Hope Farm Medial Centre is committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that Best Practice is being followed at all times and the safety of everyone is of paramount importance. Trust is important in the relationship between the healthcare professional and patient and we would, at all times, wish you to feel able to ask for a chaperone. It is the policy of Hope Farm Medical Centre to respect the privacy, dignity, cultural and religious beliefs of our patients.
There are occasions when patients need to be examined by a clinician which may involve intimate examinations. A chaperone provides a safeguard for patients during such an examination or consultation and protects against verbal, physical, sexual or other abuse for both patient and clinician. A clinician has the right to request a chaperone if they feel it necessary.
All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. A variety of people can act as a chaperone in the practice. Where possible, it is strongly recommended that chaperones should be clinical staff familiar with procedural aspects of personal examination. However, members of our Patient Services Team are fully trained Chaperones.
The chaperone will only be present for the examination itself, and discussion with the patient will take place while the chaperone is not present. Patients should be reassured that all practice staff understand their responsibility not to divulge confidential information.
Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking your appointment so arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible, we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However, occasionally it may be necessary to re-schedule your appointment.
Your GP or Nurse may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.
Hope Farm Medical Centre readily accommodates wheelchairs etc. and has a toilet for the disabled. A wheelchair is also available for use within the medical centre - please ask the Patient Services Team. All of our consulting and treatment rooms are on the ground floor with wheelchair access.
Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act gives the general right of access to all types of recorded information held by the practice. The intention of the Act is to encourage a spirit of openness and transparency in the NHS and the whole public sector. Our organisation aims to fully support this.
The public has had full access rights from January 2005. This means that far more information will be routinely and freely made available. This is subject to some exemptions, which are outlined in the Practice's Freedom of Information Act leaflet.
Any individual or organisation can make a request for information. The applicant does not have to explain why this information is requested. The Act gives the right to be told if the information exists, and receive information (ideally in the format requested, for example, as a copy or summary or the applicant may ask to inspect a record.)
For further information please see our FOI leaflet.
GP2GP enables patients' electronic health records to be transferred directly, securely, and quickly between GP practices. It improves patient care as GPs will have full and detailed medical records available to them for a new patient's first consultation.
When a patient joins a practice as a full General Medical Services registration, GP2GP is triggered by a successful Personal Demographics Service match.
When the new and old practices are both in England and live with GP2GP, the patient's electronic health record is transferred to the new practice where it is then integrated, to create a rich electronic health record. This is usually achieved in a few minutes.
Any active medication, allergies, or drug reactions are highlighted for practice personnel to check and process. This is an important clinical safety requirement.
The General Medical Services GP Contract 2014 places a contractual requirement to use GP2GP whenever possible for the transfer of patient records between practices.
We aim to keep our practice clean and tidy and offer a safe environment to our patients, relatives and staff. We are proud of our modern, purpose built practice and endeavour to keep it clean and well maintained at all times.
If you have any concerns about cleanliness or infection control, please report these to our Patient Services Team.
Our GPs and nursing staff follow our Infection prevention & control policy to ensure the care we deliver and the equipment we use is safe.
In addition the practice takes the following measures to make sure we maintain the highest possible infection prevention and control standards:
In the National Health Service we aim to provide you with the highest quality of health care. To do this we must keep records about you, your health and the care we have provided or plan to provide to you. These records may include:
You can download and view our privacy notice here.
Policy for removal of patients from the practice list
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.
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.
Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.
Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by looking at our interactive map or by asking your GP.
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. You can use the form at the foot of this page.
