You and Your General Practice (YYGP) was created to help patients know what to expect when using their GP services, and how to get the most support from the GP team.

YYGP also helps patients share feedback or raise concerns. This can be done with their GP practice, Healthwatch, or the integrated care board (ICB).

You can find the full YYGP guide, published by NHS England, below.

Translated versions call also be found on the NHS website.

For your care

For research and planning

We want everyone to feel welcome and able to visit our practice. Here’s how we make it easy for people to get around and use our building:

Getting In and Around

• Step-Free Access: There are no steps at our entrance, so it’s easy for wheelchairs, walking aids, or prams to get in.
• Accessible Parking: We have special parking spaces close to the door for people who need extra help.
• Automatic Doors: Our doors open by themselves, so you don’t have to push or pull them. (Not at Shieldfield site)
• Wide Spaces: The hallways and doorways are wide, making it simple to move around in a wheelchair or with a walking aid. (Doors at the Shieldfield site bay not be as wide)
• Accessible Toilets: There’s a large toilet with grab rails and an emergency cord to make it safer and easier to use.

Communication

• Hearing Loop: If you use a hearing aid, we have a system to make it easier for you to hear at reception.
• Clear Signs: Signs around the building show where to go, and they’re easy to read.
• Assistance Animals: Service dogs are welcome. Let us know if you’re bringing one.

Need Help?

If you need extra help when you visit, our staff are happy to assist. Just ask us if you need help opening a door, finding your way, or anything else.

If you need someone to translate sign language or help you communicate, let us know before your visit so we can arrange it for you.

From the 1st April 2015 the NHS requires that every patient is allocated a named accountable GP. All patients registered patients have been allocated a named GP and any newly registered patients will be allocated a named GP within 21 days of registering. This is for administrative purposes only and you retain the right to see any of our GPs. You will still be able to book an appointment with the GP of your choice.

What does ‘accountable’ mean?

The named accountable GP takes responsibility for the co-ordination of all medical services and ensures they are delivered to each of their patients where required.
This new arrangement has been introduced to reassure patients that they have one GP within the practice who is responsible for ensuring that work is carried out on their behalf.

Does the requirement mean 24-hour responsibility for patients?
No. The named GP will not:

• take on responsibility for the work of other doctors or health professionals
• take on 24-hour responsibility for the patient, or have to change their working hours.
• be the only GP or clinician who will provide care to that patient

Can patients choose their own named GP?

Patients have been allocated a named GP by the practice. However, if a patient requests a particular GP, reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate their preference.

Do patients have to see the named GP when they book an appointment with the practice?

No. Patients are free to choose to see any GP or nurse in the practice.

If you would like to know who your named accountable GP is, or you have a preference as to which GP you are allocated please contact the Surgery for more information.

The NHS Constitution: Your Rights as a Patient

The NHS is guide by its Constitution. It’s combination of your rights as a patient, and the pledges the Health Service aims for.

This quick guide sets out what this means for you.

Your Rights

When you use NHS services, it’s important to know your rights. The NHS Constitution has 7 key principles which guide everything it does.

Your Right to Care

You have the right to free healthcare. This includes seeing a GP, accessing hospital care, and, in some cases, free prescriptions. Everyone is treated equally, regardless of who they are or where they’re from.

Your Right to Be Involved

You have a say in your care. Your doctor should explain your condition and the treatment options. If something isn’t clear, you can ask questions. You can also make decisions about your care with your doctor.

Your Right to Safety

The NHS works hard to keep you safe. If something goes wrong, the NHS must be honest about it. You have the right to know what happened and to receive an apology if needed.

Your Right to Information

You can see your medical records. If you think something is wrong in your records, you can ask for it to be corrected. You also have a right to information about how the NHS is run and how decisions are made.

Your Right to Make a Complaint

If you’re unhappy with the care you’ve received, you can make a complaint. The NHS must take your concerns seriously and respond to them.

How to Use Your Rights

To make the most of your rights:

• Speak up if you’re unsure about your care.
• Ask for a second opinion if needed.
• Use the NHS website to learn more about your rights and services.

Support is Available

If you need help understanding your rights, services like PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) are there to help.

The NHS is here for everyone. Knowing your rights helps you get the best care possible.

The Seven NHS Principles

The NHS follows seven key principles in everything it does. These are based on core values shaped by staff, patients, and the public. 

They are:

1. Comprehensive Service: The NHS provides health services to everyone, regardless of age, gender, or background.
2. Access Based on Need: Care is offered based on clinical need, not the ability to pay.
3. High Standards of Care: The NHS is committed to providing safe, effective, and high-quality care.
4. Patient-Centred Approach: Services are shaped around the needs, preferences, and involvement of patients.
5. Equality and Fairness: The NHS aims to eliminate discrimination and reduce health inequalities.
6. Efficient Use of Resources: The NHS uses taxpayer funds responsibly to provide the best possible care.
7. Accountable to the Public: The NHS is transparent and accountable to patients, staff, and the community.

For more information, visit the NHS website.

We keep records about you and your health so we can look after you.

Your name, where you live and how old you are

Who you live with and who looks after you

What care we have given you

Photographs we take of you

Results and scans of your body like X-Rays

We keep this information on:

Computers

Paper medical records

We always keep your information private

People in the practice who look after you can use your information to look after you.

Sometimes we might need to share your records with other people who look after you, such as the hospital or another doctor or nurse.

People who use your information cannot tell anyone about what you say to them, unless they are worried about your safety, or the safety of someone else.

Sometimes we need to use your information to help other people, to teach them or learn new things.  We will remove your name, age and where you live so no one will know it’s about you.

If you want to look at your records or if you have some questions about them, or don’t think they are correct, please ask a member of staff and we can help.

Ask your doctor or nurse any questions you want.  You can also speak to the Data Protection Officer whose job it is to help us keep your information safe and private.

This notice was last reviewed in July 2024.

Do you have a disability, impairment or sensory loss and need to receive information in a way you can easily understand?

If YES, please inform us at reception so we can make sure you have access to information you understand.

Accessible Information Standard Policy

The Accessible Information Standard aims to ensure that people with disabilities have access to information they can understand, and the communication support they may need. The Standard applies to service providers across the NHS and adult social care system, organisations that provide these services like GP surgeries are required by law to follow the Standard under Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act.

Key requirements

There are five key requirements of the Standard:

1. Ask patients and carers if they have any information or communication needs, and find out how to meet their needs.
2. Record those needs clearly and in a set way.
3. Highlight or flag a patient’s file, so it is clear that they have information or communication needs, and clearly explain how those needs should be met.
4. Share information about a person’s needs with other NHS and adult social care providers, when they have consent or permission to do so.
5. Take steps to ensure that people receive information which they can access, understand and receive communication support if they need it.

What We Will Do To Meet the Standard

1. Ask patients and carers if they have any information or communication needs, and find out how to meet their needs

Thornfield Medical Group will ask patients and their carers to tell us if they have any communication or information needs relating to a disability, impairment or sensory loss and how we can meet their needs.

New patients will be asked at the point of registration if they have any communication or information needs relating to a disability, impairment or sensory loss, and if so, what they are (there is a section on the New Patient Questionnaire that covers this question).

All staff will make appropriate arrangements for individuals to discuss their communication needs privately, should they wish to do so, whilst ensuring that sufficient information is ascertained and recorded accurately.

Patients should be asked to self-define their communication/information needs and not their disability or impairment.

2. Record those needs in a set way

Thornfield Medical Group will ensure that the necessary clinical coding of communication needs is added to the clinical records of patients. They will also ensure that the appropriate on-screen alert is operating and that it includes information regarding the preferred communication channel or what level of communication support is needed.

3. Highlight a patient’s file, so it is clear that they have information or communication needs, and clearly explain how these needs should be met

In order to inform all users and provide the opportunity to keep information up to date Thornfield Medical Group will make use of alerts on the SystmOne clinical system, thereby indicating that an individual has an information or communication need and how the need should be met.

4. Share information about a person’s needs with other NHS and adult social providers, when they have consent or permission to do so

Thornfield Medical Group will ensure that data about patient information or communication needs is shared appropriately. Consent must be obtained and is to be clearly identifiable and separate from other comments entered into the healthcare record.

Clinical members of staff are responsible for ensuring that, when a patient is referred to any other NHS or social care organisation, they are asked (at the time of consultation) for permission to share their communication needs with the other organisation.

5. Make sure that people get information in an accessible way and communication support if they need it

Thornfield Medical Group provides one or more contact methods which are accessible to the patients. Methods include email, text message, telephone, online and in person.

Where information/communication needs are identified, information will be provided in one or more accessible formats. Alternative formats can be provided if available either through auto-generated systems, or through prompting staff to make alternative arrangements.

The organisation will ensure that a ‘hearing loop’ is available throughout the premises or that a portable loop is available.

Where needed, appropriate professional communication support is arranged by the practice to enable patients and carers to effectively receive NHS care i.e. Text Talk, Interpreters.

A patient’s family member, friend or carer may also provide necessary support in certain circumstances and where this is the patent’s explicit preference (which should be recorded).

Patients or carers themselves must not be asked to meet the costs of any information or communication needs.

From 1st October 2023, Thornfield Medical Group will no longer accept new Shared Care agreements.

This decision has been made jointly with our neighbouring practices and local Primary Care Networks.

We have been receiving a growing number of requests from an increasingly large number of providers.

These requests place an increasing amount of work on our Practice team, and at times, this additional workload is impacting our ability to deliver our core services to you, our patients.

Shared Care Agreements are not a ‘core’ part of our work in General Practice, and without adequate resources to deal with this increasing demand, we can’t continue to assure ourselves that patients are safely monitored to the highest standards of care.

What this may mean for patients

If there is already a Shared Care Agreement in place for your care, this will continue.

For patients with new treatment plans put in place by Specialists, responsibility for prescribing and monitoring your medication will remain solely with your Specialist. Rather than coming to the Practice for monitoring or reviews, you may be given an outpatient appointment at a hospital or other NHS location.

Examples of medication that may be affected:

Making a Complaint

Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily with the person concerned, often at the time they arise, and this may be the approach you try first.

Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, giving as much detail as you can, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be:

• Within 12 months of the incident,
• or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter

If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are not normally able to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority, more information can be found in the Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else section.

Click the below link to download a printable complaints form.

Send your written complaint to:

Mrs T Stuchlik , Business Manager, Thornfield Medical Group, Molineux Street NHS Centre, Byker, NE6 1SG

You may also make your complaint directly to NHS England, who commission our service:

By telephone: 03003 11 22 33

By email: england.contactus@nhs.net

By post: NHS England, PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT

What We Do Next

We aim to settle complaints as soon as possible.

We will usually acknowledge receipt within three working days, and aim to resolve the matter as soon as possible but will give you some idea of how long that may take at the outset. You will then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses.

When looking into a complaint, we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you wish to do so.
 

When the investigations are complete, a final written response will be sent to you.

Where your complaint involves more than one organisation (e.g. social services) we will liaise with that organisation so that you receive one coordinated reply. We may need your consent to do this. Where your complaint has been initially sent to an incorrect organisation, we may seek your consent to forward this to the correct person to deal with.

The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to refer the matter further to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (details shown elsewhere in this leaflet) if you remain dissatisfied with the response.

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal
confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written
consent of the patient to confirm that they are
unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it. In the event the patient is deceased, then we may agree to respond to a family member or anyone acting on their behalf or who has had an interest in the welfare of the patient.

Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form, which contains a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed. Alternatively, we will send one to you to return to us when we receive your initial written complaint.

Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness, accident or mental capacity, it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances that prevent this in your covering letter.

Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express
permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply.  You may also find that if you are complaining on behalf of a child who is capable of making their own complaint, we will expect that child to contact us themselves to lodge their complaint.

We may still need to correspond directly with the patient, or may be able to deal directly with the third party. This depends on the wording of the authority
provided.

Thornfield Medical Group
Molineux Street NHS Centre, Molineux Street, Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 1SG
0191 275 5740

Your information, what you need to know.

This privacy notice explains why we collect information about you, how that information may be used, how we keep it safe and confidential and what your rights are in relation to this.

Why we collect information about you.

Health care professionals who provide you with care are required by law to maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received within any NHS organisation. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare and help us to protect your safety.

We collect and hold data for the purpose of providing healthcare services to our patients and running our organisation which includes monitoring the quality of care that we provide. In carrying out this role we may collect information about you which helps us respond to your queries or secure specialist services. We may keep your information in written form and/or in digital form. The records may include basic details about you, such as your name and address. They may also contain more sensitive information about your health and also information such as outcomes of needs assessments.

The NHS Constitution establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. It sets out rights to which patients, public and staff are entitled, and pledges which the NHS is committed to achieve, together with responsibilities, which the public, patients and staff owe to one another to ensure that the NHS operates fairly and effectively.

NHS Digital

NHS Digital collects health information from the records health and social care providers keep about the care and treatment they give, to promote health or support improvements in the delivery of care services in England https://digital.nhs.uk/

We keep a Register of all our information processing activities, including those involving the use of personal information. This records lots of metadata including where we get the information from, with whom we share it, the legal basis allowing us to process personal data and the security arrangements in place. 

Details we collect about you.

The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g., from Hospitals, GP Surgeries, A&E, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare. Records which this GP Practice may hold about you may include the following:

• Details about you, such as your address and next of kin
• Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc.
• Notes and reports about your health.
• Details about your treatment and care
• Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.
• Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you.
• We record calls when you call the practice for training and monitoring purpose.

How we keep your information confidential and safe

Everyone working for our organisation is subject to the Common Law Duty of Confidence. Information provided in confidence will only be used for specific purposes in accordance with the law. The NHS Digital Code of Practice on Confidential Information https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/looking-after-information/data-security-and-information-governance/codes-of-practice-for-handling-information-in-health-and-care/code-of-practice-on-confidential-information  applies to all NHS staff and they are required to protect your information, inform you of how your information will be used, and allow you to decide if and how your information can be shared. All our staff are expected to make sure information is kept confidential and receive regular training on how to do this.

The health records we use may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Your records are backed up securely in line with NHS standard procedures. We ensure that the information we hold is kept in secure locations, is protected by appropriate security and access is restricted to authorised personnel. We also make sure external data processors that support us are legally and contractually bound to operate and prove security arrangements are in place where data that could or does identify a person are processed. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:

• Data Protection Act 2018 (UK GDPR)
• Human Rights Act
• Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
• NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Information Security
• Health and Social Care Act 2015
• And all applicable legislation

We have a senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of patient information and enabling appropriate information sharing. This person is called the Caldicott Guardian. The Caldicott Guardian for the Thornfield Medical Group is Tracey Stuchlik (Business Manager) and Caroline Forrest (Practice Manager), who can be contacted using the contact details at the top of this document. We also have a Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) who is responsible for owning the practice’s information risk. The SIRO is Tracey Stuchlik.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller which describes the purposes for which we process personal data. A copy of the registration is available from the ICO’s website by searching on our name.

We always maintain our duty of confidentiality to you. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if we reasonably believe that others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (such as a risk of serious harm to yourself or others) or where the law requires information to be passed on.

How we use your information

Improvements in information technology are also making it possible for us to share data with other healthcare organisations for the purpose of providing you, your family and your community with better care. For example, it is possible for healthcare professionals in other services to access your record with your permission when the practice is closed. This is explained further in the Local Information Sharing section below.

Under the powers of the Health and Social Care Act 2015, NHS Digital can request personal confidential data from GP Practices without seeking patient consent for several specific purposes, which are set out in law. These purposes are explained below. You may choose to withdraw your consent to personal data being shared for these purposes.

You can object to your personal information being shared with other healthcare providers but should be aware that this may, in some instances, affect your care as important information about your health might not be available to healthcare staff in other organisations. If this limits the treatment that you can receive then the practice staff will explain this to you at the time you object.

To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS.

Child Health Information

We wish to make sure that your child can have immunisations and health checks when they are due. We share information about childhood immunisations, the 6–8-week new baby check and breast-feeding status with NHS Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust health visitors and school nurses.

Clinical audit

Information may be used by the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided to patients with long terms conditions. Some of this information may be held centrally and used for statistical purposes (e.g., the National Diabetes Audit). When this happens, strict measures are taken to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified from the data.

Clinical Research

Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes – we will always ask your permission before releasing your information for this purpose.

GP Connect

The GP Connect service allows GP practices and clinical staff to share GP Practice clinical information and data between IT systems, quickly and efficiently via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). GP Connect is not used for any purpose other than direct care. Further information is available here https://digital.nhs.uk/services/gp-connect/gp-connect-in-your-organisation/gp-connect-privacy-notice

AI Scribe

AI Scribe is a healthcare IT system, specifically a cloud-based artificial intelligence medical scribe platform. It is a standalone software that is used to generate comprehensive clinical documentation using a combination of speech-to-text software, note taking and artificial intelligence models. AI Scribe processes and transcribes clinical conversations, capturing details like different speakers, medical terminology, and symptomatology. From this, a clinical note is generated. The clinical documentation generated by AI Scribe is checked for accuracy before being copied into the electronic medical record system or used with other word processing or communication tools to provide other clinicians and/or the patient with relevant information related to the healthcare encounter and the patient’s care.

OpenSAFELY

NHS England has been directed by the government to establish and operate the OpenSAFELY COVID-19 Service and the OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service. These services provide a secure environment that supports research, clinical audit, service evaluation and health surveillance for COVID-19 and other purposes.

Each GP practice remains the controller of its own GP patient data but is required to let approved users run queries on pseudonymised patient data. This means identifiers are removed and replaced with a pseudonym.

Only approved users are allowed to run these queries, and they will not be able to access information that directly or indirectly identifies individuals.

Patients who do not wish for their data to be used as part of this process can register type 1 opt out with their GP.

The NHS App

If you’re a patient at our practice you can now use the NHS App, a simple and secure way to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP health record, update your contact details and more.

The NHS App gives you more control over your health and care and enables you to access your GP medical record securely. This means you can see it when speaking to a health and care professional, for example. Owned and run by the NHS the app is designed and operated by the NHS in England to give you access to a range of services.

We will carefully check your identity when you register for the app, which is secure and easy to use. The NHS App will not replace existing services. You can still contact the GP surgery in the usual ways if you prefer.

Improving Diabetes Care

Information that does not identify individual patients is used to enable focussed discussions to take place at practice-led local diabetes review meetings between health care professionals. This enables the professionals to improve the management and support of these patients.

Individual Funding Request

An ‘Individual Funding Request’ is a request made on your behalf, with your consent, by a doctor, for funding of specialised healthcare which falls outside the range of services and treatments that the ICB has agreed to commission for the local population. An Individual Funding Request is taken under consideration when a case can be set out by a patient’s doctor that there are exceptional clinical circumstances which make the patient’s case different from other patients with the same condition who are at the same stage of their disease, or when the request is for a treatment that is regarded as new or experimental and where there are no other similar patients who would benefit from this treatment. A detailed response, including the criteria considered in arriving at the decision, will be provided to your GP.

Invoice Validation

Invoice validation is an important process. It involves using your NHS number to check that the ICB is responsible for paying for your treatment. Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 provides a statutory legal basis to process data for invoice validation purposes. We can also use your NHS number to check whether your care has been funded through specialist commissioning, which NHS England will pay for. The process makes sure that the organisations providing your care are paid correctly.

Local Information Sharing

Your GP electronic patient record is held securely and confidentially on an electronic system managed by your registered GP practice. If you require attention from a local health or care professional outside of your usual practice services, such as a GP Federation Service, Emergency Department, Minor Injury Unit or Out Of Hours service, the professionals treating you are better able to give you safe and effective care if some of the information from your GP record is available to them.

Where available, this information can be shared electronically with other local healthcare providers via a secure system designed for this purpose. Depending on the service you are using and your health needs, this may involve the healthcare professional accessing a secure system that enables them to view parts of your GP electronic patient record (e.g., Great North Care Record Care Summary or your Summary Care Record) or a secure system that enables them to view your full GP electronic patient record (e.g. EMIS remote consulting system).

In all cases, your information is only accessed and used by authorised staff who are involved in providing or supporting your direct care. Your permission will be asked before the information is accessed, other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g., emergencies) if the healthcare professional is unable to ask you and this is deemed to be in your best interests (which will then be logged).

When analysing current health services and proposals for developing future services it is sometimes necessary to link separate individual datasets to be able to produce a comprehensive evaluation.  This may involve linking primary care GP data with other data such as secondary uses service (SUS) data (inpatient, outpatient and A&E).  In some cases, there may also be a need to link local datasets which could include a range of acute-based services such as radiology, physiotherapy, audiology etc, as well as mental health and community-based services such as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), district nursing, podiatry etc.  When carrying out this analysis, the linkage of these datasets is always done using a unique identifier that does not reveal a person’s identity. We may also contract with other organisations to process data. These organisations are known as Data Processors. We ensure external data processors that support us are legally and contractually bound to operate and prove security arrangements are in place where data that could or does identify a person are processed.

Currently, the external data processors we work with include NHS North of England Commissioning Support Unit, which is based at John Snow House, Durham, DH1 3YG and which has been granted a legal basis for processing data for us and which operates under strict controls to ensure your information is handled lawfully.

We record any instances where we transfer personal information to a third country or international organisation. This is very limited, and we check and record the safeguards in place to protect the information to be transferred.

National Fraud Initiative – Cabinet Office

The use of data by the Cabinet Office for data matching is carried out with statutory authority under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 2018. Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice. For further information see:

National Registries

National Registries (such as the Learning Disabilities Register) have statutory permission under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006, to collect and hold service user identifiable information without the need to seek informed consent from each individual service user.

Risk Stratification

‘Risk stratification for case finding’ is a process for identifying and managing patients who have or may be at-risk of health conditions (such as diabetes) or who are most likely to need healthcare services (such as people with frailty). Risk stratification tools used in the NHS help determine a person’s risk of suffering a particular condition and enable us to focus on preventing ill health before it develops. Information about you is collected from several sources including NHS Trusts, GP Federations and your GP Practice. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information. This can help us identify and offer you additional services to improve your health.

Risk-stratification data may also be used to improve local services and commission new services, where there is an identified need. In this area, risk stratification may be commissioned by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board. Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 provides a statutory legal basis to process data for risk stratification purposes. Further information about risk stratification is available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/tsd/ig/risk-stratification /

If you do not wish information about you to be included in any risk stratification programmes, please let us know. Please be aware that this may limit the ability of healthcare professionals to identify if you have or are at risk of developing certain serious health conditions.

Safeguarding

To ensure that adult and children’s safeguarding matters are managed appropriately, access to identifiable information will be shared in some limited circumstances where it’s legally required for the safety of the individuals concerned.

Summary Care Record (SCR)

The NHS in England uses a national electronic record called the Summary Care Record (SCR) to support patient care. It contains key information from your GP record. Your SCR provides authorised healthcare staff with faster, secure access to essential information about you in an emergency or when you need unplanned care, where such information would otherwise be unavailable.

Summary Care Records are there to improve the safety and quality of your care. SCR core information comprises your allergies, adverse reactions and medications. An SCR with additional information can also include reason for medication, vaccinations, significant diagnoses / problems, significant procedures, anticipatory care information and end of life care information. Additional information can only be added to your SCR with your agreement.

Please be aware that if you choose to opt-out of SCR, NHS healthcare staff caring for you outside of this surgery may not be aware of your current medications, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had, in order to treat you safely in an emergency. Your records will stay as they are now with information being shared by letter, email, fax or phone. If you wish to opt-out of having an SCR, please return a completed opt-out form to the practice. Further information is available here https://digital.nhs.uk/services/summary-care-records-scr/summary-care-record-supplementary-transparency-notice

Supporting Medicines Management

The ICB operates pharmacist prescribing advice services to support local GP practices with prescribing queries, which may require identifiable information to be shared. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work with your usual GP to provide advice on medicines, prescription ordering processes, prescribing queries, and review prescribing of medicines to ensure that it is appropriate for your individual needs, safe and cost-effective. Where specialist prescribing support is required, the ICB medicines management team may discuss product choice with your GP and your nominated community pharmacist to ensure evidence-based cost-effective choices are made to support your care.

Supporting Locally Commissioned Services

ICBs support GP practices by auditing anonymised data to monitor locally commissioned services, measure prevalence and support data quality. The data does not include identifiable information and is used to support patient care and ensure providers are correctly paid for the services they provide.

Data Retention

We manage patient records in line with the Records Management NHS Code of Practice 2021 https://www.nhsx.nhs.uk/information-governance/guidance/records-management-code/ which sets the required standards of practice in the management of records for those who work within or under contract to NHS organisations in England, based on current legal requirements and professional best practice.

Who are our partner organisations?

We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations:

• NHS Trusts
• Specialist Trusts
• GP Federations
• Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
• Private Sector Providers
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Ambulance Trusts
• Integrated Care Boards
• Social Care Services
• Local Authorities
• Education Services
• Fire and Rescue Services
• Police
• Other ‘data processors’

We will never share your information outside of health partner organisations without your explicit consent unless there are exceptional circumstances such as when the health or safety of others is at risk, where the law requires it or to carry out a statutory function.

Within the health partner organisations and in relation to the above-mentioned themes we will assume you are happy to for your information to be shared unless you choose to opt-out (see below). This means you will need to express an explicit wish to not have your information shared with the other organisations; otherwise, it will be automatically shared. We are required by law to report certain information to the appropriate authorities. This is only provided after formal permission has been given by a qualified health professional. There are occasions when we must pass on information, such as notification of new births, where we encounter infectious diseases which may endanger the safety of others, such as meningitis or measles (but not HIV/AIDS), and where a formal court order has been issued. Our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strictest confidence.

Your Rights

Your right to withdraw consent for us to share your personal information.

The national data opt-outallows people to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for research and planning. It was introduced on 25 May 2018, providing a facility for individuals to opt-out from the use of their data for research or planning purposes. The national data opt-out replaces the previous ‘type 2’ opt-out, which required NHS Digital not to share a patient’s confidential patient information for purposes beyond their individual care. Any patient that had a type 2 opt-out has had it automatically converted to a national data opt-out from 25 May 2018 and has received a letter giving them more information and a leaflet explaining the new national data opt-out. If a patient wants to change their choice, they can use the new service to do this.  You can find out more from the practice or by clicking here https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/

Your right to opt out.

The national data opt-out allow people to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for research and planning. It was introduced on 25 May 2018, providing a facility for individuals to opt-out from the use of their data for research or planning purposes. The national data opt-out replaces the previous ‘type 2’ opt-out, which required NHS Digital not to share a patient’s confidential patient information for purposes beyond their individual care. Any patient that had a type 2 opt-out has had it automatically converted to a national data opt-out from 25 May 2018 and has received a letter giving them more information and a leaflet explaining the new national data opt-out. If a patient wants to change their choice, they can use the new service to do this.  You can find out more from by clicking here https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/

Patients who have a type 1 opt-out.

Some patients will have a type 1 opt-out registered with the practice; you can tell the practice if you do not want your confidential patient information held in your GP medical record to be used for purposes other than your individual care. This is commonly called a type 1 opt-out. This opt-out request can only be recorded by your GP practice.

If your wishes cannot be followed, you will be told the reasons (including the legal basis) for that decision. There are certain circumstances where a person is unable to opt out, but these are only where the law permits this such as in adult or children’s safeguarding situations.

You have a right in law to refuse or withdraw previously granted consent to the use of your personal information. There are possible consequences of not sharing such as the effect this may have on your care and treatment, but these will be explained to you to help with making your decision.

If you wish to exercise your right to opt-out, or to speak to somebody to understand what impact this may have, if any, please contact us using the usual practice contact details.

You can find out more by clicking here https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/opt-out-of-sharing-your-health-records/

Right of Access to Your Personal Information

We will tell you if we use your personal information, what that information is and why we use it. We will also tell you where we obtained the information from and with whom we share your information. Under this right we have to tell you how long we intend to keep your information for.

You are entitled to obtain a copy of the personal information held about you by the practice. You can view this or request copies of the records by making a subject access request. Any request to access or obtain a copy of this information will be considered in line with the data protection legislation. This is generally free of charge unless your request is very complicated and/or unreasonably excessive; if you require further copies of information already provided to you, we may charge a reasonable administrative fee. If you want to access your data, you can contact us using the contact details at the top of this notice. Under special circumstances, some information may be withheld.

Right to Rectification

This right allows you to ask for any information you believe to be inaccurate or incomplete to be corrected and completed. We are allowed one month from the date of your request in which to perform any such corrections or add supplementary statements. We will communicate any rectification of information to anyone to whom it has been disclosed unless this is not possible or involves disproportionate effort. We will tell you who those recipients are if you ask us. 

Right to Erasure

This right is also commonly referred to as the ‘right to be forgotten’. You can request that your information be erased, subject to certain exemptions, if it is no longer needed by us for the original purpose, we said we would use it for or if you decide to withdraw your consent or if you object to the use of your information. If it transpires that the information was unlawfully used or is found to infringe the law, you can ask for it to be erased. We will erase your information if we have a legal obligation to do so. We will communicate any erasure of information to anyone to whom it has been disclosed unless this is not possible or involves disproportionate effort. We will tell you who those recipients are if you ask us. 

Right to Restriction of Processing

Restriction means marking information with the aim of limiting its processing in the future. Under this right you can request we restrict information processing for a period of time if you think the information is inaccurate, while we check its accuracy. If the information is found to have been used unlawfully you can ask for it to be restricted instead of being erased. If we no longer need to keep the information but you need us to keep it in connection with a legal claim you are involved with you can ask us to restrict it. You can also ask us to restrict processing if you have previously objected to us processing it whilst we check whether our legitimate reasons for processing it outweigh your right. Once processing has been restricted, we can start to use the information again only if you have consented to this or where it is in connection with a legal claim or if it is to protect the rights of another person or there is a strong public interest. We will tell you before any restriction we have put in place is lifted. We will communicate any restriction of processing to anyone to whom it has been disclosed unless this is not possible or involves disproportionate effort. We will tell you who those recipients are if you ask us. 

Right to Data Portability

The purpose of this right is to give a person more control over their personal information. Data Portability means you have the right to receive a copy of personal information which you have given us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to have it transferred directly to another ‘controller’ where technically possible. This right only applies to information which is processed by automated means and where you have given consent to the processing or where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract.  It does not apply if the processing is needed to comply with a legal obligation, our official duties or is for a task carried out in the public interest. It is therefore unlikely to apply to any of the processing carried out by the practice.

Right to Object

You can object to the processing of your personal information if the processing activity is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in connection with our lawful, official duties or those of a third party, or a task carried out in the public interest. We could refuse to comply with a request only where we could show that there was an overriding legal reason or if we need to process the information in relation to a legal claim.

You also have a separate right to object to processing if it is for direct marketing purposes. We do not use your information in this way but if we did, we would tell you about it. This right also includes a specific right to object to research uses except where this is done in the public interest.

Automated Decision-Making, Including Profiling

Profiling means any form of automated processing (i.e., processed by a computer and not a human being) of personal information used to analyse, evaluate or predict things about someone; this can include things like someone’s health, personal preferences, interests, economic situation, reliability, performance at work behaviour, location or movements.

Under this right you can ask not to be subject to a decision made solely by automated means, including any profiling, which affects you in a legal way or has a similar significant effect. Automated decision-making and profiling is not allowed if it involves certain types of information; these ‘special categories’ of information are deemed to carry more sensitivity therefore we cannot use your health information for automated decision-making or profiling unless we have your explicit consent or there is substantial public interest allowing us to do so. We currently do not carry out any automated decision-making, including profiling.

Consent Where processing is based on consent you have the right to withdraw consent to process your personal data.

Right to Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

If you have concerns or are unhappy about any of our services, please contact the Practice Manager. For independent advice about data protection, privacy, and data-sharing issues, or to complain to the ICO if you think any processing of your personal data infringes data protection legislation you can contact:

The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Phone: 0303 123 1113 Website: www.ico.gov.uk

Data Protection Officer (DPO)

As a public authority the practice must appoint a DPO. The DPO is an essential role in facilitating ‘accountability’ and the organisation’s ability to demonstrate compliance with the data protection legislation. The DPO for the practice is Paul Couldrey at Primary Care Development Centre

Change of Details

It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any of your details are incorrect in order for this to be amended. Please inform us of any changes so our records for you are accurate and up to date.

Mobile telephone number

If you provide us with your mobile phone number, we may use this to send you reminders about your appointments or other health screening information. Please let us know if you do not wish to receive reminders on your mobile.

Reviews of and Changes to our Privacy Notice

We will keep our Privacy Notice under regular review. This notice was last reviewed in June 2026.

Chaperone Statement

All patients have a right to request a chaperone during an appointment with a clinical staff member. Please ask the clinician you are seeing or a care-coordinator to arrange this.

Thornfield Medical Group only allows their clinical staff to act as chaperones. Where suitable clinical staff members are not available the examination should be deferred.

Quality assurance involves an assessment of quality of care by an external body in terms of comparisons against agreed thresholds and standards, to determine whether quality of care is acceptable.

This judgement leads to further decisions on actions to be taken to maintain or improve quality. Quality assurance ensures that these actions are implemented through monitoring and reviews of progress.

The practice will work collaboratively with the following agencies who are involved in the quality assurance process.

• Care quality commission
• Newcastle ICB Place
• NHS England
• General Medical Council (Revalidation)

The practice will collect, monitor and make available information in the following areas to facilitate the process of quality assurance.

• Patient experience (patient participation group, friends and family test)
• Complaints handling
• Significant event monitoring reporting and analysis
• Obligations under duty of candour
• Clinical audit
• Organisational audit
• NHS GP Survey
• Quality and outcomes framework
• Practice clinical and management meetings
• Clinical governance activity
• CCG practice development and engagement scheme
• Reduction of unplanned admissions scheme
• Primary care web tool
• Staff appraisal

Mission Statement –

To provide professional, accessible, high quality, healthcare services for our patients and our community.

Our Vision

• We aim to provide the best possible outcomes for our patients in a safe and welcoming environment Our doctors and staff are approachable, respectful and patient – centered,
• We aim to be at the forefront of modern general practice, offering a wide range of services and facilities.
• We aim to be a centre of excellence for teaching and training of medical students, go registrars and nurses
• We aim to use technology smartly to improve the patient contact and clinical activity
• We will continue to invest in our staff, diversifying and developing our skills and knowledge base to ensure that we gave a highly skilled, resilient and adaptable work force to meet the needs of our patients and communities
• We aim to support the development through a greater understanding and treatment of disease through proactive engagement with research projects
• We will seek to collaborate and work in partnership to strengthen community links and respond to local, regional and national initiatives

Our Values

We are accountable

We ensure we take responsibility for our actions and are open and transparent to the people who use our service

We are fair

We are consistent in the way we deal with people, both patients and staff we are courteously show consideration, compassion and understanding valuing each person as an individual

We are professional

We strive to achieve a high level of medical care for our patients and responsive to medical need both for the individual and for the community. We maintain our professional learning and follow guidelines where appropriate to do so.

Our success is built upon the personal and professional achievement of everyone who works at Thornfield Medical group.

We are innovative

We constantly review the service we provide and improve it when and where possible. We use all available resources, including technology to provide the best service we can.

We nurture innovation, lead on learning and development, and embrace emerging technologies.

We are caring

We will put our patients at the heart of all that we do.

We respect and valve everyone for their contribution, we engage with the community and local resources where possible, we celebrate peoples’ differences and provide equality of opportunity for all without discrimination.

Unacceptable Behaviour Policy (Zero Tolerance) – Thornfield Medical Group

Thornfield Medical Group operates an unacceptable behaviour policy to all and will not tolerate any abuse towards its staff, doctors or other patients. This could be physical, verbal, or online abuse. GPs and staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked, abused or treated badly in any way.

To successfully provide our services a mutual respect between 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. We would respectfully remind patients, relatives, carers or advocates that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time.

Aggressive behaviour, be it physical, verbal or online, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.

For the practice to maintain good relations with our patients we would like to ask all our patients to read and take note of these occasional types of behaviours we see that would be found unacceptable:

• Verbal abuse including bad language, texting, swearing, or shouting at practice staff
• Any physical violence, threats, threatening behaviour or intimidation towards any member of our team or other patients
• Derogatory remarks regarding protected characteristics (e.g. racist, sexist or homophobic behaviour)
• 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 be met.
• Being perceived to bully a staff member to obtain something
• Causing damage/stealing from the practice’s premises, staff, or patients
• Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently
• Making inflammatory statements e.g. “You are incompetent and should be sacked”
• Derogatory, abusive, or insulting comments made about staff online or in the media
• Harassing, abusing, or threatening staff on their personal social networks
• Malicious allegations relating to members or staff, other patients, or visitors
• Offensive sexual gestures or behaviours
• Drinking alcohol, taking drugs on practice premises or being intoxicated
• Drug dealing on practice premises
• Abuse of practice processes/policy

If patients breach the above, then they may be asked to leave immediately or within 8 days to register with a new GP surgery.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (eg average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice, However it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading. It takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice and should not be used to form any judgement about GP earnings nor, to make any comparison with any other practice.                                                                                                  

The average pay for GPs working at Thornfield Medical Group in the last financial year was £81,261 before tax and national insurance. This is for 2 full  time GPs and 8 part time GP who worked at the practice for 6 months or more in the year.