Patient Information

Access to Medical Records

The practice is registered and complies with the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). Any request for access to notes by a patient, patient’s representative or outside body will be dealt with in accordance with the Act.

Please send your requests to: admin.kirbyroad@nhs.net

You call also make your request in writing, via a letter to the practice addressed to the Partners.

Please be aware of the current postal strikes if you send your letter via post.

Summary Care Record

If you’re registered with a GP surgery, you’ll have a Summary Care Record unless you’ve chosen not to have one. It contains basic information including your allergies, medicines and any reactions you’ve had to medicine in the past. By storing all this information in one place, it makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

To opt out of having a Summary Care Record, speak to your GP or another health professional.

Coronavirus update: During the coronavirus outbreak, you will also have extra information added to your record. This includes significant medical history (past and present), reasons for medicines, care plan information and vaccinations.

For further information, follow this link to visit the ‘How to access your health records’ page on the NHS website.

GP2GP

The General Medical Services GP Contract requires practices to use GP2GP for transferring electronic health records.

You will expect GPs to have your medical records for your first consultation at the new practice. With GP2GP, the record arrives straight after the registration. In comparison, paper medical records can take weeks or months to arrive.

GP2GP also means practices can support the Health Secretary’s objective that patients should have digital records that follow them around the health and social care system.

Find our more about GP2GP on the NHS website

Your data matters to the NHS

Your health records contain a type of data called confidential patient information. This data can be used to help with research and planning.

You can choose to stop your confidential patient information being used for research and planning. You can also make a choice for someone else like your children under the age of 13.

Your choice will only apply to the health and care system in England. This does not apply to health or care services accessed in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Find out how this data is used and how to opt out on the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/

Full Prospective Record Access

From 30^th November 2022, NHS England announced that patients across the United Kingdom will be permitted to request full prospective online access to their medical records from their General Practice (GP).

Patients must put their request in writing. This can be done by sending an email, at: admin.kirbyroad@nhs.net or by sending a letter addressed to the surgery, at: 58 Kirby Road, Dunstable, LU6 3JH.

The Management Team at Kirby Road Surgery will review each request for full prospective access, and the patient will be notified of the outcome.

Healthwatch

Healthwatch was created by the Health and Social Care Act, 2012.

Healthwatch Central Bedfordshire is the local consumer champion promoting choice and influencing the provision of high quality health, social care and wellbeing services for all across Central Bedfordshire.

They are:

Independent- They are independent and you can speak to them in confidence.
The voice of local people- They will listen to you and respond.
Professional- They can speak on your behalf to help improve and drive up the quality of health and social care services and where appropriate put you in touch with other professional services that can help.

Website: https://healthwatch-centralbedfordshire.org.uk/

Telephone: 0300 303 8554

Email: info@healthwatch-centralbedfordshire.org.uk

Your Rights and Responsibilities

Patient’s rights

Kirby Road Surgery are dedicated to providing our patients with outstanding healthcare services. We have a large, diverse and experienced team who work together in order to meet the needs of our patients.

At all times, practice staff at Kirby Road Surgery will:

Treat all patients with courtesy and respect.
Consult patients at all times regarding the care and attention that they will receive.
Promote privacy and confidentiality, ensuring all details disclosed to staff are treated with the upmost sensitivity.
Try to enable you to see a clinician of your choice, subject to staff availability.
Ensure our telephone system provides the details of out of hours services should the surgery be closed.
Endeavour to have any repeat prescription requests processed within 2 working days. Should there be any reason that your prescription cannot be fulfilled, you will be notified accordingly.
Provide up to date information on the services the surgery provides to our patients by way of leaflets, posters and social media updates

Patient’s responsibilities

With these rights come responsibilities for our patients. Practice staff would therefore kindly request that you:

Treat all practice staff, both clinical and administrative, with the same respect that you wish to be treated with.
Arrive in plenty of time for your appointment. Patients who arrive more than 10 minutes late may not be seen and advised to rebook the appointment.
Appointments are in a extremely high demand. Unattended appointments waste valuable clinician time as well as prevent other patients receiving the urgent treatment they need. If you wish to cancel your appointment, please telephone the practice at your earliest convenience or send us a cancellation form.
Obtain self care advice from your local pharmacist for any minor illnesses or use NHS online.
Ensure you follow up with any test results or investigations organised for you.
Request your repeat prescriptions in plenty of time, allowing for our 48 hour processing window.
Understand that an appointment is for one person only. When another member of your family needs to consult with a clinician, another appointment must be organised.
Notify the surgery should you have any change in personal details as soon as possible. Such changes may occur when you marry, divorce, move home or change your telephone number. You can do this online by visiting our Updating your details page.
Attend the surgery if you are able to. Home visits should be medically justifiable and not requested for convenience. For more information, please see our Home visits page.
Read all practice leaflets or information that we provide you with. They are there to help you improve upon your health and well- being or enable you to use our services. If you need a more accessible form of these leaflets, please let us know.
Patient suggestions, ideas, or comments of complaint are important to practice staff as they enable the team to further improve service provision.