PCN Policies and Procedures

How we use cookies

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work more efficiently, and sometimes provide useful information to the owners of the site.

There are some cookies necessary to this site functioning, such as interacting with our accessibility toolbar. These cookies will usually remove themselves when you close your internet browser. More information can be found in the ‘Necessary cookies’ section.

We use some additional cookies, such as Google Analytics, to help us gather anonymous information and improve the website. You have the option to deny use of these cookies; more information can be found in the ‘Additional cookies’ section.

In order to help us to improve the content, format and structure of this website we record and analyse how visitors use the using Google Analytics.

You can read Google’s extensive information on data practices in Google Analytics.

You can opt-out of Google Analytics on our website by denying additional cookies or by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

The following necessary cookies allow the functions within our accessibility toolbar to work optimally by temporarily saving selected font sizes, contrast mode  and language options and applying them to each page visited.

South Lincs and Rural PCN 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 PCN 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 PCN Manager advising that this behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in being removed from the practice list.

Privacy Notice for General Practice Patients

How We Use Your Personal Information

This fair processing notice explains why our GP Practices 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 our GP Practices 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 practices 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.

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Covid-19 Planning and Research Data

This PCN 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 PNC 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.

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In the Lincolnshire region a population health management programme has been introduced. The programme will combine de-identified (anonymous) 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 read the Privacy Notice.

Why LGBTQIA+?

“LGBT” is one of the most commonly used acronyms, and so shows up in far more searches. However, it’s far from comprehensive and excludes a number of identities: as such, we use “LGBTQIA+” to promote active inclusion.

For alternatives, MOGAI (Minority orientations, gender alignments and identities) is rapidly gaining recognition, and quiltbag is a popular term in the community.

Some basic terms:

Queer: an umbrella term, or an identity in its own right – it can refer to gender or sexuality or both.

NOTE: due to its use as a slur, this word should not be used to define others, unless they have explicitly stated it is okay.

Questioning/unsure/undecided: someone still questioning their gender identity and/or sexuality.

Some people may question if they are straight or not, or if they are transgender, whilst others may be certain that they are transgender and/or non-heterosexual, but may not be certain where exactly under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella their identity lies. Many young people may question their gender or sexuality, and it is important that their identities – fixed or not – are treated as valid and not as ‘just a phase’.

Gay: someone solely attracted to people of the same gender as themselves.

Whilst typically applied to men, the term can be used by/about anyone who is solely attracted to people of the same gender as themselves.

Lesbian: a woman who is solely attracted to other women.

In addition to homophobia, many lesbians find themselves the targets of what has been termed ‘lesbophobia’: an intersection of misogyny, sexism and homophobia. This includes resentment and harassment over being unavailable to men, sexual objectification and being seen as titillation, and in some cases even ‘corrective’ rape.

Bisexual: someone attracted to people of more than one gender.

Pansexual: someone attracted to people of all genders.

There is some overlap between bi and pan and many people identify as both.

There is a common fallacy that bisexual means ‘attracted to men and women’ – as a whole, this is not the case, though it may apply to an individual’s attraction. Robyn Och’s definition is widely accepted: “same and other genders”. Whilst ‘bi’ CAN mean a person is only attracted to two genders, it is important to note that this does not automatically mean the two binary genders.

Non-monosexual (people attracted to people of more than one gender) people can struggle to find a space in LGB communities, as bi/panphobia can lead to discrimination on both sides.

Asexual: someone not sexually attracted to others.

Aromantic: someone not romantically attracted to others.

Some asexuals may identify as homoromantic, heteroromantic, biromantic or panromantic, indicating their romantic attractions. Others may identify as aromantic; conversely, someone may identify as [x]sexual whilst being aromantic: having no romantic attraction to others. Others may experience grey-asexuality, where they rarely experience sexual attraction to other people; some may experience demisexuality, where sexual attraction is only felt if there is an existing emotional bond.

Asexuality does not necessarily mean celibate: it is a descriptor of a sexual orientation, not of behaviours.

Intersex: someone born with characteristics which are considered both typically male and typically female.

Gender is assigned at birth typically based on what genitalia a person has. However, what doctors consider typically male or female has a number of other characteristics, including karotype (containing genetic coding; considered the ‘sex chromosomes’ and typically – though not always – being XX or XY); genital and reproductive systems arrangement, including gametes (whether someone produces sperm or ova); natural hormone levels, which control many secondarysex characteristics such as weight distribution, breast tissue growth, body and facial hair, and muscle mass.

Someone who is intersex has a mix of characteristics which don’t fit the typical definitions of male and female. These characteristics may be evident at birth or become so later in life, at puberty or when trying to conceive. For some, the characteristics may not be evident at all.

Transgender: someone who does not identify as the gender they were assigned at birth.

Transsexual as a term is now usually considered outdated and should be avoided.

Trans = across from

Cis = on the same side

So transgender = does not identify as the same gender as was assigned at birth

Cisgender = identifies as the same gender as was assigned at birth

Can be binary (male or female) or non-binary (neither male nor female, or both).

Non-binary: a person who does not identify as (solely) male or female. It can be an umbrella term, or an identity in its own right.

Some common non-binary terms (this is by no means an exhaustive list):

• Androgyne – An androgynous gender, which may be neutral, mixed or something else.
• Agender – Being genderless, or without gender; lacking in gendered traits.
• Genderqueer – A non-binary gender, which expresses sitting outside societal gender norms.
• Demiboy/ demigirl – Feeling partially of one binary gender (male or female) and partially of some other sort of gender.
• Bigender – Experiencing two different gender identities, either at the same time, or moving between the two.
• Neutrois – A neutral gender identity, often lacking in gendered traits.
• Genderfluid – Moving between two or more different gender identities.
• Pangender – Identifying as all genders.

Some non-binary people may use “he” or “she” pronouns. Others may use “they”, “xe”, “ze”, “co” – or many more. Simply ask, and use accordingly.

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), The PCN 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?

The practice's privacy notices are displayed on their websites, through signage in the waiting room in our Practices, and in writing during patient registration. Our Pracitces 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, 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 at your GP Surgery 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 Mark Armour the PCM Operations Director

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 Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and select ‘Raising a concern’.

We regularly review our privacy policy and any updates will be published on our website.

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 PCN 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. 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.

7. Disclosure

SLRPCN may disclose personally identifiable information under special circumstances, such as to comply with the law or when your actions violate the Terms of Service.

8. Changes to this Policy

SLRPCN have the right to change this Privacy Policy.