Your healthcare professional may also require a chaperone to be present for certain consultations in accordance with our chaperone policy.

Procedure

•  The clinician will contact a nurse or other suitable trained person to request a chaperone.
• The clinician will record in the notes that the chaperone is present, and identify the chaperone who will wear a lanyard identifying them as a chaperone.
•  Where no chaperone is available the examination will not take place – the patient should not normally be permitted to dispense with the chaperone once a desire to have one present has been expressed.
•  The chaperone will enter the room discreetly and remain in room until the clinician has finished the examination and with time for the patient to redress.
•  A ‘formal chaperone’ will attend inside the curtain at the head of the examination couch and watch the procedure. If asked to attend outside the curtain, this will be recorded on the patient’s notes as an ‘informal’ chaperone’ as they are not a direct witness to either the procedure itself or the actions and behaviour of the patient and the practitioner.
•  The clinician should explain the procedure and obtain the consent for the procedure from the patient in the presence of the chaperone so that the chaperone knows what the patient has consented to.
•  To prevent embarrassment, the chaperone should not enter into conversation with the patient, apart from introducing themselves when entering, or with the GP unless requested to do so. The chaperone should not make any mention of the consultation afterwards.
•  The patient can refuse a chaperone, and if so this must be recorded in the patient’s medical record.
•  If at any time during the procedure you feel uncomfortable or concerned please ask the doctor or nurse to stop and explain things again. It may not always be possible to stop immediately; this will depend on the procedure being undertaken.

If you would like to see a full copy of our Chaperone Policy or have any questions or comments regarding this, please contact the Practice Manager

Via the NHS app or Patient Access

As a patient at Ashford Medical Partnership you are now able to access your prospective full medical record going forward via the NHS app (and Patient Access).

Your GP medical record contains consultation notes based on conversations between you, your GP and other members of the clinical team: medicines prescribed to you; all test results including hospital investigations; allergies; vaccines; and your medical conditions along with documents that may have been sent from local hospitals, clinics or other agencies, eg the police. There could be sensitive and personal information within your medical record.

We are supportive of providing you with access to your record, but we wish to do this safely and make you aware that this is happening so that you can opt out, if you so wish. You may wish to consider what you will see, and the risks which may be involved in having such confidential data either on your smartphone with the NHS app installed or online if other people might have access to that information through your devices. If you are in a difficult or pressured relationship for example, you may prefer your records to remain accessible only to those treating you, with them not appearing on your smartphone or online. Government has been clear that if a patient does not wish to have access, then we do not have to provide it. This is one reason why we have asked if you wish to opt out, or have it switched off for the time being.

You can have access to different parts of your medical records, for example medication history and allergies which will enable you to order your repeat prescriptions. It’s also possible to request access to what we call your ‘coded record’ where you can see a list of medical problems and results. You can also request access to the ‘full’ record where you will be able to see everything, including the notes which have been written by doctors, nurses and others involved in your care, at the GP surgery, and elsewhere.

It’s important to remember that these documents may, at times, contain information that could be upsetting, especially if they contain news of a serious condition. It can also be a cause for worry seeing results online when it isn’t clear what the results might mean, and no one is available to ask, as can be the case during the evening or at weekends, for example.

Sometimes people with a mental health condition might prefer not to see documents that remind them of difficult times in their life. Letters from mental health teams sometimes go into detail about past events, and great care would be needed in deciding whether you would want to see these letters. It is possible for individual items to be hidden at your request and your GP would be happy to talk about any concerns you may have.

Great care is also needed in case private details might cause harm at home, should people in a difficult or pressured relationship be forced to show their medical record to an abusive partner. Anyone in such a position should make this clear to us at the practice, so we can take steps to keep you safe. This might mean removing access through the NHS app for the time being, or through a careful process where we hide sensitive things. We would talk this through with you.

Requesting access – what do I need to do?

The easiest way to get access is to create an NHS login through the NHS app. Although you can also access your GP records via the internet on a computer, the first bit is easiest if done through a smartphone. If you don’t have one, you may have a family member or friend you trust who can help you.

If you use the NHS app, you’ll have to set up an account using a unique e-mail address and then ‘authenticate’ yourself to the NHS system to prove you are who you say you are. This will involve confirming your name, date of birth and contact details. The NHS login has several levels of authentication and to gain access to your records you’ll need the highest level of authentication. This generally involves you recording a short video of yourself to prove you are a real person as well as uploading a copy of a suitable identification document.

Once you have suitably authenticated yourself to the NHS app and created your login you will have access to your medical records, we would ask you to be mindful of the risks associated with access and the importance of not sharing passwords or having them stored in your smartphone if you think other people might want to see them without your permission. If you have any concerns, you should explain these to your GP practice team who can guide you.

If you would prefer to use Patient Access, the Practice has a form for you to complete.  You will be asked for ID and proof of address, together with your email address.You will also be asked what level of access you require.  Once you’re ready to proceed with online access, your request will be forwarded to our clinical team for review. If any concerns arise during this process, the practice may reach out to you for a discussion to ensure that granting access aligns with our standards of safety and care.

We are not sure how many people will ask for access all at once, so there may be a wait, but we will do our best to get you online access as soon as we can.

Under Department of Health rules from 1 April 2016 patients are assigned a named GP. Patients are not registered to this GP, they are registered to the Practice but this named GP is responsible for the coordination of your overall care.

It has always been the case that a patient can choose which GP they want to see, excepting that they will need to see someone else if their preferred GP is not available or if their need is urgent. Having a named GP does not alter this but your named GP can have queries forwarded to them along with test results and the management of any referrals you require.

Your named GP does not need to be available to you on demand and it is worth noting that most GPs in general Practice do not work 5 days a week.

We have assigned a named GP on a random basis. To find out who has been assigned to you please ask at reception.