Do you look after someone?  You are a carer if you provide help or support to a partner, parent, son, daughter, any other relative, friend or neighbour who, due to disability, frailty, illness and/or vulnerability, cannot manage in the community without another’s help.

Carers can be any age and need not necessarily live in the same house as the person they care for.  They may be in receipt of a carer’s allowance/premium or undertake caring without payment.  A significant proportion of carers remain hidden, unaware of their entitlement to services, support and benefits.

This practice is actively identifying carers and encouraging them to get the support they need.  If you would like a carers information pack for yourself or someone you know, these are displayed at reception and are available for you to take.  Alternatively you may wish to contact CARERS LEEDS on 0113 246 8338 who offer a confidential information, support and advice service to carers.

For intimate examinations the Doctor or patient may prefer that a chaperone is present. If a suitable chaperone is not available an alternative appointment will be offered.

We hold your patient records in the strictest confidence, regardless of whether they are electronic or on paper. We take all reasonable precautions to prevent unauthorised actions to your records, however they are stored. Any information that may identify you is only shared with the practice team, or, if you are referred to hospital , to the clinician who will be treating you. We will only share information about you with anyone else if you give your permission in writing.

At the Garforth Surgery, there is a lift to allow patients to access services on the first floor. A disabled patients’ WC is provided in the front entrance. The services at Garforth can also be accessed by our Barwick patients as there is minimal disabled access at the branch surgery.

Information about the General Practitioners and the Practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the Practice Manager.

NHS England requires that the net earnings of doctors engaged in the practice are publicised, and the required disclosure is shown below. However, it should be noted that the prescribed method for 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 to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

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 at Garforth Medical Practice in the 2014/2015 financial year was £65,529 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 3 full-time GPs and 8 part-time GPs who worked at the practice for more than six months within the year.

We hold your medical record so that we can provide you with safe care and treatment.

We will also use your information so that this practice can check and review the quality of the care we provide. This helps us to improve our services to you.

• We will share relevant information from your medical record with other health or social care staff or organisations when they provide you with care. For example, when they refer you to a specialist in a hospital. Or your prescription to your chosen pharmacy.
• Healthcare staff working in A&E and out of hours care will also have access to your information. For example, it is important that staff who are treating you in an emergency know if you have any allergic reactions. This will involve the use of your Summary Care Record or locally Leeds Care record.   For more information see our privacy notice on our practice website.
• You have the right to object to information being shared for your own care. Please speak to the practice if you wish to object. You also have the right to have any factual mistakes or errors corrected.

Some services require that information be shared with other healthcare agencies such as hospital trusts, primary care trusts, social services, community nurses etc (the list is not exhaustive).

Whilst it is vital for the proper care of individuals that those concerned with that care have ready access to the information they need, it is also important that service users and their carers can trust that personal information will be kept confidential and that their privacy is respected.

Although it is neither practicable nor necessary to seek an individual’s consent each time that information needs to be shared or passed on for a particular purpose, this is contingent on individuals having been fully informed of the uses to which information about them may be put. All agencies concerned with the care of the individual should satisfy themselves that this requirement is met.

Clarity about the purpose to which personal information is to be put is essential and only the minimum identifiable information necessary to satisfy that purpose should be made available.Access to personal information should be on a need to know basis.This practice has a protocol for such information sharing.

The practice is part of Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group.

This Practice operates a zero tolerance policy towards harassment and abuse of staff or patients, which includes (but is not limited to ) homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, ageism or harassment or abuse on basis of disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief. Violence and/or abuse will not be tolerated under any circumstances and may result in removal from the patient list.  The full policy is displayed in the waiting area at all sites.

We produce a practice newsletter for patients, which is distributed in the waiting areas. Please inform reception if there are none available. Patient information and notices can also be found on this website here.

Practice Responsibilities

You can expect to be treated with courtesy by everyone working at the practice.Confidentiality is guaranteed at all times.You have a right to information and are encouraged to ask questions about your health.Advice on self-help for minor illness is available from the nurse. If you are too ill to attend and need to see a doctor you can expect a home visit. Please ring before 11.00am except in an emergency.You are entitled to complain to the practice manager who will either see you or will reply to written complaints as soon as possible.

Patients’ Responsibilities

You have a responsibility to be courteous to practice staff.You should keep the appointments you have made or you should give reasonable notice if you wish to cancel them.Please be on time.Please refrain from asking for extra people to be seen on an appointment.You alone are responsible for the healthiness of your lifestyle.

Patients Complaint Form

Download our full Privacy Notice (pdf)

The practice is part of the above GP federation. This is a company that has been formed by 30 GP practices in South and East Leeds covering 220,000 patients. This is a limited company that is non-profit and the only shareholders are the GP practices.

Please note that in the interests of all parties all calls will be recorded.