All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in the Sides Medical Centre in the last financial year was £70,692 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 3 full time GPs and 5 part time GPs and no locum GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) makes sure hospitals, care homes, dental and GP surgeries, and all other care services in England provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care, and encourages them to make improvements where possible.

They do this by inspecting services and publishing the results on their website: www.cqc.org.uk

You can use the results to help you make better decisions about the care you, or someone you care for, receives.

Our CQC Inspection

Our practice is inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure we are meeting essential standards of quality and safety.

More information

NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is the organisation that decides how to spend the NHS budget on the majority of health services for 270,000 people registered with a GP in Salford. This includes the care and treatment you receive in hospital, maternity services, community and mental health services.

This document contains information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. It must not be used by, or its contents reproduced or otherwise copied or disclosed without the prior consent in writing from The Sides Medical Centre

Read more about our Complaints Policy and Procedure

Requests for completion of firearms certificates for patients of the sides medical centre

The GPs Partners at The Sides Medical Centre have taken the decision to refuse to engage in the firearms certification process on grounds of conscientious objection because of ethical beliefs. A GP practice does not need to arrange for alternative provision of a report.

Greater Manchester Police have been informed of this decision.

If access to a firearm is a professional requirement – such as for gamekeepers and farmers – our doctors will assist applicants in finding a colleague to help.

The Freedom of Information Act creates a right of access to recorded information and obliges a public authority to:

• Have a publication scheme in place
• Allow public access to information held by public authorities.

The Act covers any recorded organisational information such as reports, policies or strategies, that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland. However, it does not cover personal information such as patient records, which are covered by the Data Protection Act.

Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces.

The Act is enforced by the Information Commissioner who regulates both the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act.

The surgery publication scheme

A publication scheme requires an authority to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The scheme lists information under seven broad classes, which are:

• who we are and what we do
• what we spend and how we spend it
• what our priorities are and how we are doing it
• how we make decisions
• our policies and procedures
• lists and registers
• the services we offer

You can request our publication scheme leaflet at the surgery.

Who can request information?

Under the Act, any individual, anywhere in the world, is able to make a request to a practice for information. An applicant is entitled to be informed in writing, by the practice, whether the practice holds information of the description specified in the request and if that is the case, have the information communicated to him/her. An individual can request information, regardless of whether he/she is the subject of the information or affected by its use. 

How should requests be made?

Requests must:

• be made in writing (this can be electronically e.g. email/fax)
• state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence
• describe the information requested.

What cannot be requested?

Personal data about staff and patients covered under Data Protection Act.

For more information see these websites:

• Legislation GOV.UK
• Information Commissioners Office

The NHS needs data about the patients it treats in order to plan and deliver its services and to ensure that care and treatment provided is safe and effective. The General Practice Data for Planning and Research data collection will help the NHS to improve health and care services for everyone by collecting patient data that can be used to do this. For example, patient data can help the NHS to:

• monitor the long-term safety and effectiveness of care
• plan how to deliver better health and care services
• prevent the spread of infectious diseases
• identify new treatments and medicines through health research

GP practices already share patient data for these purposes, but this new data collection will be more efficient and effective.

This means that GPs can get on with looking after their patients, and NHS Digital can provide controlled access to patient data to the NHS and other organisations who need to use it, to improve health and care for everyone.

Opting out of NHS Digital collecting your data (Type 1 Opt-out)

If you do not want your identifiable patient data (personally identifiable data in the diagram above) to be shared outside of your GP practice for purposes except for your own care, you can register an opt-out with your GP practice. This is known as a Type 1 Opt-out.

Type 1 Opt-outs were introduced in 2013 for data sharing from GP practices, but may be discontinued in the future as a new opt-out has since been introduced to cover the broader health and care system, called the National Data Opt-out. If this happens people who have registered a Type 1 Opt-out will be informed. More about National Data Opt-outs is in the section Who the NHS shares patient data with.

Here is a brief video to explain –

NHS Digital will not collect any patient data for patients who have already registered a Type 1 Opt-out in line with current policy. If this changes patients who have registered a Type 1 Opt-out will be informed.

If you do not want your patient data shared with NHS Digital, you can register a Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice. You can register a Type 1 Opt-out at any time. You can also change your mind at any time and withdraw a Type 1 Opt-out.

Data sharing with NHS Digital will start on 1 July 2021.

If you have already registered a Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice your data will not be shared with NHS Digital.

To register a Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice before data sharing starts with NHS Digital, the quickest way is by opting out directly via the NHS Digital website. The link to this is – https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/

Alternatively, you return this form to your GP practice by 23 June 2021 to allow time for processing it. If you have previously registered a Type 1 Opt-out and you would like to withdraw this, you can also use the form to do this. You can send the form by post or email to your GP practice or call 0300 3035678 for a form to be sent out to you.

For more information please see the NHS Digital website.

We aim to keep our surgery clean and tidy and offer a safe environment to our patients and staff. We are proud of our modern, purpose built practice and endeavour to keep it clean and well maintained at all times.

If you have any concerns about cleanliness or infection control, please report these to our reception staff.

Our GPs and nursing staff follow our Infection Control Policy to ensure the care we deliver and the equipment we use is safe.

We take additional measures to ensure we maintain the highest standards:

• Encourage staff and patients to raise any issues or report any incidents relating to cleanliness and infection control. We can discuss these and identify improvements we can make to avoid any future problems
• Carry out an annual infection control audit to make sure our infection control procedures are working
• Provide annual staff updates and training on cleanliness and infection control
• Review our policies and procedures to make sure they are adequate and meet national guidance
• Maintain the premises and equipment to a high standard within the available financial resources and ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to reduce or remove all infection risk
• Use washable or disposable materials for items such as couch rolls, modesty curtains, floor coverings, towels etc., and ensure that these are laundered, cleaned or changed frequently to minimise risk of infection
• Make alcohol hand rub gel available throughout the building

We are committed to protecting your privacy. You can access our website without giving us any information about yourself. But sometimes we do need information to provide services that you request, and this statement of privacy explains data collection and use in those situations.

In general, you can visit our web site without telling us who you are and without revealing any information about yourself. However there may be occasions when you choose to give us personal information, for example, when you choose to contact us or request information from us. We will ask you when we need information that personally identifies you or allows us to contact you.

We collect the personal data that you may volunteer while using our services. We do not collect information about our visitors from other sources, such as public records or bodies, or private organisations. We do not collect or use personal data for any purpose other than that indicated below:

To send you confirmation of requests that you have made to us

To send you information when you request it.

We intend to protect the quality and integrity of your personally identifiable information and we have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to do so. We ensure that your personal data will not be disclosed to State institutions and authorities except if required by law or other regulation.

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should be aware that we don’t have any control over the other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting these sites.

This practice is supporting vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital (NHSD). For more information about this see the General Practice Transparency Notice for GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19).

Coronavirus has led to increased demand on general practices, including an increasing number of requests to provide patient data to inform planning/support vital research on the outcomes for patients of the virus.

To support the response to the coronavirus outbreak, NHS Digital has been legally directed to collect and analyse healthcare information about patients, including from their GP record.

For further information please see link below:

digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/gpes-data-for-pandemic-planning-and-research

General practices have a legal duty to be transparent under GDPR about the data they are sharing with NHSD and therefore need to update their transparency notices to include details.

NHSD has provided a narrative:

This practice is supporting vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. For more information about this see the General Practice Transparency Notice for GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19).

Covid-19 and your information – Updated on 8th April 2020

Supplementary privacy note on Covid-19 for Patients

This notice describes how we may use your information to protect you and others during the Covid-19 outbreak. It supplements our main Privacy Notice above.

 The health and social care system is facing significant pressures due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Health and care information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support health and social care services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the outbreak. In the current emergency it has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant organisations.

Existing law which allows confidential patient information to be used and shared appropriately and lawfully in a public health emergency is being used during this outbreak. Using this law the Secretary of State has required NHS Digital; NHS England and Improvement; Arms Length Bodies (such as Public Health England); local authorities; health organisations and GPs to share confidential patient information to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. Any information used or shared during the Covid-19 outbreak will be limited to the period of the outbreak unless there is another legal basis to use the data.  Further information is available on gov.uk here and some FAQs on this law are available here.

During this period of emergency, opt-outs will not generally apply to the data used to support the Covid-19 outbreak, due to the public interest in sharing information.  This includes National Data Opt-outs.  However in relation to the Summary Care Record, existing choices will be respected. Where data is used and shared under these laws your right to have personal data erased will also not apply.  It may also take us longer to respond to Subject Access requests, Freedom of Information requests and new opt-out requests whilst we focus our efforts on responding to the outbreak.

In order to look after your health and care needs we may share your confidential patient information including health and care records with clinical and non clinical staff in other health and care providers, for example neighbouring GP practices, hospitals and NHS 111. We may also use the details we have to send public health messages to you, either by phone, text or email.

During this period of emergency we may offer you a consultation via telephone or video-conferencing. By accepting the invitation and entering the consultation you are consenting to this. Your personal/confidential patient information will be safeguarded in the same way it would with any other consultation.

We will also be required to share personal/confidential patient information with health and care organisations and other bodies engaged in disease surveillance for the purposes of

protecting public health, providing healthcare services to the public and monitoring and

managing the outbreak.  Further information about how health and care data is being used and shared by other NHS and social care organisations in a variety of ways to support the Covid-19 response is here.

NHS England and Improvement and NHSX have developed a single, secure store to gather data from across the health and care system to inform the Covid-19 response. This includes data already collected by NHS England, NHS Improvement, Public Health England and NHS Digital. New data will include 999 call data, data about hospital occupancy and A&E capacity data as well as data provided by patients themselves.  All the data held in the platform is subject to strict controls that meet the requirements of data protection legislation.

In such circumstances where you tell us you’re experiencing Covid-19 symptoms we may need to collect specific health data about you.  Where we need to do so, we will not collect more information than we require and we will ensure that any information collected is treated with the appropriate safeguards.

We may amend this privacy notice at any time so please review it frequently. The date at the top of this page will be amended each time this notice is updated.

We welcome all comments on the services provided by the practice.

We are continually looking to turn our patients’ feedback into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families.

We’ll let the staff involved know and share the good practice across our teams.

You may write to us or contact us by phone.

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 contacting the practice.

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. You can opt-out by completing our Summary Care Record Opt Out form.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.

Information to support GPs with queries relating to highest clinical risk patients, i.e. those who are advised to following shielding guidelines

Highest Clinical Risk group only (1.5m)

All patients identified as highest clinical risk who are shielding are asked to register with the Government Support website. This service provides three offers of support:

• Essential grocery supplies – a free, standardised weekly parcel of food and household essentials, as well as priority delivery slots with supermarkets (currently only available to those who are already registered with the supermarket in question);
• Medicines – arrangements to have medicines delivered to people’s homes by local community pharmacies and dispensing doctors; and
• Social contact and basic needs – for example, emotional or social support such as people to talk to on the phone or via a computer.

To receive support, people must be in receipt of a letter from the NHS, or from their GP/hospital clinician, advising them to follow shielding guidance due to their medical condition.

Please note, there may be a short delay between people being identified as clinically highest clinical risk, a flag being applied to their patient record, and support arriving.

If people receive a letter, and do not register with the Government support website, Government call agents will contact them directly to confirm whether they have a need, and to help them register if appropriate.

Who provides support to people in the Highest Clinical Risk group?

Central Government

• Manages the Shielding Programme, working across several Government departments and in close collaboration with local authorities
• Identifying people in the highest clinical risk group who need support; sharing that information with councils.
• Provision and delivery of weekly food boxes to those who are shielding who have asked for assistance via the Government support website.

The NHS

• Identification of people at highest clinical risk, in line with agreed clinical criteria
• Delivery of medicines to those in the highest clinical risk group, via community pharmacies and dispensing doctors

Local councils

• Other support including care needs or social contact, should individuals require it, is coordinated by councils working with local statutory, voluntary and community sector, plus private partners.

Support provided by Central Government for people who are shielding at home

Additional information about Government support available (Highest Clinical Risk group only)

Food and grocery deliveries

Direct to doorstep deliveries

• Government has offered a ‘direct to doorstep’ weekly food parcel delivery service for all those who are ‘highest clinical risk’ who require support getting essential supplies. This service will continue for as long as it is needed, to protect those who are shielding.
• Each parcel is based on a 7-day supply of essential items for one person, and includes food items, as well as toilet tissue plus hand soap and/or shower gel.
• An A4 note is included in each package, explaining that if the recipient has any allergies, and/or religious or cultural dietery requirements, they should contact their local council. The note also asks people to contact their council if they feel they need more than one package per week.
• Food parcels are delivered by major food service suppliers, directly to the doorstep.
• If there is no answer, the parcel will be left on the doorstep or recorded as ‘unable to access’, if leaving the parcel would mean leaving it at a communal entrance.
• Delivery drivers will observe strict social distancing measures when delivering food parcels.
• Delivery drivers will report on the outcome of individual deliveries. This information will be shared with local councils.

Supermarkets

• The Government Digital Service has provided supermarkets with the details of people who are shielding, and have requested food parcels. They are able to prioritise the highest clinical risk group for click and collect services and/or home delivery.
• To receive a priority supermarket slot, shielding individuals must register on the Government Support website once they have received their NHS letter, or use the automated telephone line. When signing up, they must request essential food supplies for their data to be passed on to supermarkets.

Medicine deliveries

• The NHS has put in place arrangements for individuals to have medicines delivered by local community pharmacies and dispensing doctors during the COVID-19 outbreak, if they have requested help with this via the Government support website.
• Medicines are being delivered by community pharmacies, or dispensing doctors, to eligible individuals who, due to their medical condition, should not present at the pharmacy, or at the dispensing doctor dispensary, and where there is no other person who can collect the item from the pharmacy and deliver it to the clinical extremely vulnerable person’s door.
• This service will continue until the COVID-19 outbreak has subsided and Government decides that community pharmacies and dispensing practices are no longer required to provide home delivery services.
• Where there is no family, friend, neighbour or carer, the pharmacy or dispensing doctor team must advise the patient of the potential for a local volunteer to act on the pharmacy’s/dispensing doctor team’s behalf.

Social contact and basic care

• Local councils are key to the effective delivery of this component of the offer to highest clinical risk patients who are shielding, and who have registered with the Government website and requested assistance with social and basic care needs.
• Local councils should contact those people who have indicated, either via the Government support website, call centre, direct contact with the council or another partner, that they require help to meet their basic needs (e.g. help with bathing, domestic chores) to ensure these are met. Councils will assess what help is required and how best individuals can be supported, using existing resources or the voluntary and community sector as appropriate.
• People who are shielding may experience anxiety, fear and loneliness during this period, especially those who have no network of friends, family or neighbours nearby.
• Data shared by the Government support website with councils will indicate whether an individual has requested social contact during the period they are required to shield.
• It is for local councils to determine the best way to coordinated this support, locally, working with voluntary and community sector partners.

I have a letter to say I am highest clinical risk and will be shielding for up to twelve weeks, where can I get help?

Help with food, medicine and basic needs

• Please go to the Government Support website to register that you have got your letter and confirm if you need help at the moment.
• This government service provides access to food and medications, as well as help with social contact and basic needs, whilst at home if needed.
• Please contact your local council if you have an urgent need. Local councils are working with voluntary sector organisations and local communities to support residents in the response to COVID-19. You can find information about your local council on www.gov.uk/find-local-council
• Your GP practice or other healthcare professional also can refer you for immediate help from an NHS Volunteer. NHS Volunteer Responders can help you with:
  • Check and chat – short term telephone support to say hello if you are feeling lonely and isolated
  • Community support – collecting shopping, medication or other essential supplies
  • Patient transport – transport to take patients home who are medically fit for discharge

Accessing healthcare from home

• Health at home is a webpage that gives them an overview of NHS services that are available, such as how to order repeat prescriptions online and get them delivered.

Looking after your mental health and wellbeing

• Public Health England have provided some guidance on looking after mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Employment and financial support

• The government has provided advice on employment and financial support on their website www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Where to direct people in need during COVID-19 pandemic

Anyone in need (including those in the Highest Clinical Risk group)

• NHS Volunteer Responders: you can submit a live referral for an individual that needs support or an NHS service that requires volunteers providing they meet the referring criteria at www.goodsamapp.org/NHSreferral or on 0808 196 3382.
• Volunteers can provide:
  • Check in and chat support – short-term telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness as a consequence of self-isolation (note, this is not mental health advice).
  • Community support – collection of shopping, medication or other essential supplies for someone who is self-isolating, and delivering these supplies to their home.
  • Patient Transport – transport to take patients home who are medically fit for discharge.
  • NHS Transport – who will deliver medicines on behalf of the community pharmacy or dispensing doctor.
• Health at home is a webpage that gives them an overview of NHS services that are available, such as how to order repeat prescriptions online and get them delivered.
• Public Health England have provided some guidance on looking after mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Local councils are working with voluntary sector organisations and local communities to support residents in the response to COVID-19. You can signpost them to www.gov.uk/find-local-council, where they can locate their council and associated website where they can find all this information
• The government has provided advice on employment and financial support on their website, www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Help us to help you

We aim to provide the best possible service to our patients and hope you will feel that we achieve that aim.

The care of your health is a partnership between yourself and the primary health care team. The success of that partnership depends on an understanding of each other’s needs and co-operation between us.

Doctor’s Responsibilities

• You will be greeted courteously
• You have a right to confidentiality
• You have the right to see your medical records subject to the limitations of the law
• You will be seen the same day, if your problem is urgent
• You will be seen by your doctor whenever possible
• You will be informed if there will be a delay of more than 20 minutes for your appointment
• You will be referred to a consultant when your GP thinks it necessary
• You will be given the result of any test or investigation on request or at your next appointment
• Your repeat prescription will be ready for collection 48 hours after your request
• Your suggestions and comments about the services offered will be considered sympathetically and any complaint dealt with quickly

Patient’s Responsibilities

• Please treat all surgery staff with the same respect – we are all just doing our job
• Do not ask for information about anyone other than yourself
• Tell us of any change of name or address, so that our records are accurate
• Only request an urgent appointment if appropriate. Home visits should only be requested if you are too ill to attend the surgery and night visits should be for emergencies only – the doctor on-call will be at work as usual the next day
• Please cancel your appointment if you are unable to attend
• Please be punctual but be prepared to wait if your own consultation is delayed by an unexpected emergency
• Please allow sufficient time for your consultant’s letter of the results of any tests to reach us
• You will be advised of the usual length of time to wait
• Use the tear-off slip to request your repeat prescription whenever possible. Please attend for review when asked, before your next prescription is due
• Do let us know whenever you feel we have not met our responsibility to you
• We would, of course, be pleased to hear when you feel praise is due

The practice fully supports the NHS Zero Tolerance Policy. The aim of this policy is to tackle the increasing problem of violence against staff working in the NHS and ensures that doctors and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused.

We understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint. We ask you to treat your doctors and their staff courteously and act reasonably.

All incidents will be followed up and you will be sent a formal warning after a second incident or removed from the practice list after a third incident if your behaviour has been unreasonable.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or verbal abuse, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police will be contacted if an incident is taking place and the patient is posing a threat to staff or other patients.