The average pay for GPs working in the practice of Probert Road Surgery in the last financial year was £127,500 before tax and National Insurance.

We will register you with a GP, and you do have a right to request to see a GP of your choice.

All patients aged over 75 years will have a named GP.

You can find out who your named GP is by asking at reception; this information is also shown on your repeat prescription form.

Dr Mittal’s has a number of patients who book their appointments, request repeat medication and can view certain parts of their medical records online.

Patient Access have now improved their system to allow parents and Carers to be authorised to all of the above-mentioned functions for children or the people they care for.

Any patient or Carer wishing to have proxy access will need to sign up to this service by completing a form available at the Practice Reception.

Since 2019 senior NHS doctors have had the opportunity to receive specialist training and spend some of their time working as Medical Examiners at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Alongside other specially trained staff, their job is to give independent advice into causes of deaths – except for deaths which have to be reviewed by a Coroner.

The Medical Examiners ensure that all deaths are reviewed by someone who is independent and who was not involved in the patient’s care. The Medical Examiner will work with the GP to ensure that the information contained on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), is correct and that referrals to the Coroner are made, if necessary, in a timely and appropriate manner to avoid delays.

Medical Examiners and their staff (usually called Medical Examiner Officers) offer families and carers an opportunity to raise questions or concerns about the cause of death of a loved one or about the care they received beforehand. This will usually be done over the phone and if required a meeting can be arranged.

A key role of the Medical Examiner is to make it easier for the bereaved to understand the wording on the Medical Certificate which explains the cause of death. Medical Examiners also look at the relevant medical records and discuss the causes of death with the doctor filling in the MCCD.

Coroners

Some deaths must be notified to the Coroner. When the Coroner starts an investigation, he or she will investigate the death independently – although the Medical Examiner may still provide expert medical advice to the Coroner.

Further information in relation to Coroners can be found on the Ministry of Justice website, as the government are responsible for the guidance. Alternatively, you can e-mail:coroners@justice.gov.uk

What questions will I be asked when the Medical Examiner’s Office contact me?

The Medical Examiner or their staff will explain what is written on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and what it means and will ask if you have any questions or concerns.

They will also discuss the Medical Examiner’s review and ask if there are any concerns or questions about the care the person received before their death. This is the best time for you to raise questions and speak about anything that concerns you.

You will have the opportunity to ask further questions, if you wish to do so. In instances, where the Medical Examiner will not be able to answer your questions immediately, the Medical Examiner will assist in seeking answers, as appropriate, and advise you about sources of additional support available.

Why am I being asked if I have any concerns?

A discussion with a Medical Examiner or their staff provides you with an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation and address any worries or concerns with someone who was not involved in providing care to the person who died.

It could be as simple as helping you to understand more about the treatment and cause/s of death or to understand the medical language used. There may be something about the care which you think did not feel right – this is an opportunity to ask questions.

The Medical Examiner will provide an independent view of causes of death and the care provided. Medical Examiners and their staff will discuss your thoughts, questions and concerns and if they find issues with care that need further investigation will refer these on.

As well as answering your questions, this can help us to provide better care for patients, their families and carers by recognising ways in which care can be improved in the future.

Can I nominate someone else to talk, if it’s too difficult for me?

Yes, the Medical Examiner or their staff may contact you to ask who you would like us to talk to instead or you can let the medical team know if you would rather appoint someone else as a first point of contact.

The Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer will usually contact you by phone, however, we can make other arrangements if you let us know.

What if I do not want to speak to the Medical Examiner or their staff or I do not want to tell them about my concerns?

Medical Examiners are independent, so we would like you to speak to them or their staff, if possible. They will help explain things to you and are specially trained to answer your questions.

However, we understand this is a difficult time for many people and so speaking to someone is completely your choice. If you are not sure, you can contact the Medical Examiner or their staff on: Telephone: 01902 445863 / 01902 444072
Email: rwh-tr.medicalexaminerservice@nhs.net

They can give you more information which will help you decide if you want to go ahead – they are specially trained to help people during difficult times and will be very understanding and supportive of your wishes.

If Medical Examiners find any potential issues, they will be able to raise these with people responsible for the care of the person who died or refer the issues on to someone who can investigate further.

Speaking with the Medical Examiner and Medical Examiner Officers can help improve the care provided by the NHS to other patients and carers in future.

What would happen if something was not right?

The Medical Examiner and Medical Examiner Officers are here to listen to your questions and concerns, provide answers if possible and, if necessary, pass them on to someone who can investigate further.

Medical Examiners will not investigate further themselves, as they must complete their work within set time limits for the death certification process.

Will funeral plans or release of the body take longer?

We make every effort to avoid any delays and work with families and carers to meet the legal requirements for registering deaths and therefore it is not anticipated that the funeral plans or release of the body will take longer.

What can I do if I have questions or concerns about the Medical Examiner process?

If you are not satisfied with the Medical Examiner’s advice, we suggest you discuss this with staff from the Medical Examiner’s office in the first instance. If you are still not satisfied, you can contact:

The GP Practice that the death certificate was issued from – Probert Road Surgery

Please address all concerns and complaints to;
The Practice Managers
Probert Road Surgery,
Probert Road,
Wolverhampton,
WV10 6UF.

Telephone 01902 444035
Email: bcicb.probertroadsurgery@nhs.net

How can I contact the Medical Examiner office?

You can contact the Medical Examiner office either by phone or email:

Telephone: 01902 445863 / 01902 444072
Email: rwh-tr.medicalexaminerservice@nhs.net

The opening hours are Monday – Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm

Access to Patient Information

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 provide the best possible care. We have a fully computerised medical record system which means information about your healthcare is held on a secure server, which is held at Wolverhampton City Clinical Commissioning Group (not at the practice).

You have the right to know what information we hold about you. The practice is registered and complies with the Data Protection Act 1998 (this changes to General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR, in May 2018). Any request for access to notes by a patient, patient’s representative or outside body will be dealt with in accordance with the Act. Please contact the Practice Manager for further information.

Subject Access Requests

Please enquire if you wish to see or obtain a copy of your medical records, under the new GDPR you do not have to apply in writing as before, although you will be asked for ID verification prior to accessing information. You can view your medical records online by using ‘Patient Access’ please enquire for further details.

If you are referred to a hospital specialist you are also welcome to request a copy of the referral letter. NHS Connecting for Health is currently developing the National Care Records Service, which will create a Summary Care Record (SCR) for each individual patient, to be held centrally. At this pilot stage the record is limited to current medication, known allergies and adverse reactions. Eventually the aim is to enable healthcare staff jointly involved in your care, such as your GP and your hospital consultant, to easily access and share information through this national record.

You have the right to withdraw your consent to information being shared or uploaded onto the national spine (Summary Care Record). If you wish to discuss this or opt out, or request an ‘opt out form’ please ask to see the practice managers, please ask at reception.

Consent– We will be contacting patients via our texting service to seek consent to contact you when appropriate. Please confirm your contact preferences details with us.

GDPR– The Practice is working towards compliance with new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) from 25.5.2018 and replaces The Data Protection Act 1998. The practice has appointed Dr Mittal as its Data Protection Officer, supported by the practice managers.

GDPR – Privacy Statement (see below)
This information explains what information is captured from the people visiting the website and explains how it is used and protected.

Data Protection Officer – The Practice has appointed PCDC to be its Data Protection Officer, as we are unable to provide this service ourselves, as a small practice. As a GP Practice we are a public authority and carry out certain processing activities. They assist with internal compliance, advise on Data Protection  obligations and  provide advise on Data Protection Impact Assessments. They act as a contact point for data subjects and the ICO – Information Commissioners Office.

PCDC, MBV Enterprise Centre, 6 David Lane, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG6 0JU
Tel: 0115 838 6770
www.pcdc.org.uk

If you wish to find out more about Information Governance, please contact the practice on wolccg.probertroadsurgery@nhs.net & mark your email  ‘for the attention of the practice managers’

As a patient you have the right to:

• Be registered with a named doctor
• Change doctor if desired (but please remember that you may have to see any of the doctors if your need is urgent)
• Receive emergency care
• Receive appropriate drugs and medicines
• Be referred for specialist or second opinion if they and GP agrees
• See your medical records or a copy, subject to certain laws
• Know that by law, everyone working for the NHS must keep the contents of your medical records private.

With these rights come responsibilities for the public. That means being:

• Courteous to staff at all times
• As prompt as possible for all appointments
• Responsible for cancelling appointments in adequate time.

Unattendance of pre-booked appointments

Known as DNA – did not attend. If a patient fails to attend a pre-booked appointment more than twice in 1 year, they will receive a letter from the practice informing them that if they persist, by continuing to waste appointments with their healthcare professional, which could be allocated to people in need of assistance, their registration with the Practice may be compromised. This is due to on going pressures on the NHS & GP Practices nationwide. We appreciate your assistance in this matter.

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 their behaviour. If they persist, we may exercise our right to take action to have them removed, immediately if necessary, from our list of patients. We have a zero tolerance policy towards violence and aggression.

This practice operates within the NHS Zero Tolerance Policy on violent or aggressive patients (and relatives).

We believe that everyone has a right to feel safe from violence or verbal abuse. Therefore we take any acts of violence, verbal aggression or intimidation very seriously.

Acts of violence will be reported to the police and patients involved will be removed from the practice list and banned from the premises.

Verbal aggression (including shouting & swearing)  may be treated in the same way as acts of violence. Otherwise a warning will be issued and if the behaviour is repeated, then the patient may be asked to leave the list.

All staff at the practice can report problems and this includes aggression or swearing over the phone.