BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION MODEL PUBLICATION SCHEME FOR GENERAL PRACTITIONERS IN SCOTLAND

 

Welcome to the Eyemouth Medical Practice General Practitioner's Publication Scheme.

This is a guide to the General Practitioners (who practice together) within the partnership/single practice Publication Scheme as required under section 23 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Introduction

  • Under Section 23 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (The Act), a 'public authority', which is defined as including General Practitioners, must prepare a publication scheme setting out the information it routinely makes publicly available. The British Medical Association Model Publication Scheme for General Practitioners in Scotland has been approved by the Scottish Information Commissioner who is responsible for promoting and enforcing the Act. In addition we have to review the scheme from time to time.

 

  • This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by Eyemouth Medical Practice.  It is a description of the information about our General Practitioners and Practice, which we make publicly available. It will be reviewed at regular intervals and we will monitor its effectiveness. In adopting (or reviewing) our publication scheme, we are required to have regard to the public interest in:

  • Allowing public access to information we hold; and
  • The publication of reasons for the decisions we make.

 

The Model Publication Scheme

Overall responsibility for the Model Publication Scheme developed by the British Medical Association for adoption by General Practitioners in Scotland rests with the British Medical Association. This Model Publication Scheme will be subject to review by the British Medical Association and we welcome comments. 
Electronic copies of this Model Publication Scheme may be downloaded from the Scottish General Practitioners pages of the British Medical Association website at www.bma.org.uk or paper copies will be available on written request to the Secretary of the Scottish General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association.  The point of contact for further information or comments relating to the Model Publication Scheme is:

Ms Carrie Young
Secretary
Scottish General Practitioners Committee
British Medical Association
14 Queen Street
Edinburgh
EH2 1LL

Tel: 0131 247 3000              Fax: 0131 247 3001            

Copies of the scheme as adopted by a practice/general practitioner should be obtained directly from that practice.


Practice information under the scheme

This General Practice has formally adopted the British Medical Association Model Publication Scheme for General Practitioners in Scotland and for all enquiries relating to practice information, which is contained in this scheme please contact:

 

Mrs Gitte Blackley
Practice Manager
Eyemouth Medical Practice
The Health Centre
Houndlaw Park
Eyemouth
TD14 5DD

 

Tel: 018907 50383                  Fax: 018907 51749

 

 

Email: gitte.blackley@eyemouthhc.borders.scot.nhs.uk

 

 

Feedback

If you have any comments about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or how we have dealt with your request for information from the Scheme, please write to:

 

Dr Alan Mason
Senior GP Partner
Eyemouth Medical Practice
The Health Centre
Houndlaw Park
Eyemouth
TD14 5DD

Tel: 018907 50383                  Fax: 018907 51749

Email: alan.mason@eyemouthhc.borders.scot.nhs.uk

If we are unable to resolve any complaint, you can complain to the Scottish Information Commissioner who oversees the Act and whose contact details are below. From 1 January 2005, when the general right of access comes into force, there will be a formal appeal mechanism to deal with situations where information is withheld. Further details on this will be available on the Commissioner's website at www.itspublicknowledge.info before this date.

 

FOI enquiries should be addressed to:

Kevin Dunion OBE
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St. Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS

Tel: 01334 464610

enquiries@ itspublicknowledge.info       www.itspublicknowledge.info


 

Your rights to information

  • The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 recognises that members of the public have the right to know how public services are organised and run, how much they cost and how the decisions are made.
  • From January 1st 2005 the General Practice has been obliged to respond to requests about recorded information that it holds. The Act created a right of access to that information, subject to certain exemptions listed in the Act.
  • New environmental information regulations were introduced in January 2005. These enabled similar access to environmental information as under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
  • 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 Mrs Gitte Blackley, Practice Manager,  to do this.

How is the information made available?

The information within each Class is either downloadable from the practice web site at http://www.eyemouthmedicalpractice.co.uk or available in hard copy.

 Information available on the website is also available in hard copy format from Mrs Gitte Blackley, Practice Manager.

 

Other formats/accessibility of information

Where possible the practice will take all reasonable steps to endeavour to meet requests to provide information in accessible formats.

 

CLASSES OF INFORMATION

 Section 23(2)a of The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 states that a publication scheme must specify the classes of information which authorities publish or intend to publish under the scheme. The Scottish Information Commissioner has clarified in guidance on publication schemes (under paragraph 6) that 'class' can be defined as 'a group of information having one or more common characteristics, such as the subject or source of origin.' The Scottish Information Commissioner's guidance also notes that 'a class of information is not the same as the actual documents which will appear in the class, although in certain cases it is possible that a class will only contain one document.'

All information at the Eyemouth Medical Practice is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS guidelines. Our commitment to publish information excludes any information, which can legitimately be withheld under the exemptions set out in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Where individual classes of information are subject to exemptions, the main reasons for this relate to the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. Consequently, we may withhold information if its disclosure would breach confidentiality or seriously prejudice the commercial interests of any person or organisation. We may also withhold information, which is personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. In these cases, we will indicate why the information is being withheld. 
If you wish to complain about information which is being withheld from you, please read the Complaints section below and also refer to the previous 'Feedback' paragraph in this Model Publication Scheme, as this gives the contact details of a senior person in the practice who has overall responsibility for the operation of the scheme. This applies to all Classes within the Publication Scheme.

The information in this Scheme is grouped into the following classes: 

1. Who we are.

The NHS is a very large part of the public sector and General Practices an important component in health care delivery. A full list of local General Practices can be found on NHS Borders website at www.nhsborders.org.uk. The Eyemouth Medical Practice provides general medical services for the NHS covering the geographical area of The Scottish Border with England to Cockburnspath and inland to Duns, Chirnside and Paxton.

This information is also available in our Practice Leaflet, which can be obtained from the reception staff or Mrs Gitte Blackley or from the practice website.

 

2. Our services

Under contract to the NHS, the partnership provides the following services to patients:

Surgeries by appointment every morning and afternoon at Eyemouth, every morning at Coldingham and twice a week at Cockburnspath.

In the mornings and afternoons  a variety of clinics are  run, including clinics in conjunction with other Health Care Professionals.

A Podiatrist and a Speech Therapist work out of the Day Hospital and can be contacted via the Day Hospital reception on 018907 52600

Consultants from the Borders General Hospital hold outpatient clinics at the Day Hospital

The practice works closely with the Community Nursing Team and a Practice-attached Pharmacist working closely with the GPs.

A full list of clinics and services is contained within the practice leaflet and on the practice web site. This details when and where clinics are held, along with opening hours of all our premises.

The practice adheres to the Data Protection Act and does not share your personal information but please remember that, for the GPs to provide the best possible care for you, it is sometimes necessary to share some of your medical history with other members of the Primary Health Care Team. Please be assured that this information is shared on a need-to-know basis and that all members of the Primary Health Care Team treat such information in strictest confidence.

Some services may involve information sharing with other agencies (for example for child protection conferences), but only relevant information will be shared.

From 1st November 2004 it has not been part of the doctors' responsibilities to provide cover week nights between 6 pm and 8 am, or at the weekend from 6pm on Friday night to 8 am on Monday morning. This service is provided by NHS Borders Out of Hours service in conjunction with NHS24 and is reached by telephoning 08454 24 24 24. Your call will be dealt with by trained nursing staff, who will deal with your call and either give you advice, ask you to attend a Primary Care Centre or ask a doctor to visit, if appropriate.

If English is not your main language and you need an interpreter present, this will need to be made clear before your appointment. Because of the rurality of the area, interpreters usually have to travel some distance. We will try and arrange for interpreters, but there may not be one available.

The GPs speak Nepali, Chitumbuka, rudimentary French

The practice manager speaks Danish and some German.

 

The doctors have special areas of clinical interest.
Dr A Mason - diabetes
Dr J Dorward - asthma and COPD, minor surgery
Dr I Dorward - Coronary heart disease and women's health issues
Dr C Holt - Thyroid disease, minor surgery
Dr R Booth - Psychiatry and mental health
Dr K Robinson - Learning disability

This practice provides primary medical services to the standard laid down in the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 and the range of services we provide are contained within the Practice Leaflet.

 

This Practice participates in the Quality and Outcomes Framework established under the new GMS contract which was introduced on 1 April 2004, and which includes target payments for immunisation and cervical screening.

 

This practice aims to take into account NHS Quality Improvement Scotland standards and guidance, SIGN guidelines relevant to general practice and Scottish Executive Health Department service strategies and frameworks.

 

Practitioners are registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) and follow the standards and good medical practice guidelines laid down by the GMC, including the requirements set out in the GMC guidance 'Duties of a Doctor'.

 

The doctors all complete successful annual appraisals, are licensed with the GMC and are preparing for the introduction of re-accreditation process in the next 2 years.

 

3. Financial and funding information

The practice received total funding of £873,853 from NHS sources during the financial year ended 31 December 2007 for all costs incurred. This funds all expenses incurred including staff costs and health centre rental charges. We make no charge for NHS services. 

 

4. Regular publications, promotional and advisory leaflets

Guidance and information leaflets produced by the practice are available for patients and/or the general public.

 

5. Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint, please contact Mrs Gitte Blackley, Practice Manager, in the first instance. A complaint can be made verbally or in writing.

We acknowledge all complaints received within 5 working days. We will investigate all complaints received and will revert to you with the outcome. If you wish to discuss the matter further, we are happy to do so. 

6. Our policies and procedures

General policies and procedures in use within the practice and appropriate policies, which inform decision making processes within the practice, which are of importance to the public. These include, but are not restricted to, data protection, prescribing and prescription, health and safety. We make changes to our services on the basis of instructions received from the NHS Board.

 


Cost of Information

For the most part, we will charge you only for hard copies or copying onto media (e.g. CD ROM). Some information is available free, but in some cases there may be a charge. The charges will vary according to how information is made available. Charges are as follows:

 

[a) Via the General Practice website http://www.eyemouthmedicalpractice.co.uk or NHS Borders website on http://www.nhsborders.org.uk. - free of charge, although any charges for Internet Service provider and personal printing costs would have to be met by the individual.

For those without Internet access, a single printout as on the website would be available by post from Mrs Gitte Blackley or by personal application at the Eyemouth Medical Practice. However, requests for multiple printouts, or for archived copies of documents, which are no longer accessible or available on the web, may attract a charge for photocopying and postage. We will let you know the cost and charges that will have to be paid in advance. We will not provide printouts of other organisation's websites.

b) Leaflets and brochures on services we offer to the public will be provided free of charge. We do not have a list of brochures available, but please ask if you are looking for specific leaflets or specific topics.

c) Where information is available subject to a fee, such as the charge per sheet of photocopying the fee will be 35p per sheet. The practice will, wherever possible, let people making the request for such information know in advance how much a document would cost, taking into account any total copying charges for the document. The charges will be reviewed regularly and this scheme updated.

 

Useful Resources

Web sites:

This is the Scottish Information Commissioner web site.
www.itspublicknowledge.info

This is the Information Commissioner web site.
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

This is the Scottish Executive Freedom of Information web site. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/?pageID=198

This is the NHS Scotland Confidentiality and Data Protection web site. http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/confidentiality/information_commissioner.htm

 

 

Publications

 

FOI (Scotland) Act 2002 http://www.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2002/20020013.htm

 

FOI (Scotland) Act 2002 - Section 23: Publication Scheme and Section 24: Model Publication Scheme http://www.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2002/20013

 

Code of Practice to FOI (Scotland) Act 2002 http://www.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2002/20013

 

Scottish Health on the Web           www.show.scot.nhs.uk

 

Comprehensive information on the General Medical Services contract, including contract documentation can be found on the following BMA web pages:

http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/__Hub+GPC+contract

http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/__Hub+gpc+SC

 

Copyright

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 which 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. Some material we include in our scheme may be the copyright of a third party. Our rights to hold and use such material do not extend to others. You must obtain authorisation from the copyright holder(s) concerned if you wish to copy or reproduce such material.

 

The Queen's Printer for Scotland has prepared guidance for public authorities on copyright. The guidance is aimed at Crown bodies but also covers other types of authorities. It is available at: www.oqps.gov.uk/foi/guidance.htm

 

For HMSO Guidance Notes see www.hmso.gov.uk/guides.htm or alternatively these may be accessed via www.tso.co.uk