Freedom of Information

Welcome to The Thatcham Medical Practice’s Publication Scheme. This is a guide to the General Practitioners’ (who practice together) within the partnership Publication Scheme as required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Introduction

This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by The General Practitioners working at The Thatcham Medical Practice. It is a description of the information about our General Practitioners and Practice that we make publicly available. It will be reviewed at regular intervals and we will monitor its effectiveness.

How much does it cost?

The publications are all free unless otherwise indicated within each Class. (Where information is provided at a cost the charges will be calculated as set out in each class).

How is the information made available?

The information within each Class is available in hard copy from the Practice Manager as indicated for each class of information, or can be downloaded from our Practice Website.

Your rights to information

  • In addition to accessing the information identified in the Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about The Thatcham Medical Practice under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
  • 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.
  • General Practice is obliged to respond to requests about information that it holds, and is recorded in any format. Rights of access are subject to some exemptions that have to be taken into consideration before deciding what information it can release.
  • Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and Data Protection Act 2018, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact The Practice Manager at Thatcham Medical Practice to do so.

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:

The Practice Manager

Thatcham Medical Practice
The Health Centre
Bath Road
Thatcham
Berkshire RG18 3HD

CLASSES OF INFORMATION

All information at Thatcham Medical Practice is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS guidelines. Our commitment to publish information excludes any information that can be legitimately withheld under the exemptions set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Where individual Classes are subject to exemptions, the main reasons are e.g. the protection of commercial interests and personal information (data) under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and Data Protection Act 2018. This applies to all Classes within the Publication Scheme. The information on this Scheme is grouped into the following broad categories:

1. Class 1 Information:

Details of the practice, organisational structures, key personnel and how we fit into the NHS.

Who we are:

Thatcham Medical Practice
The Health Centre
Bath Road
Thatcham
Berkshire RG18 3HD

The Practice forms part of the Newbury & District Commissioning Consortia Group (NDCCG) and provides services for patients living north of Lower Way Thatcham town and surrounding rural areas. It supplies services in accordance with a GMS Contract.

Key Personnel:

Dr Richard Rudgley

Dr Rachel Sylvester (Caldicott Guardian)

Dr Serena Pongratz

Dr Michael Foulkes

Dr Heike Veldtman

Dr Sarah Wadsworth

Dr Elizabeth Mottram

Dr Tanya Marfina

The Partners are supported by a team of staff managed by Linda Lawson, Practice Manager.

Further information regarding details of our opening hours, personnel and services can be found within the following documents:

Practice Booklet

Description: A booklet that explains the practice structure and the services we offer.
Availability: Available from Reception.
Cost: None.
Notes: None.

2. Class 2 Information

The range of services we provide under contract to the NHS:

General Medical Services Contract
Description: Information of the services provided by the Practice under contract to the NHS.
Availability: Available for Inspection.
Cost: £30
Notes: None.

Practice Booklet / Patient Information Area
Description: Information relating to the clinics / services we offer.
Availability: Available from reception and via www.thatchammedicalpractice.co.uk.
Cost: None.
Notes: None.

3. Financial and funding information

Funding details and charging policies:

General Medical Services Contract
Description: Information relating to the service and financial contract between Thatcham Medical Practice and NHS England.
Availability: Available for Inspection.
Cost: £30
Notes: None.

4. Class 4 Information:

Regular publications and information for the public:

Patient Information Leaflets
Description: There is a wide range of patient information available in leaflet format on display in the Patient Information Area located in the Waiting Area.
Availability: Freely available.
Cost: None.
Notes: None unless otherwise specified.

5. Class 5 Information:

Policies, procedures and contacts for Complaints:

Practice Booklet
Description: Information relating to our Complaints Procedure is detailed within our Practice Booklet and on the Complaints Procedure page.
Availability: Available from Reception.
Cost: None.
Notes: None.

Patient Information Area
Description: Information informing patients of the Practices aims and objective relating to complaints.
Availability: Available from Reception.
Cost: None.
Notes: None.

6. Class 6 Information:

Our policies and procedures

Recruitment, Training & Health and Safety Policies
Description: Information detailing our recruitment, training, and health and safety policies.
Availability: A copy is available from our Practice Manager.
Cost: £5.00 for copy of each policy.
Notes: None unless otherwise specified.

7. This Publication Scheme

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 enquiries regarding information management generally in the Trust. We will also publish any proposed changes or additions to publications already available.

Cost of Information

For the most part, we will charge you only for hard copies or copying onto media (e.g. CD ROM). Some information is available free, but for others there may be a charge. The charges will vary according to how information is made available. Charges are as follows:

a) Via the Thatcham Medical Practice Web Site

(www.thatchammedicalpractice.co.uk.)

Free of charge, although any charges for Internet Service provider and personal printing costs would have to be met by the individual.

For those without Internet access, a single print-out as on the website would be available by post from The Practice Manager, Thatcham Medical Practice, The Health Centre, Bath Road, Thatcham, RG18 3HD or by personal application at Thatcham Medical Practice.

However, requests for multiple printouts, or for archived copies of documents that are no longer accessible or available on the web, may 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. We will not provide printouts of other organisation’s websites.

b) Leaflets and brochures

Free of charge for leaflets or booklets on, for example, services we offer to the public, details of which are contained within this Publication Scheme.

c) “Glossy” or other bound paper copies, or in some cases a CD Rom, video or other mediums

These will attract a charge. Details available from The Practice Manager.

d) E-mail

Free of charge unless it says otherwise.

The charges will be reviewed regularly.

Useful Resources

Web sites:

https://ico.org.uk/
This is the web site of the Information Commissioner

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
This is the web site of the Ministry of Justice

https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/contact-us/freedom-of-information
This is the NHS Freedom of Information web site

Publications

Copyright

Material available through this Publication Scheme is subject to Thatcham Medical Practice 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 that 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

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 – PUBLICATION SCHEME

Thatcham Medical Practice

Declaration Form

Name of Public Authority: Thatcham Medical Practice
The Health Centre
Bath Road
Thatcham
Berkshire
RG18 3HD

has adopted the NHS Freedom of Information Project Board Model Publication Scheme for General Practitioners produced in accordance with Section 20 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will publish information in accordance with that scheme.

Signature:

Position: Practice Manager

Date: 1st May 2013

The contact details for the person / official who will be responsible for maintaining the Publication Scheme and who should be contacted if any issues arise concerning the organisation’s compliance with the Freedom of Information Act is:

Name: Linda Lawson

Position: Practice Manager

Address: Thatcham Medical Practice

The Health Centre
Bath Road
Thatcham
Berkshire
RG18 3HD

Telephone: 01635 867171