Our practice has decided to outsource our medical reporting to MediData, who will process your medical report using their system, eMR.

What is eMR/MediData?

MediData is a NHS Digital accredited company who have developed a digital system called
eMR, which enables GP practices to create digital, GDPR compliant medical reports.

eMR helps GP Surgeries with data security, speed, and efficiency.
eMR also helps you to easily see your medical data, stay in control of it and decide who you want to share it with.

MediData has worked hard to develop their NHS GP IT Futures accredited technology, eMR,
which interfaces with our GP practice’s system to extract your medical record. This means you can receive a full copy of that information

securely and share it with others as you wish, keeping your data safe.

If you wish to speak to a member of the MediData team regarding your medical report, or any
concerns you may have regarding your data, please contact MediData directly on:

Phone – 0333 3055 774
Email – connect@medi2data.com

As you will need to submit Proof of Identity on Application, please visit your practice to complete the SARs Application Form.

To establish your identity and address, the application must be accompanied by an original document(s) bearing your FULL NAME, DATE of BIRTH, and ADDRESS (e.g Driving Licence).

Each year we will be writing an annual report to highlight what we have achieved as a practice, and would like to share this with our patients.

Annual Report 2016 –  2017

At Westongrove Partnership we operate a free text messaging service. We will send texts to remind you about appointments, let you know when flu clinics are happening, share information from the surgery via our patient newsletter, send Friends and Family Test requests and other useful information from the surgery if we have your mobile phone number.

From March 2025 we are also able to send you a link to book some appointments at a time most convenient to yourself- saving you time on the phone with a receptionist

We will assume that you wish to use this service unless you tell us in writing that you would prefer not to be included by emailing westongrove.admin@nhs.net. We can then opt you out of this service meaning you will no longer receive text messages of any sort from us.

Please check with reception that we have your correct mobile number. If you share a mobile number or phone with someone else they may receive your messages, so let us know if anything needs updating.

Information Sharing

Sharing of Clinical Data

As part of the NHS, the GP Surgery is obliged to share certain information with other organisations, both NHS & third Party. The sharing of data is strictly governed by the Data Protection & Caldicott guidelines. We share information for 3 main reasons:

• To help other healthcare profesionals provide the best care for you.
• To provide statistical information to help with disease management and best practice.
• For continued improvement in quality of services we provide for you.

As part of the contract between GPs and the NHS, we are required to undertake a number of patient surveys. Some surveys are conducted within the practice. National surveys require us to provide patient names and addresses to a third party company. This is so that forms can be posted to patients. The company acts under very strict contractual guidelines to keep your details safe.

In order to provide the best care, doctors and nurses in other NHS organisations need to know the best way to treat our patients. Limited clinical information is shared for a referral and also for the Common Health Record – a system for a number of organisations to submit their information to create a complete record for everyone. This is especially useful in emergencies.

The new Electronic Prescription Service will send limited information on your medication to the NHS Prescriptions Pricing Authority and your nominated pharmacy.

Further Information and leaflets can be obtained from reception.

• Information is shared to improve the way we care for you.
• The Common Healthcare Record is an amalgamation of information from a number of NHS organisations including GP Practices.
• The Common Healthcare Record helps other healthcare professionals to decide how best to treat you.
• The Electronic Prescriptions Service will send patient and therapy information to the pharmacy of your choice.
• Patient names are given to a third party company under strict conditions to conduct patient surveys.
• Anonymous statistical information is reported to assist with disease management.
• You may decide not to have your information shared. To stop your data being sent please see reception.

Useful information:

• Poster – How we use your information
• Leaflet – Keeping your records safe

Sharing your Patient Record

View information about sharing your patient record.

To view our full Privacy notice, click here

Westongrove Partnership follow the Aylesbury Vale CCG 28 Day Prescribing Policy. AVCCG recommends that the usual length of both acute and repeat prescriptions should be 28 days.

For more information please view the AVCCG Prescribing Interval Policy.

For more information on Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) please visit the NHS Business Services Authority website.

If Death Occurs At Home

1.    Telephone the surgery who may need to arrange for a GP to visit to confirm that death has taken place. The receptionist will ask you for the deceased’s name and DOB, date and place of death, Funeral Director (if known) , is the deceased for burial or cremation (if known), name and contact number of the relative informing
2.    The GP will then be able to complete a death certificate if the death was expected. This will be emailed by our Administration team to the Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner will then contact the next of kin to advise them to contact the Registrar.
3.    The next of kin will then need to contact the Registrars Office, (for the area in which the death took place. Alternatively you can register by declaration at any convenient Registrars Officer.
4.    The Registrar will normally issue a Green coloured certificate for you to give to your funeral director who will look after necessary arrangements for the funeral. The Registrar will also issue a white notification certificate for the DSS. They will also enquire as to the number of Certified Copies you require for dealing with the deceased finances (a fee is payable for each copy).

If the death is not expected the GP may need to liaise with the Coroner before a death certificate can be issued.

Note For Cremation

Your funeral director will usually liaise directly with the surgery regarding the additional certification required.

What is the Herbert Protocol?

The Herbert Protocol initiative is named after George Herbert, a veteran of the Normandy landings, who lived with dementia.

It is a process to be used where there is a risk that a vulnerable person, particularly if they suffer from dementia, may go missing.

It consists of a form for recording key information which the police will require if the vulnerable person goes missing.

It’s for carers and relatives of vulnerable people, especially those with dementia, who are worried about them going missing.

They can complete the form in advance and then hand to the police when a loved one goes missing.

Carers, family members and friends should complete part one of the form in advance and obtain a recent photograph of the vulnerable person.

In the event of the vulnerable person going missing, part two should be completed, and the form, plus photograph, handed to the police.

The form can be used for any vulnerable person, not just those with dementia.

Who completes the form?

The vulnerable person and their family/carers, including care-home staff, should jointly complete part two. If appropriate, family/carers may do so on behalf of the vulnerable person.

The form should be completed as fully as possible and then kept regularly updated, so that all the information is accurate and current.

When should the form be given to the police?

The police only need the form at the point the person is reported missing and it will be used to assist with their enquiries to locate the missing person.

Where should the form be stored?

The form should be kept securely at the vulnerable person’s address, or may be held by a family member, a carer, a friend or a neighbour. It needs to be readily available when required.

The form can be downloaded below.

• Herbert Protocol form

It can be completed by hand or electronically. A paper copy, plus the photograph, will need to be handed to the police officer who attends to take the missing person’s report.

What action should be taken if the person goes missing?

A search of the address, grounds and outbuildings should be undertaken and then the police alerted as soon as practicable.

Tell the police call-taker that a Herbert Protocol form is available.

GP Training

As an approved specialist GP training practice, we have a number of GP trainees working within the practice at any one time. All of our GP trainees are fully qualified doctors who have previously worked as hospital doctors and are undergoing part of their specialty general practice training.

All of our trainees are supervised by one of the senior doctors at the practice.  From time to time another doctor may sit in with the trainee as an observer for educational purposes.

Medical Students

Medical students are sometimes attached to the practice as part of their training. They will sometimes sit in with doctors or other members of staff to observe and take part in consultations.  If a medical student is with your doctor you will be informed.  We very much hope you will participate in the student teaching programme but understand that on some occasions you would rather not have a student present.  Please let us know if that is what you would prefer.