Drs
Jeavons, Waterworth, Michie, Jones and Baines
BLACKETTS
MEDICAL PRACTICE
PUBLICATION
SCHEME
Published under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000.
NHS
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION PROJECT BOARD/BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION MODEL PUBLICATION
SCHEME FOR GENERAL PRACTICES
Welcome to Blacketts Medical Practice
Publication Scheme. This is a guide to the Practice’s Publication Scheme as
required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Introduction
This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely
made available to the public by Dr DA Jeavons and
The scheme is divided into Classes. Each Class describes a category of
information, how and where it is available and whether there is any cost.
How much does it cost?
The publications are all free
unless otherwise indicated within each Class.
How is the information made available?
The information within each
Class is currently available in paper format from the Practice at Blacketts Medical Practice.
Some information (such as the Patients’ Handbook) is routinely made
available to all patients when they register with the Practice. Leaflets on a variety of subjects are
available and on display at the surgery.
The Patients’ Handbook is also available on our website http://www.blackettsmedical.com/. Other items can be obtained on request to the
Practice Manager. The method of
obtaining information is described in more detail under each Class.
Your rights to information
·
In
addition to accessing the information identified in the Publication Scheme, you
are entitled to request information about Blacketts
Medical Practice under the NHS Openness Code 1995.
·
The
Freedom of Information Act 2000 recognises that members of the public have the
right to know how public services are organised and run, how much they cost and
how the decisions are made.
·
It obliges
the Practice to respond to requests about information that it holds, and is
recorded in any format and it will create a right of access to that
information. These rights are subject to some exemptions which have to be taken
into consideration before deciding what information it can release.
·
Under the
Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records
or any other personal information held about you. You should contact the Practice Manager to do
this or request a copy of the patient information leaflet on access to records..
Feedback
If you have any comments
about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or how we have dealt with your
request for information from the Scheme, please write to:
The Practice Manager
Blacketts Medical Practice
63-65 Bondgate
DL3 7JR
All information at Blacketts
Medical Practice is held, retained and
destroyed in accordance with NHS guidelines. Our commitment to publish
information excludes any information which can be legitimately withheld under
the exemptions set out in the NHS Openness Code or Freedom of Information Act
2000. Where individual Classes are subject to exemptions, the main reasons are
e.g. the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the
Data Protection Act 1998. This applies to all Classes within the Publication
Scheme. The information on this Scheme is grouped into the following broad
categories:
1. Who we are
Details of the practice,
organisational structures, key personnel and how we fit into the NHS
2. Our Services
The range of services we
provide under contract to the NHS
3. Financial and funding information
Funding details and charging
policies
4. Regular publications and information for the public
Guidance and information
leaflets
5. Complaints
Policies, procedures and
contacts for complaints
6. Our policies and procedures
General
policies and procedures in use within the practice. These
include, but are not restricted to, data protection, prescribing and
prescription, health and safety
7. This
Publication Scheme
In this class
we will publish any changes we make to this Publication Scheme, the criteria on
which our information management policies are made and a referral point for all
enquires regarding information management generally in the Trust. We will also
publish any proposed changes or additions to publications already available.
Cost of
Information
For the most part, we will charge you only for hard
copies or copying onto media (e.g. CD ROM). Some information is available free,
but for others there may be a charge. The charges will vary according to how
information is made available. Charges are as follows:
(a) Leaflets and booklets - free of charge for
leaflets or booklets on, for example, services we offer to the public, or
patient information leaflets on medical conditions.
(b) Copies of
policies, protocols and procedures – a charge of £5 will be made to cover
administrative costs, plus £0.25 per page copied..
c) “Glossy” or other bound paper copies, or in some
cases a CD Rom, video or other mediums – there will normally be a charge, which
will be advised at the time you request the item.
d) e-mail-will be free of charge unless it says
otherwise
The charges will be reviewed regularly.
1. Who we are
Class Description: Details of
the practice, organisational structures, key personnel
and how we fit into the NHS
·
The Practice
is part of the Darlington Primary Care Trust.
The Trust is part of the National Health Service (NHS) and provides
primary care services in Darlington and surrounding areas.
·
The NHS is
a very large part of the public sector. A full list of local General Practices
in the area can be found on Darlington Primary Care Trust web site (http://www.darlingtonpct.nhs.uk)
·
Blacketts Medical
Practice provides personal medical services for patients living in the south west of
·
Our GP
·
The
Practice has a local Personal Medical Services contract with the Darlington
Primary Care Trust. This is described in
Class 3.
2. Our Services
Class Description: The range of services we
provide under contract to the NHS
·
Our
services are described in the Patients’ Handbook and on our website.
·
In
addition, there are some leaflets available from Reception that give more
details of certain services.
·
Practice
premises and hours of opening, including out of hours cover, are also described
in the Patients’ Handbook and on our website.
3. Financial and funding
information
Class Description: Funding
details and charging policies
·
The Practice
has a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract with the Darlington Primary Care
Trust. This provides a basic level of
payment for providing services specified in the contract, plus additional
payments for achieving certain levels of service.
·
The total
income received from the NHS before expenses in 2005/2006 was £975,000.
·
A copy of
the Practice’s PMS contract is available from the Practice Manager at a cost of
£10. There may be circumstances where
financial terms of the contract cannot be released because it is confidential
or commercial information, or the appropriate officer designated for these
purposes under the Act has taken the view that it may be prejudicial to the
conduct of the Practice’s affairs.
4. Regular publications and information for the public
Class description: Guidance and information leaflets
The categories of published
information/leaflets that the Practice makes available are as follows. All are
free of charge.
·
Patients’
Handbook – this includes information about doctors, services, opening hours,
appointment system and patients’ rights and responsibilities. It is available on request at Reception. This information is also available on our web
site.
·
Patient
Information Leaflets – these give more detailed information on a wide variety
of topics. They include medical topics (eg: self-management of problems such as Asthma),
information (eg: information for new patients) and
procedures (eg: how to make a complaint). Information leaflets are available on request
at Reception, or through your doctor or nurse.
·
Third-party
booklets and leaflets provided by (eg) the NHS, local
healthcare or social services, leaflets for local or national healthcare campaigns
(eg: smoking cessation), etc.
5. Complaints
Class description: Policies,
procedures and contacts for complaints
The Practice complaints
procedure is in the Patients’ Handbook.
An information leaflet for patients about how to complain is also available
on request at Reception. Written or
telephone complaints should be made to the Practice Manager.
6. Our policies and
procedures
Class description: General
policies and procedures in use within the practice. These include, but are not
restricted to, data protection, prescribing and prescription, zero tolerance
health and safety.
The Practice has an extensive
range of policies, protocols and procedures.
These cover patient administration and clinical procedures. They are maintained on our internal computer
system for the guidance of staff. A full
list of policies, protocols and procedures can be obtained on request to the
Practice Manager and will be provided free of charge. If copies of any document(s) in the list are
requested, a charge of £5 will be made, plus a copying charge of £0.25 per
page.
7. This Publication Scheme
Class Description: In this class we will publish any changes we make to
this Publication Scheme, the criteria on which our information management
policies are made and a referral point for all enquires regarding information
management generally in the General Practice. We will also publish any proposed
changes or additions to publications already available.
·
Costs for
publications included in this scheme are described under each class. As a general rule, Practice publications,
information leaflets and third-party leaflets and booklets will be provided
free of charge on request. Other
information, such as copies of internal procedures, will normally be supplied
on payment of a charge of £5 to cover administrative expenses, plus a copying
charge of £0.25 per page.
·
This
scheme covers publications current at July 2005. It will be amended from time to time to
reflect changes.
·
The person
responsible for information in the Practice, to whom all enquiries should be
made, is:
The Practice Manager
Blacketts Medical Practice
63-65 Bondgate
DL3 7JR
Tel: 01325 380640
Web sites:
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
This is the web site of the
Information Commissioner
This is the web site of the
Lord Chancellor’s Department
This is the NHS Freedom of
Information web site
Primary Care Trust web site
·
NHS
Openness Code- www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexec/codemain.htm
·
FOI Act
2000 www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts2000/2000036.htm
·
Code of
Practice under Section 45 FOI Act 2000 www.lcd.gov.uk
·
Code of
Practice under Section 46 FOI Act 2000 www.lcd.gov.uk
·
Statement
of Fees and Allowances payable for General Medical Practitioners in England
Copyright
Material available through
this Publication Scheme is subject to the Blacketts
Medical Practice’s copyright unless otherwise indicated. Unless expressly
indicated to the contrary, it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or
medium provided it is done so accurately in a manner which will not mislead.
Where items are re-published or copied to others, you must identify the source
and acknowledge copyright status. This permit does not extend to third party
material, accessed through the scheme. For HMSO Guidance Notes see www.hmso.gov.uk/guides.htm