The Oaklands Practice : Our Publication Scheme

<body bgcolor="#FFFF99"> <div> <p><strong>The Freedom of Information Act and our Publication Scheme</strong></p> <p>The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act was passed on 30 November 2000. It gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, with full access granted in January 2005. The Act sets out exemptions to that right and places certain obligations on public authorities.</p> <p>All NHS organisations are required to produce a publication scheme. These will inform the public how and when they will make information available.</p> <p><strong>How to request information from us under the Act</strong></p> <p>You can make a request by email, using this address:</p> <p><a href="mailto:%66%6F%69%2E%6F%61%6B%6C%61%6E%64%73%40%6E%68%73%2E%6E%65%74">foi.oaklands@nhs.net</a></p> <p>You can also make a request in writing or by fax.</p> <p>Our Freedom of Information policy is available to download <a href="../download/foipolicy.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p>FOI requests made to the Oaklands Practice, and their responses, can be found <a href="../download/FOIrequestsYMC.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</p> <p>The Information Commissioner has <a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_the_public/access_to_official_information.aspx" target="_blank">a useful advice page</a> on making FOI requests.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/about" target="_blank">WhatDoTheyKnow website</a> is also very useful.</p> <p>This page details the combined Publication Schemes of the General Practicitioners within The Oaklands Practice.</p> <p>The combined Publication Scheme is in three parts, as follows:</p> <p>Part One : Introduction</br> Part Two : Classes of Information</br> Part Three : Useful Resources</p> <p>Our Publication Scheme in full is also available to download (in PDF format) <a href="../download/scheme.pdf" target="_blank"></br> </div> <div> <p><strong>Part One : Introduction</strong></p> <p><strong>What a Publication Scheme is</strong></p> <p>This combined Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by The Oaklands Practice. It is a description of the information about our General Practitioners and Practice that we make publicly available. We shall review the Scheme at regular intervals and monitor how it is operating. </p> <p>It is important to us that this Scheme meets your needs and we have designed it to be a route map so that you can find information about The Oaklands Practice easily.</p> <p>Unless stated otherwise, the information is available free of charge. The Scheme states how the information can be obtained. </p> <p><strong>Your rights in relation to Freedom of Information, the Data Protection Act and the NHS Openness Code</strong></p> <p>In addition to accessing the information identified in this combined Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about The Oaklands Practice under the NHS Openness Code 1995. A link to this is available in Part 3. Hard copies are available free of charge from the Department of Health.</p> <p>Sometimes, some or all of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons why not when this happens, such as when the information is of a sensitive, personal or confidential nature.</p> <p>Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact your doctor to do this.</p> <p><strong>Feedback</strong></p> <p>We welcome suggestions about how the publications themselves might be improved.</p> <p>Any questions, comments or complaints about this Scheme should be sent in writing or by email to Dr Neil Bhatia at The Oaklands Practice (see <a href="../details/practicedetails.htm" target="_top" >practice details</a>).</p> <p>If you have a complaint about the operation of the combined Publication Scheme, or how we have dealt with your request for information from the Scheme, please write to The Practice Manager.</p> <p>If you feel that we have not dealt with your complaint adequately, you may take the complaint further to the Information Commissioner. Details of how to do this are available from The Practice Manager.</p></br> </div> <div> <p><strong>Part Two : Classes of Information</strong></p> <p>All information at The Oaklands Practice is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS guidelines. The information on this Scheme is grouped in to the following broad categories:</p> <p>1. The NHS and how we fit in</br> 2. Who we are</br> 3. Our Services</br> 4. How we spend public money</br> 5. Complaints</br> 6. Regular Publications and Information for the Public</br> 7. This Publication Scheme</p> <p>In selecting information which is to be included in each class, we will have to take into account that some of the material included in the contents may have to be exempted from disclosure under the NHS Openness Code or the Freedom of Information Act. This means that sometimes not all of the material can be made available for publication or the material may be edited.</p> <p><strong>1. The NHS and how we fit in</strong></p> <p>The NHS Plan explains how the NHS is changing and sets out how all the different parts function and work together. A copy is available on the Department of Health web site (see Part 3 of this Scheme).</p> <p>The practice aims to follow NICE and National Service Framework guidelines. These can also be found on the Department of Health web site (see Part 3 of this Scheme).</p> <p>The NHS is a very large part of the public sector. A full list of local General Practices can be obtained by contacting Hampshire Primary Care Trust (see Part 3 of this Scheme).</p> <p>The Oaklands Practice provides general medical services for the geographical area described in the practice leaflet “Welcome to the Oaklands Practice”, available free of charge from The Oaklands Practice, and on this web site.</p> <p><strong>2. Who we are</strong></p> <p>Details of our organisational structure and key personnel are outlined in the practice leaflet “Welcome to the Oaklands Practice”, available free of charge from The Oaklands Practice, and on this web site.</p> <p>This includes the full name of each General Practitioner and whether they are full or part time, senior managers and senior health professionals employed by the practice. The practice leaflet also contains information about staff employed by Hampshire Primary Care Trust but attached to the practice. For fuller details of these staff please consult the PCT’s Publication Scheme.</p> <p>This practice adheres to the national General Medical Services contract and the Partners are independent contractors who have an individual contract with Hampshire Primary Care Trust to provide primary care services for registered patients of the practice.</p> <p>Some information will be withheld, including personal, confidential information about individuals that is protected by the Data Protection Act.</p> <p><strong>3. Our Services</strong></p> <p>Our services are outlined in the practice leaflet “Welcome to the Oaklands Practice”, available free of charge from The Oaklands Practice, and on this web site. This explains the range of services that we provide ourselves or together with other agencies.</p> <p>Our practice premises and our hours of opening are detailed in the practice leaflet and on this web site.</p> <p>Our arrangements for out of hour’s cover and emergencies are detailed in the practice leaflet and on this web site.</p> <p>All doctors can be consulted about any problem that lies within the practice remit. For particular problems you may be advised to see a particular doctor after the initial consultation.</p> <p>There are no doctors with General Practice Special Interest sessions at this Practice.</p> <p>The Doctors consult in English but interpreters can be arranged and need to be booked in advance via the Primary Care Trust by contacting Reception.</p> <p><strong>4. How we spend public money</strong></p> <p>This section sets out how we obtain our NHS funding.</p> <p>See Part 3 for a link to “GMS Statement of financial entitlements 2005 onwards”.</p> <p>The Oaklands Practice receives money from Hampshire Primary Care Trust according to its contract (as per Class 1 above) in exchange for NHS services provided to patients.</p> <p>The total income received from the NHS before expenses, in 2007 was Ł1,225,463.</p> <p>The sum identified for spending on NHS drugs prescribed by The Oaklands Practice for 2008/2009 is Ł1,395,075.</p> <p>There may be circumstances where material cannot be released because it is confidential or commercial information or the appropriate officer designated for these purposes under the Act has taken the view that it may be prejudicial to the conduct of the Practice’s affairs.</p> <p><strong>5. Complaints</strong></p> <p>The Practice Manager (Lorna Robins) is the person to whom a complaint should be made in the first instance, either in person, by telephone, by letter or fax or by e-mail (see <a href="../details/practicedetails.htm" target="_top" >practice details</a>). A pro-forma for detailing a complaint is available free of charge from reception at The Oaklands Practice.</p> <p><strong>6. Regular Publications and Information for the Public</strong></p> <p>Information leaflets relating to the clinical services and health services that we provide for patients and the public, and our range of regular publications are freely available at the surgery, in the Reception area.</p> <p>Our quarterly newsletter is available free of charge from The Oaklands Practice, and on this web site.</p> <p>Some of this information is of a personal and confidential nature and will be excluded as will any other confidential material. Material relating to the health and safety of specific individuals, and to law enforcement or criminal or regulatory enforcement issues may also be excluded from publication. There may be circumstances where material cannot be released because the appropriate officer designated for these purposes under the Act has taken the view that it may be prejudicial to the conduct of public affairs.</p> <p><strong>7. This Publication Scheme</strong></p> <p>The Freedom of Information Act does not change the right of patients to protection of their patient confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, the Data Protection Act and at common law. Maintaining the right to patient confidentiality continues to be an important commitment on our part. To help with this, the Primary Care Trust has appointed someone who is called a Caldicott Guardian, and who has responsibility to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality. The Caldicott Guardian responsible for Hampshire Primary Care Trust is:</p> <p>Dr Mike Tettenborn</br> Frimley Childrens Centre</br> Church Road</br> Frimley</br> Surrey</p> <p>The Caldicott Guardian oversees the governance of access to patient identifiable information for all the General Practices in the Hampshire Primary Care Trust.</p> <p>Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (there is a link to the Act in Part 3 below), each General Practice has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme for the publication of the information held. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities, which includes General Practitioners. From 2005 it will also oblige the General Practice to respond to requests about the information that they hold and is recorded in any form and it will create a right of access to that information.</p> <p>These rights are subject to some exemptions that the General Practice has to take into account before deciding what information can be released. This combined Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information that the General Practitioners in The Oaklands Practice publish.</p> <p>This combined Publication Scheme aims to make as much information about The Oaklands Practice available as possible, on a continuous basis. We will continue to add to the information here proactively and regularly.</p> <p>Whenever we make any changes to any of the information above, we will ensure that the Publication Scheme reflects these changes.</p></br> </div> <div> <p><strong>Part Three : Useful Resources</strong></p> <p><strong>Web sites</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/" target="_blank">The Information Commissioner</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.dca.gov.uk/" target="_blank">The Lord Chancellor’s Department</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.foi.nhs.uk/" target="_blank">The NHS Freedom of Information web site</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4002960&chk=07GL5R" target="_blank">The NHS Plan (Department of Health)</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.nice.org.uk/" target="_blank">The National Institute for Clinical Excellence</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.publications.doh.gov.uk/nsf/index.htm" target="_blank">National Service Frameworks (Department of Health)</a></p> <p><strong>Publications</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4050490&chk=FTzRUk" target="_blank">NHS Openness Code 1995</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000036.htm" target="_blank">The Freedom of Information Act 2000</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.foi.gov.uk/codepafunc.htm" target="_blank">Code of Practice under Section 45 FOI Act 2000</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.foi.gov.uk/codemanrec.htm" target="_blank">Code of Practice under Section 46 FOI Act 2000</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980029.htm/" target="_blank">The Data Protection Act 1998</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/19980042.htm" target="_blank">The Human Rights Act 1998</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4107508&chk=dc/lzz" target="_blank">GMS Statement of financial entitlements 2005 onwards</a></p> <p><strong>Addresses</strong></p> <p>Hampshire Primary Care Trust</br> Omega House</br> 112 Southampton Road</br> Eastleigh</br> Hampshire</br> SO50 5PB</br> Tel: 023 8062 7444</br></p> <p><strong>Copyright</strong></p> <p>Material available through this Publication Scheme is subject to the General Practice’s copyright unless otherwise indicated. Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided it is done so accurately in a manner that will not mislead. Where items are re-published or copied to others, you must identify the source and acknowledge copyright status. This permit does not extend to third party material, accessed through the scheme.</p> <p>For HMSO Guidance Notes see <a href="http://www.hmso.gov.uk/guides.htm/" target="_blank">here</a></p> </div> <br /> <p><a href="../home/index.htm" target="_top">Home Page</a></p> </body>