Accessible information –

The Accessible Information Standard is a requirement that all NHS organisations, including GP practices must follow to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss or their carers are given information in a format they can easily read or understand.

So, we can help and support you we want to know;

• If you need information in a specific format e.g. braille, large print or easy read
• If you need to receive information in a particular way
• if you need someone to support you at appointments e.g. a sign language interpreter or an advocate
• We want to know if you lip read or use a hearing aid or communication tool

Please let us know if you require any type of support so we can record this information and add it to your record.  You can do this by telling our reception team, doctor or nurse the support you need. It is best you do this prior to needing an appointment, so the practice can make the necessary adjustments in advance.

NHS England has more information on the standard which is available in a range of formats including easy read, audio and BSL video with subtitles.  You can see these by clicking the link below:

NHS England » Patients

Healthwatch Sunderland have created a leaflet to explain this

Do you have communication needs? | Healthwatch Sunderland

Reasonable Adjustments

All disabled people have the right to reasonable adjustments. This includes when using healthcare, including GP practices.

We need to make it as easy for disabled people to use health services. This is called making reasonable adjustments.

Reasonable adjustments are changes which mean people with a disability can access the healthcare they need.

Reasonable adjustments are dependent on the person. Everyone has different needs.  Some examples might include:

• making sure there is good access for people who use a wheelchair in the surgery
• providing plain English or easy read appointment letters.
• giving someone a priority appointment if they find it difficult waiting in their GP surgery or hospital.
• offering a longer appointment if someone needs more time with a doctor or nurse to make sure they understand the information they are given.
• having a quiet space available for people waiting for their appointment.
• making sure there is a hearing loop system in consultation rooms
• using a communication chart to support a person with dementia during an appointment.

Please let us know if you require any type adjustment to access your appointments so we can record this information and add it to your record.  You can do this by telling our reception team, doctor or nurse the adjustments you need. It is best you do this prior to needing an appointment, so the practice can make the necessary adjustments in advance.

Accessing someone else’s information

As a parent, family member or carer, you may be able to access services for someone else. We call this having proxy access. We can set this up for you if you are both registered with us.

To requests proxy access:

• collect a proxy access form from reception from 10am to 6pm

Linked profiles in your NHS account

Once proxy access is set up, you can access the other person’s profile in your NHS account, using the NHS App or website.

The NHS website has information about using linked profiles to access services for someone else.

Practice Research

Millfield Medical Group is research-active and you may be invited by post or text message to take part in a clinical research project. This is completely optional, and it is your decision whether to take part or not.

If you decline an invitation, your care will not be affected in any way. We will always respect your choice. You have the right to let us know if you would prefer not to be contacted for research purposes, please let the practice know if this is the case.

What is Clinical Research?

Clinical research helps us better understand human health and wellbeing so we can:

• Improve current treatments, medicines and care
• Develop new treatments
• Diagnose diseases and conditions earlier or more accurately
• Prevent people from developing diseases

Clinical research trials and studies are part of everyday work in the NHS, most care that patients receive in hospitals and GP practices is the result of research.

Not all research involves testing drugs or new treatments. It could also involve:

• Taking part in interviews about your health
• Completing questionnaires
• Donating a sample of blood/saliva
• Trying an online course to manage your health
• Helping to test new technology

What are the Benefits?

We can make faster improvements to people’s health and care if more people take part in research.

There are a range of reasons that people choose to participate in research:

• To improve health and social care for others, as well as giving hope for future generations
• To learn more about their condition
• To try a new treatment or device
• To be more closely and regularly monitored by health and care professionals
• To help researchers learn important new information

Where do Research Projects Come From?

We work with research teams from universities and industry who are exploring questions that are important and relevant to general practice. The National Institute for Health and Care Research and EMIS Recruit help us to identify suitable studies for our patients. All studies are reviewed by the NHS Health Research Authority to ensure they are ethically approved and comply with UK legislation and guidelines.

How is my Information Used for Research?

Researchers use your information to increase our understanding of diseases and to improve treatment. Before any research is conducted it needs approval from an independent ethics committee, who ensure any patient information is used ethically and appropriately.

If you participate in a research study, you are asked to sign a consent form. The consent form, and a participant information sheet, will describe how your data will be handled during the study. Your signed consent form and your personal details will be stored by the research team in a secure location along with the study information.

This practice contributes to clinical research.

Information in patient records is important for medical research to develop new treatments and test the safety of medicines. This practice supports medical research by sending some of the information to the clinical practice research datalink (CPRD)

CPRD is a government organisation that provides anonymised patient data for research to improve patient and public health. You cannot be identified from the information sent to CPRD,

If you do not want anonymised information from your patient record to be used in research you can opt out by letting us know.

We want to get better at communicating with our patients.  We want to make sure you can read and understand the information we send you.

If you find it hard to read our letters or if you need someone to support you at appointments, please let us know.

We want to know if you need information in braille, large print or easy read.  We want to know if you need a British Sign Language interpreter or advocate.

We want to know if we can support you to lip-read or use a hearing aid or communication tool.

Please tell the receptionist when you arrive for your next appointment or call us

Complaints process/procedures

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 like the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To have your complaint investigated, you need to complain within 12 months of the event happening, or as soon as you first become aware of the issue you want to complain about.

The time limit can be extended in special circumstances.

How to make a compliment or complaint

Whether you are happy or unhappy with the care and treatment that you have received, please get in touch and let us know your views.

Receiving compliments and complaints is important to ensuring good quality local healthcare in our Practice – helping us to find out more about what we’re getting right and what we can improve.

We hope this will help you to make your feelings and experiences known to the appropriate people. Should you have a complaint we hope this page will give you more information about what to do, who to contact and what happens next.

How do I raise a concern / informal complaint?

You can speak to any member of staff initially with your complaint. This gives you the opportunity to resolve any concern you may have without it going through a formal process.

Most complaints are best resolved within the practice and these should be made via the Management team.

If you’re considering making a complaint but need help

If you require support to make a complaint Voice Ability can offer both offer both information and support.  They have advocates to support people to make a complaint about the treatment or care that they or a friend or family member have received from an NHS service. This support is available at every stage of the complaints process.

Complaints Form

To send us a complaint please complete our Contact Form by clicking here

VoiceAbility | Sunderland

Formal Complaint

What we will do

We will contact you about your complaint within three working days and offer to discuss with you the best way to investigate it, including the time scales for a reply. We will aim to offer you an explanation within that time frame. Or a meeting with the people involved.

• Find out what happened and what went wrong
• Invite you to discuss the problem with those involved, if you would like this
• Apologise where this is appropriate
• Identify what we can do to make sure that the problem does not happen again.

If you feel you do not want to contact the surgery directly, then you can contact the NHS integrated care board complaints team on:

Website address: NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB contact us

Email: necsu.pccomplaints@nhs.net

Telephone: 0191 512 8484

In General

If you have a complaint to make, you can either contact the Practice Manager or ask the Receptionist for a copy of our Complaints Procedure. We will endeavour to:

1. acknowledge any letter or Complaints Form within 3 working days of receiving it.
2. deal with the matter as promptly as possible – usually within 20 working days – dependent on the nature of the complaint.

Who can complain

• Complainants may be current or former patients, or their nominated or elected representatives (who have been given consent to act on the patients behalf).
• Patients over the age of 16 whose mental capacity is unimpaired should normally complain themselves or authorise someone to bring a complaint on their behalf.
• Children under the age of 16 can also make their own complaint, if they’re able to do so.

If a patient lacks capacity to make decisions, their representative must be able to demonstrate sufficient interest in the patient’s welfare and be an appropriate person to act on their behalf. This could be a partner, relative or someone appointed under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 with lasting power of attorney.

Appropriate person

In certain circumstances, we need to check that a representative is the appropriate person to make a complaint.

• For example, if the complaint involves a child, we must satisfy ourselves that there are reasonable grounds for the representative to complain, rather than the child concerned.
• If the patient is a child or a patient who lacks capacity, we must also be satisfied that the representative is acting in the patient’s best interests.

If we are not satisfied that the representative is an appropriate person we will not consider the complaint, and will give the representative the reasons for our decision in writing.

Procedure

We have a two stage complaints procedure. We will always try to deal with your complaint quickly however if it is clear that the matter will need a detailed investigation, we will notify you and then keep you updated on our progress.

Stage one – Early, local resolution

• We will try to resolve your complaint within five working days if possible.
• If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask us to escalate your complaint to Stage Two.

Stage Two – Investigation

• We will look at your complaint at this stage if you are dissatisfied with our response at Stage One.
• We also escalate some complaints straight to this stage, if it is clear that they are complex or need detailed investigation.
• We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and we will give you our decision as soon as possible. This will be no more that 20 working days unless there is clearly a good reason for needing more time to respond.

Complain to the Ombudsman

If, after receiving our final decision, you remain dissatisfied you may take your complaint to the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman is independent of the NHS and free to use. It can help resolve your complaint, and tell the NHS how to put things right if it has got them wrong.

The Ombudsman only has legal powers to investigate certain complaints. You must have received a final response from the Practice before the Ombudsman can look at your complaint and it will generally not look into your complaint if it happened more than 12 months ago, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Phone: 0345 015 4033

• E: email the Ombudsman 

Confidentiality

All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, we will inform the patient or person acting on his/her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the Practice or an employee of the Practice.

We keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints, but such records will be kept separate from patients’ medical records.

Information we retain on you and why

Data Protection Officer

All General Practices are required to have a Data Protection Officer (DPO) role under the new General Data Protection Legislation. This is required as all General Practices are designated as Public Authorities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please be advised if patients are looking for a subject access request, please contact the practice directly and not use the DPO email address.

The Data Protection Officer can be contacted using the following details:

• by secure email: stsft.dposunderlandpractices@nhs.net
• by telephone: 0191 4041000 (ext 3436)

Click here to download our GP Net Earnings report 2022/23

Here at Millfield Surgery we have nominated a named GP to be accountable for the care of each of our patients. The purpose of this is to ensure that our patients have a named individual who they know is responsible for the overall care they receive at the surgery.

Having a named GP assigned to you does not mean that you are obliged to see that GP; you are welcome to continue to make appointments to see any of the GPs at the surgery.

If you would like to know the name of the GP who is accountable for overseeing your care, please contact the surgery and we will be more than happy to inform you.