A Member of Our Health Partnership

VICTORIA ROAD SURGERY a member of ‘Our Health Partnership’

PATIENT INFORMATION LEAFLET

21 Victoria Road, Acocks Green Birmingham, B27 7XZ Tel: 0121 706 1129 or 0121 706 6666 Fax: 0121 765 4927

Website: www.victoriaroadpractice.nhs.uk Email: [email protected]

Opening Hours The surgery is open between 8:15 am – 7:00 pm Monday & Thursday 8:15 am – 6:00 pm Tuesday & Friday and 8:15 am – 1:00 pm Wednesday

Contact us by phone Lines are open between 8:30 am – 6:30 pm Monday & Thursday 8:30 am – 6:30 pm Tuesday & Friday and 8:30 am – 1:00 pm Wednesday

All information contained within this leaflet can also be accessed via our website at: www.victoriaroadpractice.nhs.uk

This practice is within Birmingham CrossCity Clinical Commissioning Group Bartholomew House, 142 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B16 9AP Telephone No: 0121 255 0700 Email: [email protected] Website: bhamcrosscityccg.nhs.uk WELCOME

Victoria Road Surgery offers a choice of three doctors, two male (Dr Cameron and Dr Ahmed) and one female doctor (Dr Wilkinson). The team also includes a Practice Nurse, Practice Manager, administration and reception staff. Community staff attached to the practice are District Nurses, Midwife and Health Visitor.

This patient information leaflet is for both existing patients and those considering registering with us. It tells you about our services, how to access them and some general information about how our practice operates.

If you live in our practice area and would like to register with us, please complete our registration forms that are available from reception.

All patients registered with this practice will be allocated a named GP. You can still make an appointment with any of the doctors in the practice. Should you wish to know who your named GP is, please ask the Receptionist.

We offer a full general medical service, which includes long-term condition reviews, cervical smears, childhood and adult immunisation, family planning, travel advice and vaccinations, health education and some minor surgery.

At Victoria Road Surgery we aim to treat all our patients promptly, courteously and in complete confidence. We feel it is important you know whom you are speaking to, so our practice staff wear a name badge and identify themselves on the telephone.

‘Our Health Partnership’ In November 2015, Victoria Road Surgery was one of 32 GP practices across Birmingham who formed Our Health Partnership. A pioneering organisation of 150 GP partners, serving approximately 280,000 patients, was created to help practices thrive in the face of continuing change in the healthcare system. GPs will be at the forefront of rapid change over the next few years, meaning practices must modernise, maximise quality and expand what primary care offers. Making life better for patients is at the heart of the vision for the future. Patients will have more control over their health and their treatments, supported in their communities by high quality, highly motivated GPs able to deliver holistic, personalised, continuity of care through the NHS.

More information about Our Health Partnership can be found on the practice website. THE PRACTICE TEAM

General Practitioners Dr John Cameron MB ChB DGM DRCOG MRCGP Dr Alice Wilkinson MB ChB (hons) DRCOG MRCGP Dr Fuad Ahmed MB ChB MRCGP MPHARM

Practice Nurse Nurse Anne Cherry is our experienced Practice Nurse who provides all nursing services.

Practice Manager Julie Wallis is responsible for the smooth running of the practice. She is available to help you with administration of non-medical aspects of your healthcare and is responsible for handling complaints.

Reception Team Annette Bate, Debra Choudhury, Tina Beard and Veronica Looney are here to help you. They answer the telephone, make appointments, deal with enquiries and take repeat prescriptions. The telephones and reception desk can be very busy so if you have to wait we would welcome your patience. Please inform the receptionist if you would like to discuss anything in private away from the reception desk.

Secretary The Secretary is available to help you with any queries regarding hospital referrals. They are also responsible for administering requests for third party reports, for example, insurance companies and solicitors.

ATTACHED STAFF Health Visitors Anticoagulation Nurse Community Midwife Phlebotomist District Nurses Community Matron

SERVICES OFFERED AT SURGERY Full General Medical Services Cervical Smear Testing Family Planning Dietary Advice & Health Education Antenatal & Maternity care Some minor surgery Childhood & Adult Immunisations Ear Syringing Travel advice and vaccinations Long-Term Conditions reviews Smoking Cessation Blood Pressure Management Blood Tests ECG’s Simple Dressings Weight

How to Register as a Patient at Victoria Road Surgery

Reproduced by permission of Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. ã Crown Copyright.

This map shows the practice boundaries. If your address is within this catchment area, you can pick up a New Patient Registraton pack from reception. Simply complete the registration forms and return together with personal identification, one from either list:

 Address ID: Utility bill, bank statement or council tax, etc. (with your name, address and

dated within the last 6 months)

If you are not registered for primary care services you will need to complete the registration forms and return together with:  Personal ID: Current passport

Once you returned the completed registration forms and a form of personal identification you will be given an appointment to see our practice nurse for a new patient check and completion of the registration process. Please note, if you fail to attend this appointment you will not be offered another appointment and consequently you will not be registered with this practice.

Temporary Residents We provide a service for anyone staying within the practice catchment area (whilst staying with relatives/friends). Call the Surgery to obtain a temporary residents form from our Reception Team, return to us completed and we will be happy to assist you.

Disabled Access Our modernisations have been made with careful consideration of the needs of the disabled. There are gentle ramps up to the front and rear entrances, both of which freely admit wheelchairs. There is a handrail on the ramp to the front entrance and we have a fully equipped toilet for the disabled off the entrance hallway. Consulting rooms and the waiting room are on the ground level for ease of patient access.

If you experience any problems, please speak to one of our receptionists who will do their utmost to assist you. Making an Appointment We do our very best to meet the varying needs within the limitations of the number of doctor and practice nurse appointments available. Appointments are always in great demand and the doctors have a finite number of hours in the day in which to meet the needs of our patients.

We have four types of doctor appointments available:

Booked in advance: Bookable up to 3 months ahead – these appointments provide choice and flexibility as to when and by whom you are seen. If these appointments are filled on a particular day the receptionist will look for an acceptable alternative. A number of appointments are available to book online via our website: www.victoriaroadpractice.nhs.uk

Available on the day: Every day at 8:15am a number of appointments become available, enabling you to see a doctor quickly. At such short notice there is less flexibility over time and choice of doctor. These appointments are also available to book online.

Urgent medical problems: If you have an urgent problem but all the routine appointments for a particular day are filled you will be offered an urgent appointment. As such there is no flexibility over appointment time or choice of doctor.

GP Telephone Access If you wish to make a non-urgent telephone call to an individual doctor, reception can take a message, to include your name, a brief reason for your call and a contact number. The doctor will return your call as soon as possible but please note this may not always be the same day. If you wish to make an urgent telephone call, please inform reception and they will arrange for your call to be transferred to the doctor immediately. If you wish to speak to the practice nurse, please leave your name and contact number and a brief reason reason for your call and she will call you back, although not always on the same day.

We offer late evening appointments every Monday (last appointment 6:45pm) and every Thursday (last appointment 6:50pm).

We do our best to keep to appointment times but the complexity of care provided by general practice has greatly increased over the years. Consequently, some consultations take longer and cause doctors to run behind.

Arriving late for an appointment Patients arriving late for appointments make if difficult for the clinicians to run to time, keeping other patients waiting. Unless your need is medically urgent, if you are more than 10 minutes late you may be asked to rebook for another day.

Cancelling an Appointment Please let us know, at least 1 hour before, if you are unable to keep an appointment. There is a large demand for appointments for both GPs and the Practice Nurse and we can offer your appointment to someone else if you let us know. You can do this either online or by telephone Text Appointment Reminders Please inform reception of your mobile telephone number if you would like to receive a text reminder for your appointment. By providing us with the mobile number we assume you have given informed consent for us to contact you by text. We will only use this facility in the context of healthcare at Victoria Road Surgery. If you do not wish to receive text alerts, please advise a receptionist who will amend your records accordingly.

Seeing your Usual GP Where at all possible we encourage you to see your usual GP as this provides continuity of care. Please ask for your usual GP when you contact reception and we will endevour to make sure you see your usual GP if at all possible.

Named Accountable GP From April 2015 all patients are required to have a named accountable GP. Individual patients will be informed of their named accountable GP at the first appropriate interaction with the practice. If you wish to be told the name of your Accountable GP, please ask a receptionist when you are next in the surgery. Please note: there is no need to telephone the practice for this information. Where a patient expresses a preference as to which GP they have been assigned, the practice will make reasonable efforts to accommodate this request. Having a named GP does not prevent you seeing any other doctor in the practice. Your named GP will not be available at all times and if your needs are urgent, you may need to discuss them with an alternative doctor

Do you require an Interpreter? Please let a Receptionist know when booking an appointment if you require an interpreter. We can organise a translation service in advance to help you during your consultation with the doctor or nurse.

Home Visits Patients who are too ill or too frail to attend the surgery can be visited at home for both routine and emergency visits. Our doctors typically see four patients in the time it takes to see one patient at home and for this reason we ask our patients to come to the practice if at all possible. However, if a home visit is felt necessary please contact reception before 10:30am and let us know if your condition is urgent. You will be asked to provide the name, address and telephone number of the patient and the reason for the visit request. A GP may phone prior to the visit to obtain more details.

Induction Loops Induction loops are available on request for patients with communication difficulties.

Change to Personal Details Please inform the reception if you change your name, address, marital status or telephone number, so we can keep our records accurate. Services In addition to our normal surgeries we run a number of specialist clinics:

Antenatal – This clinic is run by the midwife. If you become pregnant you will be given an appointment at which the midwife will ask you a few questions and carry out some general health checks. You will be seen regularly throughout your pregnancy by the midwife. Ideally, at least 3 months before coming pregnant, you should stop smoking, start taking folic acid (available from pharmacies) and ensure that you are up to date with your Rubella vaccination.

Long Term Condition Management : Asthma or COPD / Coronary Heart Disease / High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) / Diabetes - Annual review appointments with either the doctor or practice nurse to offer patients advice and plan future care.

Child health and immunisation – All babies are invited for a 8 week postnatal medical check with a doctor. Immunisations start at 8 weeks; Immunisation information can be found on www.nhs.uk

Contraception/Family Planning – There are various forms of contraception and you can discuss the different options with either a practice nurse or a doctor.

Smoking Cessation – Counselling and medication is available to support your attempt to stop smoking. It is important to keep your appointments for the full course of treatment. For online information, advice and support contact www.smokefree.nhs.uk or call Smokefree 0300 123 1044

Health Check – You can book a NHS Health Check if you are aged between 40 to 74 and are not already on a disease register. Patients will be helped to better understand their risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes or kidney failure, and the adjustments required to their lifestyle to reduce such risk and ensure longer healthier lives.

Weight – We can help you to try and lose weight by offering a weight management programme in which medication may form part of the treatment.

Travel – If you are travelling abroad and think you may need to be vaccinated for Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio (DTP); Typhoid; Cholera or Hepatitis A&B please book an appointment with the practice nurse allowing at least 6 weeks prior to your departure date.

Minor Surgery – A doctor is able to excise a variety of superficial lesions.

Flu Vaccinations – Please ensure if you are in one of the ‘at risk’ groups you have a flu vaccination annually:

 65 years or over  Heart problems  Asthma or COPD  Kidney disease  Liver disease  Diabetes  Stroke  Impaired immunity  Pregnant women  Carer Test Results You are able to contact the surgery at any time during the day for results of tests, although you are requested to avoid first thing in the morning as this is when reception is particularly busy. Allow 3-4 working days following submission of specimen for test results to come back. X-ray results are usually available after 2 weeks and smear tests usually take about 6 weeks.

To ensure patient confidentialilty test results will only be given to the patient direct and not to relatives or friends, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in writing.

We will make every effort to contact you should your test results indicate the need for urgent action. However, in all cases, it is the patient’s own responsibility to find out the results of their tests.

The doctors check the results before our reception staff are able to give out any information to you. Receptionists will only be able to state that the results are normal or that you have to see a doctor. Please do not expect them to relay any other details.

Out of Hours If you think you need the care of a doctor outside of normal surgery hours, listed below are a number of providers which should be able to help you until the surgery is open:

BADGER (Birmingham and District General Emergency Rooms) – Victoria Road Surgery is currently in the BADGER GP co-operative system. If you or your family need urgent medical attention outside of normal GP hours call the surgery as usual and follow the instructions on how to contact us. A receptionist at BADGER will take your details and either pass your call directly to a health professional or advise you on a time they will call you back.

NHS 111 Service - 111 is the NHS non-emergency number. You will be able to speak to a highly trained adviser, supported by healthcare professionals. They will ask you a series of questions to assess your symptoms and immediately direct you to the best medical care for you. NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

NHS Choices website - Website: www.nhs.uk – Information from the National Health Service on conditions, treatments, local services and healthy living.

Solihull Walk-In Centre - Anyone can use the Walk-In Centre even though you are registered at Victoria Road Surgery. The Walk-In Centre will see, treat and give advice for a wide range of minor illnesses and injuries, including emergency contraception. Located in the grounds of Solihull Hospital, the Walk-In Centre is open 8:00am – 8:00pm every day and an appointment is not required.

Local Pharmacist - Your local pharmacist is able to recognise many common health complaints. They can give advice or, where appropriate, medicines that will help clear up the problem. You may want to consider speaking to a pharmacist before booking a GP appointment.

Medical Emergencies In the event of collapse, suspected heart attack, severe breathing difficulties, suspected stroke, fractures or haemorrhaging please call 999 immediately – do not call the practice first as this may waste valuable time. The practice is not equipped to deal with emergencies. Do not use 999 or attend A&E with problems that your doctor could deal with. Repeat Prescriptions If your long-term medication has been approved on a repeat prescription basis you can order in a number of ways:  In In person - drop your computerised repeat slip in at reception having clearly marked the required items.  By post - send it to us remembering to enclose a stamped addressed envelope if you want us to post it back to you.  By fax - to 0121 765 4927  Online - The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)

Please note that requests for medication cannot be accepted over the telephone unless a patient is housebound.

Please allow two full working days for prescriptions to be processed and remember to take weekends and bank holidays into account. Patients using the postal service should allow longer.

The Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) If you collect your repeat prescriptions from your GP you will not have to visit the Practice in future. Instead your GP will send it electronically to the chemist you choose, saving you time. Please ask at reception and pick up a leaflet for details of the service.

Medication Reviews Patients on repeat medication will be asked to see a doctor or practice nurse at least once a year to review these regular medications. Please ensure that you book an appropriate appointment to avoid unnecessary delays to further prescriptions.

Using Our On-Line Service EMIS Patient Access Online Services is available and by registering you are able to do the following:  Order repeat medication  Book appointments  Cancel appointments  Limited version of your medical record To register for this service please attend the practice in person with 2 forms of identification; one must be photographic identification (e.g. driving licence, passport) and the other must have your registered address on it (in the last 4 months). You will be given a patient leaflet and if after reading the leaflet you would like to progress with this service, we will ask that you complete a registration form.

Mobile Phones We request that patients do not use their mobile phones for social calls within the surgery building, as this may cause distraction or annoyance to others. Please ensure you turn your mobile phone off before going into the consulting room. Respect and Dignity At Victoria Road Surgery we treat our patients with respect and dignity and do not discriminate against them in any way, on the grounds of age, sex or sexual orientation, colour, race, ethnic background, disability, religion or religious or philosophical belief.

Physical violence and verbal abuse is growing concern. Doctors, nurses and other practice staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. We ask that you treat your doctor and practice staff properly, without violence or abuse. We strongly support the NHS policy on Zero Tolerance.

Any patient either phoning or attending the Practice who abuses any staff member or patient, be it verbally, physically or in any threatening manner whatsoever will risk removal from the Practice list.

Confidentiality You have a right to expect that information about you will be held in confidence by the doctors and practice staff. Confidentiality is central to trust.

Within the Practice the following people can access your information: doctors, nurse, health visitors, midwife, administration staff and medicines management team. Each of these people has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.

Staff will maintain your right to privacy and not discuss your illness with other staff or doctors within hearing distance of other people. If you wish to speak privately to a receptionist, please do ask and you will be taken to a private room to talk.

However, there are circumstances when medical information may be disclosed. Information about patients is requested for a wide variety of purposes, including education, research, public health surveillance, clinical audit, administration and planning. In ALL of these circumstances we apply the following rules:

 We seek patient’s consent to disclosure  We anonymise data where unidentifiable data will serve the purpose  We keep disclossures to the minimum necessary

You can object to information being shared with others involved in the provision of your care, except where lack of disclosure would be likely to cause serious harm to the physical or mental health of either you or any other person.

The Practice complies with the Data Protection Act 1998 and the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice. Access to your Medical Records The Data Protection Act 1998 gives every person, or an authorised representative, the right to apply for access to health records. A request should be made in writing to:

Practice Manager, Victoria Road Surgery, 21 Victoria Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham, B27 7XZ or by email to: [email protected]

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 (Fees and Miscellanceous Provisions) Regulations 2000, you may be charged a fee to view your health records or to be provided with a copy of them.

Please ask at reception for a copy of our information leaflet ‘Patient Access to Medical Records’.

Freedom of Information The Freedom of Information Act 2000 entitles you to access information held by the Practice.

You may find the information you are looking for on the Practice website at www.victoriaroadpractice.nhs.uk. If you cannot see what you want or wish to find out more, you can put your request in writing and send it to:

Practice Manager, Victoria Road Surgery, 21 Victoria Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham, B27 7XZ or by email to: [email protected]

Further information is available online at the following website: Information Commissioners Website: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Sharing Information Summary Care Record - Unless you have expressly told us that you wish to ‘opt out’ of the scheme you have a Summary Care Record comprising of your name, address, date of birth and your unique NHS Number to help identify you correctly. In addition it will contain important information about medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have had.

Giving healthcare staff access to this information can prevent mistakes being made when caring for you in an emergency or when the practice is closed.

You will always be asked by the clinical staff for your permission to view your Summary Care Record and you can opt in and out as you wish.

Care.data - This is a research and commissioning data collection initiative, launched in 2014 by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

It is intended that this information will help shape future service delivery and improvements with the NHS. Data will be automatically collected from GP computer records in a secure and anonymised format.

Again you can register your objection to having your data collected in this way.

For more details on the Care.data sharing scheme please ask at reception or go to http://www.nhs.uk. Are you a Carer? Do you look after a relative or friend, young or old, who is unable to manage alone, maybe as a result of illness, disability or old age. At Victoria Road Surgery we appreciate the invaluable work done by carers and ask you to make yourselves known to us in order that we can improve the level of support we give you.

This also means that if you yourself need medical attention your caring role can be taken into account.

If you are interested in finding out more about the advice and support available to carers, www.carersuk.org is an excellent source of information.

Do you need a chaperone? We are committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times.

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. A chaperone may be a family member or friend. Alternatively you may prefer a formal chaperone in which case a trained member of staff can be present.

We ask you to make a chaperone request when booking your appointment so that arrangements can be made and your consultation is not delayed.

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

Patient Participation Group (PPG) It is becoming increasingly important that the patients’ collective voice is heard when it comes to the design and delivery of healthcare.

The PPG:  works with the Practice to offer the patient perspective on the services it provides  helps to improve communication between the Practice and the patient population  encourages patients to take more responsibility for their health  should be self-organising and patient led

A PPG is NOT the Practice’s complaint system (there is a robust complaints procedure in place – see section below); nor is it a forum to air personal issues.

The benefits of an effective PPG are felt by the patients and the Practice.

If you are interesting in learning more about the PPG please contact the practice manager. How are we doing? Compliments and complaints We always try to provide you with a first class primary healthcare service and appreciate patient feedback as a measure of how we are doing.

Comments and compliments If you think we are doing something well please let us know. It is always nice to receive compliments. Equally, if you feel we could do better in any aspect please tell us. Comments and compliments can be made to any member of the Victoria Road Surgery team by means of the Suggestion Box located at reception or by addressing them to the practice manager.

Complaints There may be times when you feel you have not received the appropriate care or treatment, either clinical or service. Most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time they arise and with the person concerned. But if your problem cannot be dealt with in this way please let us know, ideally within a matter of days, to give us the opportunity to establish what happened and put things right more easily.

We have a Complaints Procedure as part of an NHS system for dealing with complaints (full details can be found in our Complaints Leaflet). In the first instance complaints should be addressed to the practice manager, either verbally or in writing. They will explain the complaints procedure to you and will make sure that your issue is dealt with promptly.

We aim to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days and to fully investigate it in a timely manner.

We do of course keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else we have to know that you have their permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.

If you remain dissatisifed you may refer the matter to The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.org.uk.

Members of the public are entitled to raise a complaint with the Commissioner, Birmingham CrossCity CCG, including services commissioned by acute trusts (hospitals) and any other provider including non-NHS services. If you have a general enquiry or would like to make a complaint, please write to:

Senior Information Governance & Compliance Manager Birmingham CrossCity CCG Bartholomew House 142 Hagley Road Birmingham B16 9PA

Telephone: 0121 255 0700

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.bhamcrosscityccg.nhs.uk - compliments and complaints section – complete and submit a ‘contact us’ form How have we done today – Friends and Family Test We are always pleased to have your feedback – good and bad as feedback helps us to improve. Please complete a form by reception to let us know have we have done in providing your care or care to a family member or friend.

Care Quality Commission As a GP practice Victoria Road Surgery is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who monitor, inspect and regulate our services to make sure we meet fundamental standards of quality and safety and to ensure we are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

Victoria Road Surgery was inspected by the CQC on 30th July 2015 and our overall rating was ‘Good’. You can find out more from our website: www.victoriaroadpractice.nhs.uk

Practice Charter Victoria Road Surgery has a patient charter which sets out exactly what our patients should expect from the Practice. It also outlines patients’ responsibilities when accessing primary healthcare. A copy of the charter is available from the Practice or online from our website: www.victoriaroadpractice.nhs.uk

Fees The practice offers some services that are not covered by the NHS, for example certain travel vaccinations, medical reports and certificates and may attract a fee. From 1 st May 2016 the practice has to charge VAT on certain non-NHS fees. The policy suggested by HM Customs & Excise is that VAT is not chargeable on areas where this protects, maintains or restores the health of an individual. Therefore VAT of 20% will only apply to medical services primarily to enable a third party to take a decision, e.g. a pre-employment medical. Services linked to the health care of a patient are currently exempt from VAT.

Examples of Non-NHS services where VAT is chargeable:  Accident/sickness insurance certificates &  Certain travel vaccinations reports  Private medical insurance reports  Medicals for HGV/Taxi/PSV  Elderly Driver Medicals  Holiday cancellation forms  Driving Licence forms  Shotgun Certificate Verification

Medical Certificates For absence from work through sickness, self-certification is currently valid for the first week and the SC2 certificate is available from your employer, Post Office or the practice. A doctor’s certificate (Med 3) is not needed for the first seven days of sickness. If a private certificate is required to cover this period, a standard fee is charged. After 7 days you will need to consult with your doctor to obtain a Med 3.

This edition of our practice leaflet was produced June 2016 and is available to download from the practice website: www.victoriaroadpractice.nhs.uk .

If you require the leaflet in larger print or a different format, please ask at reception.