Policies and Terms & Conditions |  EyeCare Norfolk

Eyecare Norfolk: Health and Safety Policy

The health and safety of our staff and patients is fundamental to the Company and we recognise our responsibilities in regards to this.

Our health and safety policy will be reviewed and possibly revised in the light of experience, or because of operational or organisational changes and/or annually.

Our named health and safety lead with overall responsibility for health and safety is Julien Nelson.

A risk assessment is carried out to identify health and safety risks and action needed to remove/control any risks. The staff member responsible is noted as is the timetable for review.

The health and safety lead will:

• undertake consultation with employees on health and safety matters
• undertake supervision and training of new members of staff in health and safety matters
• identify when maintenance is needed, draw up maintenance procedures, reporting problems purchasing of new equipment
• ensure safe handling and use of substances (if applicable).

The Health and Safety Law Poster will be displayed or the equivalent leaflets will be issued.

Records of accidents will be kept by the health and safety lead and a member of staff will be trained in first aid.

Fire risk assessments and checks on escape routes, fire extinguishers, alarms and evacuation procedures will be carried out by the health and safety lead/fire officer.

NHS England maintains a Safety Alert Broadcast System (SABS).  The Company will ensure that any appropriate action has been taken in response to a SAB. For effectiveness, we will send an acknowledgement that the alert has been received and any appropriate action has been taken.

Prevention, segregation, handling, transport and disposal of waste will be managed so as to minimise the risks to the health and safety of staff and patients (please see the Company’s Environmental Management System for more information).

The Company will use the following Incident Response Plan for driving an appropriate learning experience to improve patient outcomes and overall health and safety: Click here to view the Full Health & Safety Policy

Data Handling Policy

We hold various pieces of information about you including your name and address, and clinical details such as the state of health of your eyes, your spectacle and/or contact lens prescription, and copies of any letters we have written about you or received from other professionals, such as your doctor.  You are entitled to a copy of this information although there may be an administrative charge for providing it. If you wish to see your records, please ask Ian Leach and we will respond as quickly as possible and in any case are required to do so within 40 days.  If you require independent advice, contact the Information Commissioners Office atwww.ico.gov.uk.

We adhere to the guidelines of the College of Optometrists and the Data Protection Act and will not pass any of your personal information to a third party without your consent unless there is a clear public interest duty to do so.  You will need to provide us with your consent if you wish us to pass your information to another optometrist.

If you are an NHS patient, we are obliged to provide the portion of your record that relates to NHS services to authorised persons within the NHS (who are in turn subject to a duty of confidentiality) if they request this. This is usually to confirm that we have provided the NHS services that we have been paid for, and to improve quality of care. It is also possible that the NHS may contact you to ask if you have received services (such as a sight test or spectacles) as part of this monitoring.

Within the practice we may use the information to analyse trends, or to audit our performance. This enables us to monitor and improve the quality of care that we offer you. Wherever possible (i.e. if we do not need to know who an individual patient is) we will only analyse trends from anonymised information.

If you have any queries about this please contact us and we will be happy to help.

Eyecare Norfolk Complaints Policy

Eyecare Norfolk will endeavour to deliver a service whereby the likelihood of complaints being made is very low.  However, if complaints do occur, Eyecare Norfolk is well placed to address these and implement lessons learned in order to improve the quality of our service provision, in the interests of patients.

This review/analysis mechanism allows Eyecare Norfolk to identify areas for improvement. Central to Eyecare Norfolk’s complaints policy is an emphasis on transparency for all parties.

Eyecare Norfolk adheres to the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 and all local requirements on complaints management.

For the purpose of this policy, a complaint is not a complaint, if it is made orally and is resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction within 24 hours.  A complaint may not refer to a failure to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. Nor may a complaint relate to a subject which has already been dealt with as a complaint and been resolved.

A complaint may be made orally, in writing or electronically.  If it is made orally, a written record will be made of the complaint if 24 hours have elapsed since the complaint was made and if the complaint has not been resolved.  A copy of the written record will be provided to the complainant.

Eyecare Norfolk will make information available to the general public about their arrangements for dealing with complaints about NHS services.

Our named complaints manager with overall responsibility for complaints management Julien Nelson.

The complaints manager will ensure:

• Complaints are dealt with efficiently and are properly investigated.
• Complainants are treated courteously, fairly, expeditiously, appropriately and are informed of the outcome of the investigation of their complaint.
• Action is taken in the light of the outcome of the investigation if any is necessary.

Complaints are reported to the commissioner as required by the contract.

A service improvement plan is produced and implemented where appropriate, in accordance with Eyecare Norfolk’s Quality and Continuous Improvement Policy.

The Company’s Procedure for Managing Complaints

1. All complaints will be acknowledged by the complaints manager within 3 working days.
2. When acknowledging receipt of a complaint, the complaints manager will offer to discuss with the complainant how and when he/she intends to investigate and resolve the complaint.  If the complainant refuses this offer, the complaints manager will advise the complainant in writing how long it is likely to take him to respond concerning the substance of the complaint (the ‘response period’).
3. The complaints manager will endeavour to keep the complainant informed of the progress of the investigation.  As soon as possible after completing the investigation, the complaints manager will advise the complainant in writing how he has considered the complaint and what he proposes to do to resolve the complaint and any consequent action.  This will be done within 10 working days where possible. He will also inform the complainant of their right to pursue the complaint with the Health Service Commissioner (the ‘health ombudsman’).
4. The Company will endeavour to resolve the complaint within six months after receiving the complaint or, if it cannot be resolved, the complaints manager will tell the complainant why they have not managed to do so.
5. The Company will make information available to the general public about their arrangements for dealing with complaints about NHS services.
6. The Company will keep a record of each complaint received, the subject matter and outcome of each complaint, each response period where applicable, and, in the cases of a response period being applicable, whether the complainant was informed of the outcome of the investigation.

The Company will report complaints to the commissioner as per the terms of the contract for the service.  This information will also be used within annual reports from the board.

In situations where a complaint develops into a serious incident - particularly when a patient becomes harmed or otherwise deemed at risk - the Company’s serious incident policy will be activated.

 The Company’s Complaints Policy will be reviewed annually with commencement date 21 August 2017.

Freedom of Information Act (FOI): Model Publication Scheme

This document complies with the requirements of the Information Commissioner’s Model Publication Scheme for Eyecare Norfolk in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and fulfils the obligations on opticians’ practices under the Act.

Introduction

This is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by Eyecare Norfolk.  It is a description of the information about our NHS services that we make publicly available.  It will be reviewed at regular intervals.

How the information is made available?

The information within each Class is available in hard copy from:

This guide information

We will publish any changes we make to this guide or relevant information.  We will also publish any proposed changes or additions to publications already available.

Cost of Information

For the most part, we will only charge for hard copies, or copies onto media.  Charges are as follows and will be reviewed regularly.

• Accessed from our website – free of charge
• Single hard copies – free of charge
• As the Freedom of Information Act applies to the provision of information, a request for multiple hard copies does not fall within the provisions of the Act and will attract a charge for retrieval, photocopying and postage.  We will inform you of the cost of these charges that will have to be paid in advance.
• E-mail will be free of charge.

Your Rights to Information

• The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is designed to promote openness and accountability amongst all organisations that receive public money.
• Like all NHS contractors, since 1 January 2005 there has been a FOI obligation on optical practices to respond to requests about the NHS related information that they hold, and a right of access to that information has been established in law.
• These rights are subject to exemptions (see below) that have to be taken into consideration before releasing information.
• In addition to accessing the information identified in this guide, you are entitled to request information about our NHS services under the NHS Openness Code 1995.
• 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 any practice where your records are held to do this.

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:

Classes of Information

All NHS information at Eyecare Norfolk is held, retained and destroyed within NHS guidelines.  Our commitment to publish information excludes any information that can be legitimately withheld under the exemptions set out in the NHS Openness Code or Freedom of Information Act 2000, the main reasons being the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998.  This scheme has been written in accordance with those exemptions.  The information on this Scheme is grouped into the following categories:

1) Who we are and what we do

• Eyecare Norfolk Ltd
• Hunstanton Eyecare and Cromer Eyecare 01485 532326  or01263 512345
• Details of the opticians and optometrists employed in our practices (stores) can be obtained by contacting that practice directly or viewing the websites.
• Alternatively, details of all opticians and optometrists registered in the UK are available from the General Optical Council Tel: 0207 580 3898.
• Company Registration number 4591464

 2) Financial and funding information: what we spend and how we spend it

For every sight test performed on behalf of the NHS the practice receives a set fee, which is fixed nationally. Enhanced services to be added on behalf of the NHS: The fees paid by the NHS for each service are available from the practice on request. They include a contribution towards optometrists’ and staff salaries, equipment costs and other practice overheads. Information in this class will be published only where it is unlikely adversely to affect the commercial position of the firm or practice

3)  Our Priorities

To provide our patients with high quality eye care

4)  Decision Making

Any decisions made about the provision of NHS-funded services will be reflected in the services we provide and in the contract(s) held with the NHS England and North Norfolk CCG.

5) Our policies and procedures

• Complaints
• Data protection
• Health and safety

They are available on request from

Complaints

If you have a complaint about any of our products or services, please do discuss any problems with the manager at the Eyecare Norfolk concerned in the first instance. We find that most issues can be put right at this stage.

If the matter cannot be resolved in this way or you are unsatisfied with the response you receive please contact Julien Nelson on 01485532326 or 01263 512345. If the complaint is about Julien Nelson please write in confidence to Mr Ian Leach 44 Church Street Hunstanton Norfolk PE36 5HD.

 A full copy of our complaints policy is available on request or on our website.

6)  Lists and Registers

We don’t keep lists and registers. Our patient records are confidential.

7) The Services We Offer

All Eyecare Norfolk practice(s)) provide NHS-funded sight tests for those who are eligible.  Patients may also be entitled to NHS vouchers that can be used against the purchase of spectacles or contact lenses as required. To find out if you are eligible for this assistance please follow this link http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Pages/nhs-voucher-values.aspx

The practice also provides the following NHS-funded enhanced services North Norfolk CCG

 Appointments for sight tests can be booked over the phone, or by dropping into the practice/one of our practices.  To find the address or phone number of your local practice, please.

Opening times are but can vary between locations, so please call to confirm.

Regular publications and information for the public

Information about optical and ocular conditions, sight tests, spectacles, and contact lenses, can be found on www.cromereyecare.co.uk  or www.hunstantoneyecare.co.uk

Some of this information is also available in patient leaflets.  These are freely available from all our practice(s).  To request a set of leaflets by post, please write to:

Useful Resources

Websites:

• Information Commissioner www.ico.gov.uk
• Ministry of Justice http://www.justice.gov.uk/whatwedo/freedomofinformation.htm

Publications:

• NHS Openness Code www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexec/codemain.htm
• Freedom of Information Act 2000 www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000036.htm

21 August 2017 Copyright:

Material available through this publication scheme is 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 on FOI publication schemes see www.hmso.gov.uk/guides.htm.

Social Media Terms and Conditions

The promoter Eyecare Norfolk Ltd (company no. 4591464.) whose registered office is at 44 Church Street Hunstanton Norfolk PE36 5HD

The competition is open to residents of the United Kingdom aged 18 years or over except employees of Eyecare Norfolk Ltd and their close relatives and anyone otherwise connected with the organization or judging of the competition.

There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.

By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via www.cromereyecare.co.uk and www.hunstantoneyecare.co.uk and via Facebook notes on Cromer and Hunstanton Eyecare.

Only one entry will be accepted per person. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified.

Closing date for entry will be …………………………... After this date the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.

No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.

The rules of the competition and how to enter are as follows:

10. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.

11. The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.

12. The prize is as follows:

The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.

13. Winners will be chosen:

At random via a draw by an independent adjudicator appointed by the promoter or at random by software from all entries received

14. The winner will be notified by Facebook Phone or Text or letter within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.

15. The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected / is delivered.

16. The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

17. By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

18. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by [English] law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of [England].

19. The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current [UK] data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.

20. The winner’s name will be available 28 days after closing date by emailing the following address: julieneyecare@gmail.com

21. Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

22. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. You are providing your information to Eyecare Norfolk Ltd and not to any other party.

Eyecare Norfolk Ltd.’s decision as to those able to take part and selection of winners is final. No correspondence relating to the competition will be entered into.

Eyecare Norfolk Ltd shall have the right, at its sole discretion and at any time, to change or modify these terms and conditions, such change shall be effective immediately upon posting to this webpage.

Eyecare Norfolk Ltd also reserves the right to cancel the competition if circumstances arise outside of its control.