We are committed to giving you the best possible service and take our responsibilities towards our patients very seriously. The following is a list of what you can expect from all doctors and staff at Benchill Medical practice.

• We will treat you with courtesy and respect at all times and we will make every endeavour to meet your reasonable request.
• We will respect your privacy and dignity at all times.
• Everyone working in the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.
• People involved in your care will give you their name and ensure that you know how to contact them. The surgery is well sign posted and the doctors’ names indicated beside their surgery doors.
• We run an appointment system in this practice. You will be given a time at which the doctor or nurse expects to be able to see you. You should not wait more than 30 minutes in the waiting room without being given an explanation for the delay.
• You will be given accurate information and answers to questions about your health and in particular:
  • Any illness and its treatment
  • Possible side effectso Prevention and avoidance of illness recurring
  • Details of proposed investigations
• You have the right to see your medical records subject to the limitations of law (Data Protection Act 1998 and Access to Health Records Act 1990).
• If we fail to meet your expectations please let us know without delay in a positive and constructive manner.

Access to Health Records

Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018, patients are entitled to request full copies of their medical records. This is commonly known as a Subject Access Request (SAR).

Whilst this service is usually free of charge, the surgery reserves the right to charge a reasonable fee for a SAR if the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

Everyone who works for the NHS or anyone receiving information from us has a legal duty to keep patient related information strictly confidential. You may be receiving care from other agencies as well as the NHS, such as the Social Services.

To give you the best care we may need to share some information about you. We will only pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. In such cases only relevant information will be given.

We will not disclose any information to third parties without your express permission, unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as when the health and safety of others is at risk.

We are required by law to report certain information to the appropriate authorities. Occasions when we are obliged to pass on information include:

The law strictly controls the sharing of some types of very sensitive personal information by means of:

• Data Protection Act 1998
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Computer Misuse Act 1990
• Caldicott Guidelines for the NHS

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Benchill Medical Centre in the 2023/24 financial year was £73,201 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 2 full time GPs and 8 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than 6 months.’