Freedom of Information Act Publication SchemeThe Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to ask for information held by public authorities, such as the NHS, and including GP Practices. The Act allows members of the public to see information about how public services are developed and delivered. We operate a publication scheme giving useful information about the Practice. This is a guide to the General Practitioners within the partnership Publication Scheme as required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This publication scheme is a guide to the information routinely made available to the public by the practice. It is a description of the information about the GPs and the practice which is publicly available. To view the Publication Scheme and Patient Information Leaflet on the Freedom of Information Act document in the Download Section click here.
The following policy sets out the approach to the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act by Betts Avenue Medical Centre. The Practice will comply with the FOI Act and sees it as an opportunity to enhance public trust and confidence in the Practice. The Practice will maintain a comprehensive 'Publication Scheme' that provides information which is readily accessible without the need for a formal FoI Act request. The Practice will seek to satisfy all FOI Act requests promptly and within 20 working days. However, if necessary we will extend this timescale to give full consideration to a Public Interest test. If we do not expect to meet the deadline, we will inform the requester as soon as possible of the reasons for the delay and when we expect to have made a decision. The Practice will continue to protect the personal data entrusted to us, by disclosing it only in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. The Practice will provide advice and assistance to requesters to facilitate their use of FOI Act. We will publish our procedures and assist requesters to clarify their requests so that they can obtain the information that they require. The Practice will work with the Primary Care Trust, Strategic Health Authority and other bodies with whom we work to ensure that we can meet our FOI Act obligations, including the disclosure of any information that they hold on our behalf. The Practice will apply the exemptions provided in the FOI Act and, where qualified exemptions exist, the Practice will disclose the information unless the balance of public interest lies in withholding it. ·The Practice will consult with third parties before disclosing information that could affect their rights and interests. However, according to the FOI Act, the Practice must take the final decision on disclosure. The Practice will charge for information requests in line with the FOI Act Fees Regulations or other applicable regulations, including the Data Protection Act 1998. The Practice will record all FOI Act requests and our responses and will monitor our performance in handling requests and complaints. The Practice will ensure that all staff are aware of their obligations under FOI Act and will include FOI Act education in the induction of all new staff. How much does it cost?The publications are all free unless indicated. Where there is a fee the charges will be calculated as set out Class 7. How is the information made available?The information within each class can be found on the practice website or in hard copy from our main surgery. Your rights to informationIn addition to accessing the information identified in the Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about the practice under the NHS Openness Code 1995. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 recognises that members of the public have the right to know how public services are organised and run, how much they cost and how decisions are made. From January 2005 it will oblige the practice to respond to requests about information that it holds and is recorded in any format and it will create a right of access to that information. These rights are subject to some exceptions which have to be taken into consideration before deciding what can be released. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or nay other personal information about you. This can be done by contacting the Practice Manager. FeedbackIf 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 the Practice Manager. Classes of InformationAll information at the practice is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS guidelines. Our commitment to publish information excludes any information which can be legitimately withheld under the exemptions set out in the NHS Openness Code or Freedom of Information Act 2000. Where individual Classes are subject to exemptions, the main reasons are e.g. the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. This applies to all Classes within the Publication Scheme. The information on this Scheme is grouped into the following broad categories: Who we areBetts Avenue Medical Centre is the trading name of:
The Practice has a General Medical Services contract with: NHS North of Tyne, Bevan House, 1 Esh Plaza, Sir Bobby Robson Way, Great Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 9BA Reception telephone: 0191 217 2500 Fax: 0191 217 2501 The Practice is contracted to provide medical services to registered patients within it's designated practice area. The Practice aims to follow National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), and National Services Framework (NSF) guidelines, available at http://www.nice.org.uk/ or http://www.doh.gov.uk/ . The Practice employs the following groups of staff
Also based at the surgery:
There is a national NHS plan that explains how the NHS is changing and sets out how different parts function and work together. Please see www.doh.gov.uk/nhsplan Our ServicesPlease refer to our Practice Leaflet or this website for full details about the Practice. The range of services includes:
Financial and funding informationThe practice receives funding from NHS North of Tyne. Under the New GMS Contract the income we receive from the NHS before expenses is available form the practice upon request.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. Regular publications and information for the publicThe practice publishes the following material:
ComplaintsOur complaints procedure is in line with NHS North of Tyne advice. Details are available from reception at each of the surgery sites, within our Practice leaflet and on the website. Our policies and proceduresThe practice has the following published policies, available on our Practice Leaflet and on our website:
This Publication SchemeIn this class we will publish any changes we make to this Publication Scheme, the criteria on which our information management policies are made and a referral point for all enquires regarding information management . We will also publish any proposed changes or additions to publications already available. Cost of InformationFor the most part, we will charge you only for hard copies. Some information is available free, but for others there may be a charge. The charges will vary according to how information is made available. Charges are as follows:
Useful ResourcesWeb sites: http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/ - This is the web site of the Information Commissioner http://www.lcd.gov.uk/ - This is the web site of the Lord Chancellor’s Department http://www.foi.nhs.uk/PublicationsNHS Openness Code- www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexec/codemain.htm FOI Act 2000 www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts2000/2000036.htm Code of Practice under Section 45 FOI Act 2000 http://www.lcd.gov.uk/ |
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 2 Betts Avenue Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE15 6TQ View on map  0191 274 2767 Kenton Centre bettsavenue@nhs.net Fax: 0191 246 1550 |
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