Practice Policies

Medical Education

We are a training practice and you may be offered an appointment with a GP registrar. These doctors are fully qualified will have had experience in several hospital specialties. They are completing their specialist training as a GP.

We also teach medical students and sometimes you may be asked to see the doctor or nurse with a student present. You will always be asked beforehand if this is acceptable and you may ask for the student to withdraw if you prefer to have your consultation in private.

Access for patients with disabilities

Access to the surgery and consulting room is compliant with all regulations.

The surgery also has a hearing loop available at the front desk and a display call system for patients who are hard of hearing (NB this is undergoing maintenance and will be available very soon).

If you are partially sighted / registered blind or hard of hearing, please let the Receptionist know so that we can cater for your needs.

Our Mission Statement

To always treat patients with dignity and respect whilst striving to provide the best possible health care to our population of patients both in the prevention and treatment of ill health throughout all stages of their lives.

Access to medical records

The practice complies with the GDPR Regulations brought in on 25th May 2018. Patients are able to access their medical records online or via our Medical Secretary team.

Please note: requests must be made in writing and can take up to 30 days to complete.  If you have requested paper copies, we will inform you when they are ready for collection. We do not post patients records as they must be collected in person, please bring along ID for verification purposes.

Access to Health Records Policy v1.3

Patient confidentiality

We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible care.

This information may be used for management and audit purposes. However, it is usually only available to, and used by, those involved in your care. You have the right to know what information we hold about you. If you would like to see your records please contact the Practice Manager.

Patient rights and responsibilities

We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. It is your responsibility to keep your appointments, inform us of your past illnesses, medication, hospital admissions and any other relevant details.

Consent to contact

Please note that consent to contact via mobile phone (phone call or SMS) will be assumed if no other option is marked on the registration form or when the mobile phone number is provided to the Practice.

Violent or abusive behaviour

We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way. We take seriously any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients. If a patient is violent or abusive they will be warned to stop such behaviour. If they persist, we may exercise our right to take action to have them removed, immediately if necessary, from our list of patients.

Please remember our practice staff are here to help you. If you feel that you have been treated unfairly or inappropriately, please ask the reception staff to contact the practice manager who will be happy to address your concerns. However, please remember shouting and swearing at practice staff will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

Chaperone Policy

This organisation is committed to providing a safe, comfortable environment where patients and staff can be confident that best practice is being followed at all times and the safety of everyone is of paramount importance.

All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present for any consultation, examination or procedure where they feel one is required. This chaperone may be a family member or friend. On occasions you may prefer a formal chaperone to be present, i.e. a trained member of staff.

Wherever possible we would ask you to make this request at the time of booking appointment so that arrangements can be made and your appointment is not delayed in any way. Where this is not possible we will endeavour to provide a formal chaperone at the time of request. However occasionally it may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.

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

If you would like to see a copy of our Chaperone Policy or have any questions or comments regarding this please contact the Head of Reception.

Change of address

If you change name, address or telephone number, please let our receptionists know by writing to us. If you move outside the practice area you may need to find a doctor in your new area. There are instructions on what to do when you move to a new area on the back of your NHS medical card.

GP Costs

The average pay for GPs working in The Strand Medical Group in the last financial year was £123,766 before tax and National Insurance. This is for: 5 full time GPs and 1 part time GP who worked in the practice for six months or more.

“NHS England require that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice is publicised by 31 March 2023 at the latest.  However, it should be noted that the prescribed method of calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice and should not be used for any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparisons with other practices.”

Information Governance Policy v1.5