What is the Bolton Care Record?

Things are changing in Bolton. As part of planned improvements, local health and social care organisations will be working more closely together to make patient care even better.

To do this, we need to make some changes so that everyone directly involved in your care can see your medical records. This means that your GP, a specialist at the hospital, a district nurse or your social care professional, will have access to the information they need.

The Bolton Care Record is a new confidential computer record that will provide health and social care professionals, directly involved in your care, access to the most up-to-date information about you. It does this by securely sharing appropriate information from your medical and care records between health and social care services in Bolton.

What kind of information will be shared?

The Bolton Care Record will hold certain information about each patient, which will ensure that when you are being treated, or cared for, by the NHS or Social Care services, the professionals looking after you will have the most up-to-date information:

• Address and telephone number – so we have one set of contact details.
• Diagnosis list – to make sure your health or social care professional has an accurate and complete record of your care.
• Medications – so everyone treating you can see what medicines you’ve currently been prescribed.
• Allergies – to make sure you aren’t prescribed or given any medicines you could have an adverse reaction to.
• Test Results – to speed up your treatment and care.
• Referrals, clinic letters and discharge information – to make sure the people caring for you have all the information they need about other treatment you’re having elsewhere.

The benefits for you……

• Joined up care is safer care.
• More time spent on you and your care, instead of going over the same information.
• Less paperwork.
• Fewer unnecessary clinical tests.
• Better self management for patients.
• More accurate prescriptions.

If you have any queries, please telephone: 0800 588 4400 (Freephone) or e-mail bolccg.sharingiscaring@nhs.net

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

• To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
• To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
• When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.

Access to Records

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager and may be subject to an administration charge. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.

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 treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.

How your data is used

Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.

Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.

You have a choice

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?

No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.

What do you need to do?

If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.

To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

Download a copy of the patient leaflet

The practice and its staff are committed to the fair treatment of all patients and service users, regardless of age, colour, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender reassignment, nationality, race, religion or belief, responsibility for dependents, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristics. All policies and procedures for service delivery are subject to an equality impact assessment.

We aim to provide patients with the best care we can, but will sometimes fall short of the mark. If you have any compliments, comments, concerns or complaints about our service, we want to hear about it.

We would encourage you to speak to whoever you feel most comfortable with – your doctor, a nurse, a receptionist or manager – but if you would prefer to give feedback in writing, please send it to the below address.

If you have a complaint to make, please don’t be afraid to say how you feel. We welcome feedback to help us improve our standards and you will not be treated any differently because you have complained.

To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.

Click here to download our Complaint Form and Complaint Leaflet.

Send your written complaint to our Practice Manager Savita Hallikeri:
Dr Hallikeri and Partners,
Little Lever Health Centre,
Mytham Road,
Little Lever,
Bolton,
BL3 1JF

Signing of third party consent will need to be witnessed by a staff member and photo ID shown. Complaint forms are also available from reception at any of our sites. You can make a complaint in your own format providing this covers all the necessary aspects. Please make your complaint as specific and precise as possible

If you do not wish to complain to us directly you can make a complaint to:
NHS England,
PO Box 16738,
Redditch,
B97 9PT

Telephone 0300 311 22 33 or via email england.contactus@nhs.net.

Website: www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us

Ombudsman

If you are not happy with the response from this practice, you can refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who investigates complaints about the NHS in England.

Complaints Helpine: 0345 015 4033

Textphone (Minicom): 0300 061 4298

Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk

Address: Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP

Contacting the Care Quality Commission

If you have a genuine concern about a staff member or regulated activity carried on by this Practice then please contact the Care Quality Commission directly;

Telephone: 03000 616161

Website: http://www.cqc.org.uk

NHS England require that the net earnings of GPs engaged in the practice is publicised and the required disclosure is shown below. However, it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time GPs spend working in the practice and it should not be used to form any judgement about GP earnings nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (i.e. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Dr C Hallikeri & Partners surgery in the last financial year was £95,157 before tax and national insurance. This is for 2 Full time GP’s who worked in the practice for more than six months.

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who can see it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I know if I have one?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether Summary Care Records have come to your area by asking your GP

Do I have to have one?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete a form and bring it along to the surgery.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.