Safeguarding Children Policy Dec 2022

Safeguarding Adults Policy Dec 2022

FGM policy

NHS Cancer Screening

Cancer Screening

Screening is a way of detecting any abnormalities and catching them early. In many cases it can prevent cancer from developing in the first place.

The UK offers 3 different types of screening programmes for all eligible people. Breast Screening, Cervical Screening and Bowel Screening. If you are eligible you will be contacted and invited automatically.

Please see the following links for more information and advice.

NHS Cervical Screening Programme: www.gov.uk/guidance/cervical-screening-programme-overview

NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme: www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmes/bowel

NHS Breast Screening Programme: www.gov.uk/topic/population-screening-programmes/breast

It is very important to attend for screening when you are invited

If you are due/overdue your smear test please ring the surgery to book an appointment with the practice nurse.

The Breast Screening Team will be in the area in August 2023, and they will be in the process of contacting all the eligible patients. Please attend your appointment when you are invited, as previously we will ofcourse call you and remind you!

Links for information in other languages

www.gov.uk/government/publications/breast-screening-helping-women-decide

www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-benefits-and-risks

www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-description-in-brief

Carer Champion

Let your GP practice know that you are a carer and ask if this can be registered on your medical record. All GP practices are required to keep a Carers Register, which is a list of patients who are providing unpaid care and support to a family member or friend living with a long-term health condition.

In addition to this, Bordesley Green Surgery also offers:

• Flexibility with appointment times for you and the person you care for
• Annual Health Checks for carers
• Carers Board – a display of useful information for carers including details of the Carers Count service
• Carers Champion – an allocated member of staff who can provide you with more information about Carers Count and refer you through to other services for support

           Our Carers Champion is: Marine

• Agreement to share information with you about the person you care for, with their consent
• Registered carers are entitled to a free flu jab each year

Information and help for Carers:

https://www.carersuk.org/

https://birminghamcarershub.org.uk/

https://www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/about-us/get-involved/carers-support/

You said..

You are having difficulty in getting through on the phone, the line keep getting disconnected after the welcome message.

We did…

• We have investigated the problem and found that,  during the peak times 9-10am – if the call que exceeded more than 6 patients, the 7th call was being dropped.
• We have increased the que lenght from 6 to 20 calls.
• You will be notified of your que status while you are in the que
• If the que exceeds more than 20, The automated message will inform you that we are experiencing high volume of call, please try again later.
• We have also added a third telephone line to recieve calls during the peak times to reduce the ques and waiting times for the incoming calls.
• We are monitoring the call volumes and the que status with live data on our digital telephony system and will make additional relevent changes to improve our telephone access.

Non-NHS Services

Why do GPs sometimes charge fees?   

Your questions answered

Isn’t the NHS supposed to be free?

The National Health Service provides most health care to most people free of charge, but there are exceptions: prescription charges have existed since 1951, and there are a number of other services for which fees are charged. Sometimes the charge is made to cover some of the cost of treatment, for example, dental fees; in other cases, it is because the service is not covered by the NHS, for example, medical reports for insurance companies.

Surely the doctor is being paid anyway?

It is important to understand that GPs are not employed by the NHS, they are self-employed, and they have to cover their costs – staff, buildings, heating, lighting, etc – in the same way as any small business. The NHS covers these costs for NHS work, but for non-NHS work the fee has to cover the doctor’s costs.

What is covered by the NHS and what is not?

The Government’s contract with GPs covers medical services to NHS patients. In recent years, more and more organisations have been involving doctors in a whole range of non-medical work. Sometimes the only reason that GPs are asked is because they are in a position of trust in the community, or because an insurance company or employer wants to be sure that information provided is true and accurate.

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge their NHS patients are:

• accident/sickness insurance certificates
• certain travel vaccinations
• private medical insurance reports

Examples of non-NHS services for which GPs can charge other institutions are:

• medical reports for an insurance company
• some reports for the DSS/Benefits Agency
• examinations of local authority employees

Why does it sometimes take my GP a long time to complete my form?

Time spent completing forms and preparing reports takes the GP away from the medical care of his or her patients. Most GPs have a very heavy workload – the majority work up to 70 hours a week – and paperwork takes up an increasing amount of their time, so many GPs find they have to take some paperwork home at night and weekends.

I only need the doctor’s signature – what is the problem?

When a doctor signs a certificate or completes a report, it is a condition of remaining on the Medical Register that they only sign what they know to be true. In order to complete even the simplest of forms, therefore, the doctor might have to check the patient’s entire medical record.

What will I be charged?

The BMA recommends that GPs tell patients in advance if they will be charged, and how much. It is up to the individual doctor to decide how much to charge, but the BMA produces lists of suggested fees which many doctors use. Surgeries often have lists of fees on the waiting room wall based on these suggested fees.

What can I do to help?

• Not all documents need signature by a doctor, for example passport applications are no longer completed for patients. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign such documents free of charge.
• If you have several forms requiring completion, present them all at once and ask your GP if he or she is prepared to complete them all at once as a ‘job lot’ at a reduced price.

Do not expect your GP to process forms overnight: urgent requests may mean that a doctor has to make special arrangements to process the form quickly, and this will cost more. 

Any private work can take up to 9 weeks to complete.

Some fee examples

Certificates/Claim Forms

Reports/Medical Examinations

Holiday and Travel Vaccines

All private prescriptions (Malaria, or just in case antibiotics) will incur an item prescription cost of £22.00 (plus the cost of the tablets at the pharmacy).

Typhoid, Hepatitis A and Tetnus are Free