, and confidential. The following security measures are in place to protect personal information:

  • All staff undertake mandatory training in Data Protection and IT Security
  • Compliance with NHS Scotland Information Security Policy
  • Organisational policy and procedures on the safe handling of personal information
  • Access controls and audits of electronic systems

Your rights

The right to be informed

Greenlaw Surgery must explain how we use your personal information. We use a number of ways to communicate how personal information is used, including:

  • This Data Protection Notice
  • Information leaflets
  • Discussions with staff providing your care

The right of access

You have the right to access your own personal information.

This right includes making you aware of what information we hold along with the opportunity to satisfy you that we are using your information fairly and legally. You have the right to obtain:

  • Confirmation that your personal information is being held or used by us
  • Access to your personal information
  • Additional information about how we use your personal information

Although we must provide this information free of charge, if your request is considered unfounded or excessive, or if you request the same information more than once, we may charge a reasonable fee.

If you would like to access your personal information, you can do this by contacting:

The Practice Manager,

Greenlaw Surgery,

Duns Road,

Greenlaw

TD10 6XJ

Once we have details of your request and you have provided us with enough information for us to locate your personal information, we will respond to your request without delay, within one month. However, if your request is complex we may take longer, by up to two months, to respond. If this is the case we will tell you and explain the reason for the delay.

The right to rectification

If the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete you have the right to have this corrected.

If it is agreed that your personal information is inaccurate or incomplete we will aim to amend your records accordingly, normally within one month, or within two months where the request is complex. However, we will contact you as quickly as possible to explain this further if the need to extend our timescales applies to your request. Unless there is a risk to patient safety, we can restrict access to your records to ensure that the inaccurate or incomplete information is not used until amended.

If for any reason we have shared your information with anyone else, perhaps during a referral to another service for example, we will notify them of the changes required so that we can ensure their records are accurate.

If on consideration of your request Greenlaw Surgery does not consider the personal information to be inaccurate then we will add a comment to your record stating your concerns about the information. If this is case we will contact you within one month to explain our reasons for this.

If you are unhappy about how Greenlaw Surgery has responded to your request for rectification we will provide you with information on how you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, or how to take legal action.

The right to object

When Greenlaw Surgery is processing your personal information for the purpose of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority you have the right to object to the processing and also seek that further processing of your personal information is restricted. Provided Greenlaw Surgery can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for processing your personal information, for instance; patient safety or for evidence to support legal claims, your right will not be upheld.

The right to complain

If you are unhappy with the way in which we use your personal information please contact us using the details below.

Practice Manager, Greenlaw Surgery, Duns Road, Greenlaw, TD10 6XJ

You also have the right to complain about how we use your personal information to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Details about this are on their website at www.ico.org.uk or you can contact them in writing to;

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wimslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Data Protection Officer, NHS Borders Contact

NHS Borders
Kelso Hospital
Inch Road
Kelso
TD5 7JP