Policies & Information

Medication policy

We endeavour to prescribe medication cost effectively.  If the hospital prescribes or recommends a medication, you may find that an equivalent is prescribed in the community.

We do not put cost over safety or clinical effectiveness.  All medication decisions are made collectively, based on sound evidence.

We hold regular reviews of medication types and may suggest changes, in order that NHS resources are used wisely.

Repeat Prescriptions

• The quickest and easiest way to order repeat medication is online. You can also order in person at the Practice. Repeat medication cannot be ordered via telephone.
• We encourage you to utilise the NHS electronic prescription service (EPS). This sends prescriptions direct to your pharmacy saving you time, NHS funds and the environment. Nominating a pharmacy is easy and can be changed at any time – speak to your pharmacy or reception.
• We aim to process repeat prescription requests within 48 working hours.
• If the online system will not allow you to order your medication OR if it is an item not on repeat please add remarks in the comments box.

Confidentiality

The practice strictly applies the rules of confidentiality and will not release patient information to a third party (other than those involved in the direct care of a patient) without proper valid and informed consent, unless this is within the statutory exempted categories such as in the public interest, or if required by law, in which case the release of the information and the reasons for it will be individually and specifically documented and authorised by the responsible clinician.

All patient information is considered to be confidential and we comply fully with the Data Protection Act and Caldicott Principles.  All employees in the practice have access to this information in relation to their role, have confidentiality clauses in their Contracts of Employment and have signed a confidentiality agreement.

All staff members adhere to the Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice 2003.

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 treatment. You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning.

To find out more visit: nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

Privacy Policies

SWMP Privacy Notice v5 070420

SWMP Privacy Notice – Children v4 07042020

During the Coronavirus pandemic there have been additional changes to how your information is being used by health services. Please click the following links to read more about the national approach to this:-

supplementary privacy notice

General practice transparency notice for GPES data for pandemic planning and research (COVID-19)

DoHSC general legal notice

Changes to the GP contract mean that all patients in England, including children, will benefit from having a named, accountable doctor who will be responsible for coordinating their care. By the end of June 2015 the practice is required to assign all our patients a “Named GP”.  All our existing patients have now been allocated a named GP by the practice, and all new patients will be allocated a named GP on registration.

You can still talk to any of our clinicians not just your Named GP.

You can still have appointments with any of our clinicians not just your Named GP.

GP Earnings Disclosure

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 Saltaire Medical Practice in the last financial year was £64,214 before tax and national insurance. This is for 2 full time GPs and 7 part time GPs and 1 locum who worked in the practice for more than six months.

The average pay for GPs working in Windhill Green Medical Centre in the last financial year was £73,477 before tax and national insurance. This is for 5 full time GPs and 7 part time GPs and 0 locum who worked in the practice for more than six months.

Communicating with you and the use of mobile phones:

Please let reception know if you have special requirements to help you communicate with the practice.  See Accessible standards (docx, 41 KB)

In line with GDPR rules we want to be clear how we will use your mobile number.

If you consent to the use your mobile number to communicate with us about your health care, we may send you SMS text messages around appointments or test results and may also use it to message about matters affecting your health.

You can opt-out of this at anytime by letting reception know.

Cookie policy

We use cookies installed by Google Analytics. Our cookies calculate website sessions/visits and keep track of site usage. Our cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify visitors.

SystmOnline Usage

Please use the above services responsibly.  In the case of any abuse of the service, we will revoke your log in details stopping you accessing the service.  Examples of irresponsible use of the system may include, but are not limited to:

• Booking appointments you have no intention of attending
• Repeatedly booking and then cancelling appointments
• Repeatedly requesting prescriptions that you do not need
• Booking into inappropriate appointments e.g. using telephone slots for face to face appointments

If you have any problems with the service please do use the HELP tab on SystmOnline.  If you continue to have problems please do not hesitate to contact the Practice.

Zero Tolerance Policy

Saltaire and Windhill Medical Partnership takes it very seriously if a member of staff or one of the doctors or nursing team is treated in an abusive or violent way.

The Practice supports the government’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. To successfully provide these services a mutual respect between all the staff and patients has to be in place. All our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. They would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time.  The staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.

In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the occasional types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable:

• Using bad language or swearing at practice staff
• Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, such as pushing or shoving
• Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting the staff
• Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice
• Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted
• Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot
• Causing damage/stealing from the Practice’s premises, staff or patients
• Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently

We ask you to treat your clinical and administrative team courteously at all times.

Removal from the practice list

A good patient-doctor relationship, based on mutual respect and trust, is the cornerstone of good patient care. The removal of patients from our list is an exceptional and rare event and is a last resort in an impaired patient-practice relationship. When trust has irretrievably broken down, it is in the patient’s interest, just as much as that of the practice, that they should find a new practice. An exception to this is on immediate removal on the grounds of violence e.g. when the Police are involved.

Removing other members of the household

In rare cases, however, because of the possible need to visit patients at home it may be necessary to terminate responsibility for other members of the family or the entire household. The prospect of visiting patients where a relative who is no longer a patient of the practice by virtue of their unacceptable behaviour resides, or being regularly confronted by the removed patient, may make it too difficult for the practice to continue to look after the whole family. This is particularly likely where the patient has been removed because of violence or threatening behaviour and keeping the other family members could put doctors or their staff at risk.