St Mary’s Surgery Policy on Private Capacity Assessments

At St Mary’s Surgery, we are dedicated to supporting patients in making informed decisions about their health. We regularly assess mental capacity in relation to medical treatment, in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). This Act plays a crucial role in safeguarding the rights and autonomy of individuals, ensuring their ability to make decisions whenever possible, and protecting them when they are unable to do so.

Mental capacity assessments are always decision-specific. GPs at St Mary’s Surgery are well-trained to assess capacity within the context of day to day primary care healthcare decisions, such as consent to treatment, referrals and future care planning.

However, assessments beyond this, such as those related to testamentary capacity (e.g., creating a Will) or Lasting Powers of Attorney for either health or finance, often require a different set of skills and expertise. For these matters, it is important for the individual, their family, or representatives to seek the most appropriate and experienced professional, such as a psychiatrist or solicitor. If you are looking for assistance with this type of assessment we advise consulting with a specialist in this area to ensure the best outcome and avoid potential challenges

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Staff training is important to us. We regularly review our staff to ensure they have the right qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience to do their jobs.

We also cover mandatory training for all staff including basic life support, infection control, fire safety, and safeguarding. For our clinical staff, we offer specific training appropriate to their role, including immunisation, cervical smear and long-term conditions updates.

Every couple of months, the surgery closes for whole practice training. These afternoons enable all our staff to be brought up-to-date on all they need to know – for the benefit of our patients.

You can find details of the dates, throughout the year, that we are closed for training on our home page.

When the surgery is closed, please call 111 if you have a medical concern. Call 999 in a true emergency situation.

Updated: 20.9.22

It is important that personal details on medical records are kept up-to-date. If you have changed your name, address, phone number or marital status, please do let the surgery know as soon as possible, so your records can be accurately maintained.

If your name has changed due to marriage or by Deed Poll, please provide a copy of the relevant documentation to be added to your records.

If you have changed address, please check if you are still within our practice area boundary.

You can also update your next of kin, carer details or responsibilities, and other changes, such as Power of Attorney details, too. We will happily record these changes to your medical record.

If you have online access to your record – via SystmOnline or the NHS App – you can update your personal details yourself, otherwise please contact the surgery.

If you move away from our practice boundary area, you have 30 days to register with a new GP practice before we deduct your medical records.

Updated: 18.11.21

It is important that we know if you are a carer so that we can make sure you receive information, services and the help that is available. Please contact our Patient Services Team to find out how the surgery can support you in your carer role.

Find out more about further help and support available to you if you are a carer.

Please note – COVID vaccines and carers: 

The current government regulations regarding carers receiving the COVID vaccination defines carers as ‘those who are eligible for carer’s allowance, or those who are the sole or primary carer of an elderly or disabled person who is at increased risk of COVID mortality and therefore clinically vulnerable’.

To ensure your records are coded as a ‘carer’ we need the following information:

• Are you a paid carer and if so who employs you?
• Do you receive the carer’s allowance?
• Who do you care for?
• Are you the sole or primary carer of an elderly or disabled person?
• Are they registered at the surgery and have they given you permission to contact us on their behalf?
• If you became unwell would the person you care for need outside support?

If you do not fit these criteria then we are unable to code you as a carer on our medical records system.

Updated: 3.3.21

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends St Mary’s Surgery, and welcome comments and feedback to help improve the services we provide.

We would like to hear from you if you have a suggestion on how we can do things better and improve patients’ experiences. We would also like to hear from you if you are pleased with the care and service you have received from the surgery. We will let staff involved know and share the good practice across our teams.

Updated 25.2.21

Here at St Mary’s Surgery your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will generally not give you a prescription for medication that is available to buy over-the-counter (OTC) from local pharmacies or supermarkets.

This covers medicines or treatments for a range of minor health conditions including cough and cold treatments, eye drops, headache tablets, laxatives, sun cream lotions, vitamins and probiotics. All these medicines are widely available from supermarkets and pharmacies at reasonable cost.

Patients are encouraged to keep a small supply of simple treatments in their own medicine cabinet so they are able to manage minor ailments at home.

By reducing the amount it spends on OTC medicines, the NHS can give priority to treatments for people with more serious conditions, such as cancer, diabetes and mental health problems.

Updated 25.2.21

This policy sets out the St Mary’s Surgery provision to ensure that patients are afforded privacy and dignity, and are treated respectfully, in all appropriate circumstances where there is the potential for embarrassment or for the patient to feel ‘ill at ease’.

The requirement to respect patients is the responsibility of all staff, not just those in direct clinical contact with the patient.

View our full patient dignity policy.

Your data matters to the NHS. Information about your health and care can be used to help improve not only your individual care, but can help speed up diagnoses, plan local and regional health services and research new treatments.

The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.

You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used. On 25 May 2018, the national data opt-out programme was introduced, enabling patients to opt-out from the use of their data for research or planning purposes.

Find out how you can opt-out.

Or find out more about how your information is used.

Updated 19.2.21

St Mary’s Surgery fully supports the NHS Zero Tolerance Policy. The aim of this policy is to tackle the increasing problem of violence against staff working in the NHS. We aim to treat our patients courteously at all times and expect our patients to treat our staff in a similarly respectful way.

St Mary’s Surgery staff have the right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused and we have a zero tolerance policy to any threatening, abusive or violent behaviour against any of our staff or patients.

Patients using threatening or violent behaviour to GPs or any other person on the practice premises may be removed from the patient list with immediate effect.

Updated 15.9.22