• What a Publication Scheme is

This combined Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely published by Dr P J Robinson and Partners. It is a description of the information about our General Practitioners and Practice which we make publicly available. We shall review the Scheme at regular intervals and monitor how it is operating.
It is important to us that this Scheme meets your needs and we have designed it to be a route map so that you can find information about Dr Robinson and Partners easily.
Unless stated otherwise, the information is available free of charge. The Scheme states how the information can be obtained.

• Your rights in relation to Freedom of Information, the Data Protection Act and the NHS Openness Code

In addition to accessing the information identified in this combined Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about Dr P J Robinson and Partners under the NHS Openness Code 1995. A link to this is available in Part 3. Hard copies are available free of charge from the Department of Health.
Sometimes, some or all of the information cannot be provided and we will explain the reasons why not when this happens, such as when the information is of a sensitive, personal or confidential nature.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact your doctor to do this.

•  Feedback

We welcome suggestions about how the publications themselves might be improved.
Any questions, comments or complaints about this Scheme should be sent in writing to the Practice Manager (Pam Saltmer) at  Dr Robinson and Partners.
If you have a complaint about the operation of the combined Publication Scheme, or how we have dealt with your request for information from the Scheme, please write to the Practice Manager at Dr Robinson and Partners. If you feel that we have not dealt with your complaint adequately, you may take the complaint further to the Information Commissioner. Details of how to do this are available from the Practice Manager at Dr Robinson and Partners, West Ayton Surgery, 53 Pickering Road, West Ayton, Scarborough YO13 9JF. Tel: 01723 863100.
  
PART 2: THE CLASSES OF INFORMATION
 
All information at the surgeries of Dr Robinson and Partners is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS guidelines. The information on this Scheme is grouped in to the following broad categories:

• The NHS and how we fit in
• Who we are
• Our Services
• How we spend public money
• Complaints
• Regular Publications and Information for the Public
• This Publication Scheme

In selecting information which is to be included in each class, we will have to take into account that some of the material included in the contents may have to be exempted from disclosure under the NHS Openness Code or the Freedom of Information Act. This means that sometimes not all of the material can be made available for publication or the material may be edited.

1. The NHS and how we fit in
   The NHS Plan explains how the NHS is changing and sets out how all the different parts function and work together. A copy is available on the Department of Health web site; the address is at Part 3 of this Scheme.
   The practice aims to follow NICE and National Service Framework guidelines. These can also be found on the Department of Health web site.
   The NHS is a very large part of the public sector. A full list of local General Practices can be found on the NHS North Yorkshire and York web site (www.nyypct.nhs.uk) Dr Robinson and Partners  provides general medical services for the geographical area shown on the practice leaflet, copies of which are available from both West Ayton and Snainton Surgeries.
   A full list of our services appears in our practice leaflet.
   
2. Who we are  
   Details of the General Practice organisational structure and key personnel are outlined in our practice leaflet, available free of charge from the reception desk at both West Ayton and Snainton Surgeries.
   This includes the full name of each Partner and other doctors and whether they are full or part time, senior managers and senior health professionals employed by the practice e.g. practice Nurses, The practice leaflet also contains information about staff employed by NHS North Yorkshire and York but attached to the practice. For fuller details of these staff please consult the PCT’s Publication Scheme.
   This practice adheres to the national General Medical Services contract and the Partners are independent contractors who have an individual contract with NHS North Yorkshire and York to provide primary care services for registered patients of the practice.
   Some information will be withheld, including personal, confidential information about individuals which is protected by the Data Protection Act.
   
3. Our Services
   Our services are outlined in the practice leaflet, available from the reception at both West Ayton and Snainton Surgeries. This explains the range of services that we provide ourselves or together with staff from other agencies.
   Some services may involve Information-sharing (e.g. child protection conferences) with other agencies, and our policy on data protection and the protocols we have agreed with other agencies about information sharing arrangements are available at Reception at both West Ayton and Snainton Surgeries free of charge.
   Practice Premises and Hours of opening are set out in the practice leaflet; we have four surgeries at West Ayton, Snainton, Thornton Dale and Seamer. For West Ayton and Seamer Telephone: 01723 863100 and for Snainton and Thornton Dale Telephone: 01723 859302.
   The practice leaflet explains our arrangements for out of hours cover and emergencies.
   The partners consult in English; interpreters can be arranged and need to be booked in advance via the Primary Care Trust or by contacting Reception.
   All doctors can be consulted about any problem that lies within the practice remit. For particular problems you may be advised to see a particular doctor after the initial consultation.
   There are no doctors with General Practice Special Interest sessions at this Practice.
   
4. How we spend public money
   This Class sets out how we obtain our NHS funding.
   We are funded under the ‘New GP Contract’ and we receive our funding from NHS North Yorkshire and York in exchange for NHS General Medical Services to patients within the practice area.
   Information on the funding for this practice is available from NHS North Yorkshire and York.
   There may be circumstances where material cannot be released because it is confidential or commercial information or the appropriate officer designated for these purposes under the Act has taken the view that it may be prejudicial to the conduct of the Practice’s affairs.
   
5. Complaints  
   A copy of the complaints policy for our practice is available at Reception at both West Ayton and Snainton Surgeries. The Practice Manager (Pam Saltmer) is the person to whom a complaint should be made in the first instance.
   
6. Regular Publications and Information for the Public
   Our policies: Privacy and Confidentiality of Medical Records, Child Abuse Policy, Zero Tolerance to Violence and Aggression and removal of patients from the practice list are available from Reception at both West Ayton and Snainton Surgeries.
   Information leaflets relating to the clinical services and health services that we provide for patients and the public, and our range of regular publications are freely available at the surgeries, in the Reception areas.
   Some of this information is of a personal and confidential nature and will be excluded as will any other confidential material. Material relating to the health and safety of specific individuals, as to law enforcement or criminal or regulatory enforcement issues may also be excluded from publication. There may be circumstances where material cannot be released because the appropriate officer designated for these purposes under the Act has taken the view that it may be prejudicial to the conduct of public affairs.
   
7. This Publication Scheme
   The Freedom of Information Act does not change the right of patients to protection of their patient confidentiality in accordance with Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, the Data Protection Act and at common law. Maintaining the right to patient confidentiality continues to be an important commitment on our part. To help with this, the Primary Care Trust has appointed someone who is called a Caldicott Guardian, and who has responsibility to ensure the protection of patient confidentiality.
   The Caldicott Guardian responsible for Dr Robinson and Partners practice is:
   Jim Isherwood (in post until 31.3.12) who can be contacted on 01904 694785. After 31.3.12 the Caldicott Guardian for NHS North Yorkshire and York will be Dr David Geddes.
   The Caldicott Guardian oversees the governance of access to patient identifiable information for all the General Practices in the NHS North Yorkshire and York.
   
   Under Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (there is a link to the Act in Part Three below), each General Practice has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme for the publication of the information held. The purpose of the Act is to promote greater openness by public authorities which includes General Practitioners. From 2005 it will also oblige the General Practice to respond to requests about the information which they hold and is recorded in any form and it will create a right of access to that information. These rights are subject to some exemptions which the General Practice has to take into account before deciding what information can be released. This combined Publication Scheme will help you to find all the information which the General Practitioners from Dr P J Robinson and Partners publish.
    
   This combined Publication Scheme aims to make as much information about
   the practice of Dr P J Robinson and Partners available as possible and on a continuous basis. We will continue to add to the information here proactively and regularly.
   Whenever we make any changes to any of the information above, we will ensure that the Publication Scheme reflects these changes.

PART THREE:
Useful Resources
Web sites:
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
www.direct.gov.uk/en/governmentcitizensandrights
www.cfoi.org.uk/pdf/foi_guide.pdf
www.nyypct.nhs.uk
  
Publications
NHS Openness Code
FOI Act 2000
Code of Practice under Section 45 FOI Act 2000
Code of Practice under Section 46 FOI Act 2000
  
Copyright
Material available through this Publication Scheme is subject to the General Practice’s 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 which 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