The Northolme Practice Publication Scheme This is a guide to the Publication Scheme for The Northolme General Practice as required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1. Introduction Welcome to the Publication Scheme for The Northolme Practice. (Kos Clinic and Northowram Surgery) This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by our general practice as required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000. It is a description of the information about our General Practitioners and Practice, which we make publicly available. The Publication Scheme will be reviewed at regular intervals and we will monitor its effectiveness. 2. Your Rights to Information a) 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 the decisions are made. b) From January 1st 2005 it will oblige the General 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 exemptions, which have to be taken into consideration before deciding what information it can release. c) In addition to being able to obtain the information identified in the Publication Scheme, you are also entitled to request information about our General Practice under the NHS Openness Code 1995. d) Under Data Protection legislation, you are also entitled to access your medical records or any other personal information held about you by applying in writing to: Mrs Diane Branford Practice Manager The Northolme Practice Kos Clinic Roydlands Street Hipperholme Halifax HX3 8AF Tel:(01422) 205154 Or Mrs Diane Branford Practice Manager Northowram Surgery Northowram Green Halifax HX3 7JE Tel (01422) 206121 e) New environmental information regulations may be introduced as early as 2003. These will enable similar access to environmental information as that provided under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 3. How is the information made available? The information within each Class is either downloadable from this website or is available in hard copy. You can obtain a hard copy of the information referred to in this publication scheme by: Calling at reception between 8.00 am and 6.00pm at Kos Monday to Friday Calling at reception between 8.00am and 6.00pm at Northowram Monday to Thursday, 8.00am to 4.00pm on a Friday. In writing to: Mrs Diane Branford Practice Manager The Northolme Practice Kos Clinic Roydlands Street Hipperholme Halifax HX3 8AF Tel:(01422) 205154 4. How much will the publications cost? The publications are all free unless otherwise indicated within the Class (see below). Where information is provided at a cost, the charges will be calculated as set out Class 7 below. 5. 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: Mrs Diane Branford Practice Manager The Northolme Practice Kos Clinic Roydlands Street Hipperholme Halifax HX3 8AF Tel:(01422) 205154 PART TWO: CLASSES OF INFORMATION All information at The Northolme Practice is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS guidelines. Exemptions 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 include the protection of commercial interests or the protection of personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. This applies to all Classes within the Publication Scheme. The information made available under this Scheme is grouped into seven broad categories: CLASSES 1. Who we are Description: We are a 5 doctor practice, the partnership consists of 4 male doctors. Drs Ng, Brown, Chin & Ross and one female doctor, Doctor Cameron. The partnership is not limited Key publications Document Availability Charge Practice Leaflet Hard copy available from Practice No charge 2. Our Services Description: The range of services we provide under contract to the NHS can be found in our practice leaflet Key publications Document Availability Charge Practice Leaflet Hard copy available from Practice No charge 3. Financial and funding information Description: Funding details and charging policies The Practice is allocated a global sum to deliver the services we provide from Calderdale Primary Care Trust (PCT) according to its contract in exchange for services provided for patients 4. Regular publications and information for the public Description: Copies of Guidance and information leaflets Key publications Document Availability Charge Practice Leaflet Hard copy available from Practice No charge 5. Complaints Description: Policies, procedures and contacts for complaints Key publications Document Availability Charge Complaints Leaflet Hard copy available from Practice No charge 6. Our policies and procedures Description: General policies and procedures in use within the practice. These include, but are not restricted to, data protection, prescribing and prescription, health and safety 7. This Publication Scheme Description: In 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 generally in the Practice. We will also publish any proposed changes or additions to publications already available. This publication scheme Cost of Information Most of the information is available free, but there may be a nominal charge to cover costs if you require a hard copy of information. The charges will vary according to how information is made available. Charges are as follows: a) Website Š Free of charge via the [General Practice/Primary Care Trust] website Website addresses are: www.calderdale-pct.nhs.uk Note: Any charges for Internet Service provider and personal printing costs would have to be met by the individual. b) Single Print Out - If you do not have internet access, a single print-out as on the website can be obtained by applying in writing to: Mrs Diane Branford Practice Manager Northowram Surgery Northowram Green Halifax HX2 7JE [The practice charges 5 pence per sheet and the cost of postage] c) Multiple copies or archived copies of documents which are no longer available on the web, will attract a charge for the retrieval, photocopy, postage etc. We will let you know the cost and charges that will have to be paid in advance. Please note: We will not provide printouts of other organisationÕs websites. d) Leaflets and brochures - Leaflets or booklets on, for example, the services we offer to the public are free of charge for single copies. (see item c above for multiple copies). [A list is available from] The charges will be reviewed regularly. PART THREE: Useful Resources Web sites: Information Commissioner www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk Lord ChancellorÕs Department www.lcd.gov.uk Freedom of Information website www.foi.nhs.uk Primary Care Trust website www.calderdale-pct.nhs.uk NHS Direct www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk Publications NHS 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 www.lcd.gov.uk Code of Practice under Section 46 FOI Act 2000 www.lcd.gov.uk Statement of Fees and Allowances payable for General Medical Practitioners in England Copyright Material available through this Publication Scheme is subject to the General PracticeÕs 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. For HMSO Guidance Notes see www.hmso.gov.uk/guides.htm