Accessible Information Standard The accessible information standard applies to people who use a service and have information or communication needs because of a; Disability Impairment Sensory Loss It covers the needs of people who are deaf/blind, deafblind or those with a learning disability. This includes interpretation or translation for people whose first language is British Sign Language. We want to make sure you can read and understand the information we send you. If you find it hard to read our letters or if you need someone to support you at appointments, please let us know. Website Accessibility Information If you: Have problems seeing the screen Find it difficult to use the mouse or keyboard Need help with language or reading websites Then we ask that you click on the link below to download our guide that may be of help.

As a practice, we have a Zero Tolerance Policy to abusive or aggressive behaviour. As an employer we have a duty of care for the health and safety of all our staff. They come to work to care for others and it is important for all members of the public and our staff to be treated with courtesy and respect. The practice will not tolerate aggressive or violent behaviour towards our staff or members of the public. Anyone giving verbal abuse to members of staff or other patients will be sent a letter from the Practice Manager advising that this behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in being removed from the practice list.

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NHS England requires that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised, and the requirement 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 doctors spend working in the practice, and 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 (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice. The average pay for GPs working in Sleaford Medical Group in the last financial year was £123,613 before tax and national insurance. This is for: 2 Full Time GPs 4 Part Time GPs 2 Locum Employed For More Than Six Months

This annual statement is generated each year in January in accordance with the requirements of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance. It summarises: · Any infection transmission incidents and any action taken (these will have been reported in accordance with our Significant Event procedure) · Details of any infection control audits undertaken, and actions undertaken · Details of any risk assessments undertaken for prevention and control of infection · Details of staff training · Any review and update of policies, procedures, and guidelines Please see below the practice's annual statement for 2023.

Sometimes you may need the Doctor to complete something which is not covered by the NHS, which is considered a private request and so may incur a fee. Requests which may fall under this category include but are not limited to the following: ‘To whom It May Concern’ letters informing about your ill-health or condition for non-employment purposes Travel ‘Fit to Fly’ or holiday cancellation forms Insurance supporting letters (eg. Life Insurance) DVLA supporting letters and DLA applications For more clarification on what constitutes a private request, the information on the British Medical Association website may be useful. What do I need to do? If you are the holder of the form, simply bring it to reception at the surgery for the attention of the Insurances Administrator. You’ll be asked to complete a short form outlining exactly what you require from the Doctor, and to confirm that you’re aware of the cost that may be incurred. If the insurance company or an outside body has the relevant forms, they’ll usually send them to us directly to be completed. In this instance, you’ll need to make sure you’ve signed the relevant documents to give us consent to give the company your information. You are perfectly allowed to view any reports which are written about you before they are sent to the company if you so wish. You must log this request with either the company or us at reception, and you’ll have 21 days from the completion of the report with which to view it. What fees will I have to pay? The fees vary depending on the type of document you need completing. If you come into the surgery there will be a payment leaflet available for you, and you are also able to speak to our Finance Manager who will confirm the fee needed to be paid. If you are handing in forms over the counter, you as the patient are responsible for paying for it, ven if you have no further need for it upon completion. An insurance company, if they send the documents to us, may forfeit any charges themselves. Regardless however, the invoice for the work will be passed on to them and they are perfectly entitled to claim this cost back from you. If you want more information on how much an insurance form or letter may cost, please feel free to contact us and ask to speak to the Insurances Administrator.

As a part of a new contractual requirement for 2015-2016, all patients registered at a GP practice are to be allocated a named accountable GP. What Does Accountable Mean? The new contract requires the named accountable GP to be responsible for the co-ordination of all appropriate services required under the contract and ensure they are delivered to each of those patients where required, on the patients behalf. However, this does not mean that they will be the only GP or clinician who will provide care. Will GP practices write to patients to inform them of their named GP? No. However, practices are required to inform patients of their named GP at the next appropriate interaction. Can patients choose their own named GP? In the first instance, patients will simply be allocated a named GP. However, if a patient requests a particular GP, reasonable effort will be made to accommodate their preference. Do patients have to see their named GP when they book an appointment? No. Patients can and should feel free to choose to see any GP or nurse in the practice in line with current arrangements. However, if their preferred choice of GP is not available, an alternative will be offered. All patients registered at Sleaford Medical Group have been allocated a named accountable GP.

Making a Complaint Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the same time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first. Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably in writing as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days, as this helps us to establish what happened more easily. In any event, this should be: Within 12 months of the incident, Or within 12 months of you becoming aware of the matter Please provide as much detail as you can. If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are unable to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority (see below). We are able to provide you with a separate complaints form to register your complaint and this includes a third-party authority form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else (please ask at reception for this). You can also provide your complaint in your own format providing it covers all the necessary aspects. Send any written complaint to: Practice Manager, Sleaford Medical Group, 47 Boston Road, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7HD What We Do Next We look to settle complaints as soon as possible. We will acknowledge receipt within 3 working days, and aim to have looked into the matter within 21 working days. You may then receive a formal reply in writing, or you may be invited to meet with the person(s) concerned to attempt to resolve the issue. If the matter is likely to take longer than this we will let you know, and keep you informed as the investigation progresses. When looking into a complaint we attempt to see what happened and why, to see if there is something we can learn from this, and make it possible for you to discuss the issue with those involved if you would like to do so. When the investigations are complete your complaint will be determined and a final response sent to you. The final response letter will include details of the result of your complaint and also your right to escalate the matter further if you remain dissatisfied with the response. Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint and are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it.Please ask at reception for the Complaints Form which contains a suitable authority for the patient to sign to enable the complaint to proceed. Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter. Please note that we are unable to discuss any issues relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the circumstances above apply. We may still need to correspond direct with the patient, or may be able to deal direct with the third party; this depends on the wording of the authority provided. If You are Dissatisfied with the Outcome You have the right to approach the Health Service Ombudsman. The contact details are: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP Tel: 0345 015 4033 Website: www.ombudsman.org.uk NHS Complaints Advocacy Service POhWER provide a free, independent and confidential advocacy service to support people with their NHS complaint. Website: http://www.pohwer.net Telephone: 0300 456 2370 Email: pohwer@pohwer.net

How We Use Your Personal Information This fair processing notice explains why your GP Practice – Sleaford Medical Group collects information about you and how that information may be used. Our health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. NHS Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-in clinic, etc.). These records help us to provide you with the best possible healthcare. NHS health records may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Records which this GP Practice hold about you may include the following information: Details about you, such as your address, contact details, date of birth, carer, legal representative, emergency contact details. Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc. Notes and reports about your health Details about your treatment and care Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays etc. Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public in general and to help us manage the NHS. Information may be used within the GP practice for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the services provided. We may monitor, record, store and use any telephone, email or other communication with you in order to check any instructions given to us, for training purposes, for crime prevention and to improve the quality of our services Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified. Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes – the surgery will always gain your consent before releasing the information for this purpose. _______________________________________ Covid-19 Planning and Research Data This practice is supporting vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. This transparency notice supplements our main practice privacy notice. The health and social care system is facing significant pressures due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Health and care information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support health, social care and other public services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the coronavirus outbreak. In the current emergency it has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant organisations. This practice is supporting vital coronavirus planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital, the national safe haven for health and social care data in England. For more information on how your data is being processed to support vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research, please see our Practice Covid-19 Privacy Notice and the NHS Digital Website. _______________________________________ Population Health Management Programme In the Lincolnshire region a population health management programme has been introduced. The programme will combine de-identified information from GP practices, community service providers, hospitals and other health and care providers to allow a comprehensive picture of health and care needs to be identified and services planned according to need. For more information please the Privacy Notice.

Privacy Information Leaflet A privacy notice is a statement that discloses some or all of the ways in which the practice gathers, uses, discloses and manages a patient’s data. It fulfills a legal requirement to protect a patient’s privacy. Why do we need one? To ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Sleaford Medical Group must ensure that information is provided to patients about how their personal data is processed in a manner which is: Concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible; Written in clear and plain language, particularly if addressed to a child; and Free of charge What is the GDPR? The GDPR replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and is designed to harmonise data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens’ data privacy and to reshape the way in which organisations across the region approach data privacy. The GPDR comes into effect on 25 May 2018. How do we communicate our privacy notice? At Sleaford Medical Group the practice privacy notice is displayed on our website, through signage in the waiting room, and in writing during patient registration (by means of this leaflet). We will: Inform patients how their data will be used and for what purpose Allow patients to opt out of sharing their data, should they so wish What information do we collect about you? We will collect information such as personal details, including name, address, next of kin, records of appointments, visits, telephone calls, your health records, treatment and medications, test results, X-rays, etc. and any other relevant information to enable us to deliver effective medical care. How do we use your information? Your data is collected for the purpose of providing direct patient care; however, we can disclose this information if it is required by law, if you give consent or if it is justified in the public interest. The practice may be requested to support research; however, we will always gain your consent before sharing your information with medical research databases such as the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and QResearch or others when the law allows. Maintaining Confidentiality We are committed to maintaining confidentiality and protecting the information we hold about you. We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security, as well as guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Risk Stratification Risk stratification is a mechanism used to identify and subsequently manage those patients deemed as being at high risk of requiring urgent or emergency care. Usually this includes patients with long-term conditions, e.g. cancer. Your information is collected by a number of sources, including Sleaford Medical Group this information is processed electronically and given a risk score which is relayed to your GP who can then decide on any necessary actions to ensure that you receive the most appropriate care. Invoice Validation Your information may be shared if you have received treatment, to determine which Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is responsible for paying for your treatment. This information may include your name, address and treatment date. All of this information is held securely and confidentially; it will not be used for any other purpose or shared with any third parties. Opt-Outs You have a right to object to your information being shared. Should you wish to opt out of data collection, please contact a member of staff who will be able to explain how you can opt out and prevent the sharing of your information; this is done by registering a Type 1 opt-out, preventing your information from being shared outside this practice. Accessing Your Records You have a right to access the information we hold about you, and if you would like to access this information, you will need to complete a Subject Access Request (SAR). Please ask at reception for a SAR form and you will be given further information. Furthermore, should you identify any inaccuracies; you have a right to have the inaccurate data corrected. What to Do if You Have Any Questions Should you have any questions about our privacy policy or the information we hold about you, you can: Contact the practice’s data controller via email: swlccg.C83023@nhs.net. Write to the data controller at Sleaford Medical Group. Ask to speak to the Practice Manager at Sleaford Medical Group. They are the data controller for the data the Practice holds about their patients. The Data Protection Officer (DPO) for Sleaford Medical Group SWLCCG. Complaints In the event that you are unhappy with any element of our data-processing methods, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO. For further details, visit ico.org.uk and select ‘Raising a concern’. We regularly review our privacy policy and any updates will be published on our website, in our newsletter and on posters to reflect the changes.

The health and medical information contained within this website is intended solely for the patients of this practice and should never be used as a substitute for seeking advice from your GP. ​ 1. Accuracy Whilst we have made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and validity of all information provided on this website, the practice does not accept responsibility for events arising from the use of the information provided. Advice offered to patients, while being as accurate and complete as possible, should not be used as a substitute for a consultation with the patient’s own doctor. ​ 2. Links All links from this website are provided for information and convenience only. We cannot accept responsibility for sites linked to, or for the information found there. A link does not imply an endorsement of a site; likewise, not linking to a particular site does not imply lack of endorsement. This privacy notice does not cover the links within this site linking to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit. ​ 3. Website Availability We cannot guarantee uninterrupted access to this website, or the sites to which it links. We accept no responsibility for any damages arising from the loss of use of this information. ​ 4. Medical Information on the Internet If you use the Internet for medical information then please be aware of the following points: Review more than one site and attempt to obtain a balanced view Check for the authors’ names and qualifications – anonymous information is less likely to be sourced accurately Uses sites that are regularly updated Be aware that advertising might influence the site contents – check for commercial sponsorship Avoid online consultations and diagnoses Information sourced from outside the UK might describe treatments not available here ​ 5. Data Collection We collect information from users who communicate with us via the website, aggregate information on which pages users access or visit, and information volunteered by the viewer (such as survey information and/or site registrations). The information we collect is used to improve the content of our product and the quality of our service. As a data controller, the Company is required to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office that it is processing personal data. The Company is registered in the register of data controllers. Data controllers must renew their notification with the Information Commissioner’s Office on an annual basis. Failure to notify constitutes a criminal offence. Any changes to the register must be notified to the Information Commissioner’s Office within 28 days of taking place. The Designated Officer shall be responsible for notifying and updating the Information Commissioner’s Office. 6. Cookies You can be assured that Sleaford Medical Group does not use cookies to track your activity online. 6.1 Sleaford Medical Group does not set first party cookies on this website containing any personal data unless specifically instructed to do so by the user. For example, if a user requests to be remembered on a form then a cookie is set to retain the form data for next time. 6.2 The website uses third-party Cookies to collect anonymous traffic data about your use of this website. This information is stored by Google and subject to their privacy policy, which can be viewed here: http://www.google.com/privacy.html. Google Analytics collects information such as pages you visit on this site, the browser and operating system you use and time spent viewing pages. The purpose of this information is to help us improve the site for future visitors. These cookies are not used to track you or your activity but if you do not wish these cookies to be stored on your computer, disable cookies in your browser settings. 6.3 You may delete Cookies at any time. See the help in your internet browser to find out how to delete your cookies. ​ Cookies Used The following cookies are set by Google Analytics: ​ __utma Cookie A persistent cookie – remains on a computer, unless it expires or the cookie cache is cleared. It tracks visitors. Metrics associated with the Google __utma cookie include: first visit (unique visit), last visit (returning visit). __utmb Cookie & __utmc Cookies These cookies work in tandem to calculate visit length. Google __utmb cookie demarks the exact arrival time, then Google __utmc registers the precise exit time of the user. Because __utmb counts entrance visits, it is a session cookie, and expires at the end of the session, e.g. when the user leaves the page. A timestamp of 30 minutes must pass before Google cookie __utmc expires. Given__utmc cannot tell if a browser or website session ends. Therefore, if no new page view is recorded in 30 minutes the cookie is expired. This is a standard ‘grace period’ in web analytics. Omniture and WebTrends among many others follow the same procedure. __utmz Cookie Cookie __utmz monitors the HTTP Referrer and notes where a visitor arrived from, with the referrer siloed into type (Search engine (organic or cpc), direct, social and unaccounted). From the HTTP Referrer the __utmz Cookie also registers, what keyword generated the visit plus geolocation data. This cookie lasts six months. __utmv Cookie Google __utmv Cookie lasts “forever”. It is a persistent cookie. It is used for segmentation, data experimentation and the __utmv works hand in hand with the __utmz cookie to improve cookie targeting capabilities. The following cookies are set by Sleaford Medical Group: cookieAccepted Cookie lasts “forever”. Indicates that user has acknowledged the ‘cookie information’ banner and so prevent the banner being shown again. apps Cookie lasts until the next time the creating form is opened. It is created when user ticks the box to request that form data is retained for next time in the appointments or appointments cancellation forms. Prevents user having to type in all their details again. dList1,dList2,repeatPrescriptions,repeatPrescriptions2 Cookies last until the next time the no-registration version of the prescriptions form is used. Cookies are created at request of user to retain form data for next time. Prevents user having to type in all their details again. userPoll Cookie lasts 30 days. Records that user poll has been answered so that the poll is not displayed again. other cookies Other cookies are used when editing or when logged on to the staff section to enable the editor to function correctly and to assist with retaining state. ​ 7. Data Storage This website uses third party vendors and hosting partners to provide the necessary hardware, software, networking, storage, and related technology required to run the website services. ​ 8. Disclosure Sleaford Medical Group may disclose personally identifiable information under special circumstances, such as to comply with the law or when your actions violate the Terms of Service. ​ 9. Changes to this Policy Sleaford Medical Group reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy.

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