Freedom Of Information

Background

This is a guide to the general practitioners 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 the partners of Crags Health Care. It is a description of the information about our general practitioners and practice which we make publicly available.

a) How much does it cost?

The publications are all free unless otherwise indicated.

b) How is the information made available?

The information within each class is available from:

Practice Manager
Crags Health Care
Whitwell Health Centre
The Square
Whitwell
S80 4DY

Telephone: 01909 808082

c) Your rights to information

In addition to accessing the information identified in the publication scheme, you are entitled to request information about Crags Health Care General 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.

From January 1st 2005 the general practice is obliged 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. For this, please contact our practice manager.

d) 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 contact our practice manager.

Classes of Information

All information at Crags Health Care General 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:

a) Class 1: Who we are and what we do

  • Doctors in the practice
  • Contact details
  • Opening hours
  • Staffing details

This practice adheres to the national general medical services contract.

The contract is with:

NHS England
North Midlands Office
Birch House
Ransom Wood Business Park
Southwell Road West
Rainworth
Nottingham
NG21 0HJ

The practice aims to follow National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and National Service Framework guidelines.

Copies of these can also be found on the following websites:

It is possible to find out information about our practice and other NHS services in your area by using www.nhs.uk. A full list of local general practices can be found there too.

Crags Health Care provides general medical services for the geographical area of Whitwell and Creswell and other outlying areas.

b) Class 2: What we spend and how we spend it

Crags Health Care receives money from general medical services according to its contract in exchange for services provided for patients.

Information about our NHS income is available on request although it should be noted that the practice does receive some additional income for services provided privately.

There may be circumstances where material 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.

c) Class 3: What our priorities are and how we are doing

From time to time we will produce business plans for the development of NHS services. These plans will be provided on request subject to the usual exemptions.

We also produce regular reports on our performance including patient satisfaction surveys which will also be shared.

d) Class 4: How we make decisions

As a GP partnership we hold regular meetings to discuss the running of the practice. As part of this process we may make decisions about the provision of services under our GMS contract. Minutes are kept of such meetings and, where these cover discussions about NHS services, they will be shared.

e) Class 5: Our policies and procedures

The practice produces a wide range of policies and procedures covering both clinical and administration areas.

A full list is available on request but each policy will normally fall under one of the following headings:

  • Staff
  • Service delivery
  • Health and safety
  • IT including data protection and handling information
  • Complaints
  • Records management

f) Class 6: Lists and Registers

The practice operates a number of clinical registers as part of the provision of NHS services. These will contain clinical information which means they generally cannot be shared. However, there may be occasions when similar lists may be shared with sensitive information deleted.

g) Class 7: The services we offer

 The list of the services we provide is as follows:

  • Cervical cytology
  • Child health surveillance
  • Contraceptive services
  • Dietician
  • Disease management clinics
  • District nurse
  • Health promotions clinics (e.g. well man and well woman clinics and CVD checks)
  • Immunisations
  • Maternity medical services
  • Minor surgery services

Some information will be withheld, including personal, confidential information about individuals which is protected by the Data Protection Act 1998.

A detail of the range of services offered is available in our practice leaflet.

h) Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint about any aspect of our service, please contact:

Practice Manager
Crags Health Care
Whitwell Health Centre
The Square
Whitwell
S80 4DY

Telephone: 01909 808082

The complaints policy for our practice can be obtained free of charge in hard copy from our reception team.

i) Charges for the provision of information

Currently, all information is provided free of charge although this will be reviewed from time to time. If copies are requested in large amounts or by solicitors, a charge will be made for the copying. The current charges for copying are available from reception.

Useful Resources

a)     Websites

b)    Publications

Copyright

Material available through this publication scheme is subject to the general 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, please visit www.hmso.gov.uk.