Publication Scheme

BRYN DARLAND SURGERY FREEDOM OF INFORMATION – PUBLICATION STATEMENT

The ICO expects Bryn Darland Surgery to adopt its model publication scheme and commit to:

• Proactively publishing or otherwise making available, as a matter of routine, information, including environmental information, that is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.

• Specifying the information that is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.

• Proactively publishing or otherwise making available, as a matter of routine, information in line with the statements contained within this scheme.

• Producing and publishing the methods by which the specific information is made routinely available so that it can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public.

• Reviewing and updating on a regular basis the information the authority makes available under the scheme.

• Producing a schedule of any fees charged for access to information that is made proactively available.

• Making this publication scheme available to the public.

• Publishing any data set held by the authority that has been requested, and any updated versions it holds, unless the authority is satisfied that it is not appropriate to do so, publishing the data set, where reasonably practicable, in an electronic form that is capable of reuse and, if any information in the data set is a relevant copyright work and the public authority is the only owner, making the information available for reuse under the terms of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, if they apply, and otherwise under the terms of the FOI Act Section 19

The term ‘data set’ is defined in Section 11(5) of the Act and the term ‘relevant copyright work’ is defined in Section 19(8) of the Act.

Classes of information

The publication scheme refers to seven classes or types of information:[1]

• Who we are and what we do – doctors in the practice, contact details, opening hours and other staffing details.

• What we spend and how we spend it (current and previous financial year) – total cost of contracted services, audit of NHS income.

• What our priorities are and how we are doing (current and previous year) – plans for developing and providing NHS services.

• How we make decisions.

• Our policies and procedures – policies, protocols and procedures concerning the employment of staff, delivery of services, equality and diversity, health and safety, complaints, records management (retention and destruction), data protection, the handling of requests for information.

• Lists and registers – it is unlikely that any organisation will have any publicly available register or list and the ICO has advised that ‘none held’ can be entered here.

• The services we offer – current NHS services provided and any charges, information leaflets and out-of-hours arrangements.

The ICO expects Bryn Darland Surgery to make the above information available unless:

• The requested information is not held.

• The information is exempt under one of the FOIA exemptions.

• The information is readily and publicly available from an external website; such information may have been provided either by the GP or on their behalf. The GP must provide a direct link to that information.

• The information is archived, out of date or otherwise inaccessible.

• It would be impractical or resource-intensive to prepare the material for routine release.

Class 1: Who we are and what we do:

Bryn Darland Surgery is a partnership of 5 family doctors, working across North and West Wrexham. We look after approximately 6,800 patients via a General Medical Services contract with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The partnership comprises:

Dr Stephanie Jenkins               GP Partner and Senior Partner

Dr Pamela Entwistle                GP Partner

Dr Sara Bodey                         GP Partner

Dr Laura Bland                        GP Partner

Dr Sonja Adhiyaman               GP Partner

The partnership offers services from 8.00am to 6.30pm under its contract from two sites at our main surgery 53 High St, Coedpoeth, Wrexham, LL11 3SA and at our branch surgery Brymbo Community Clinic Offa St, Brymbo, Wrexham LL11 5AG.

Class 2: Who we are and what we do:

We receive a payment for providing medical services to our registered patients from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. This payment per patient is set annually by the Welsh Government, and for 2022/23 was £111.40 per patient and for 2023/24 was £117.48 per patient (referred to as the Global Sum). 

Total Income received from the NHS for Global Sum before expenses in the last financial year 2022/23 was £601,853.

From this income, the practice has to meet the costs of running the practice.

The main expenses are:

• Maintenance of the premises and equipment including heating, electricity and cleaning costs.
• Administrative costs including staff payroll and training costs.
• IT support and maintenance.
• Communications support, maintenance and running costs i.e. telephones, AccurRx system etc.
• Infrastructure investment such as clinical equipment.
• The cost of our premises.
• The cost of drugs that we personally administer to our patients.

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 or 
• no longer available under NHS guidelines and our Practice Records Management Policy.

Class 3: Our priorities and how we are doing.

In addition to our main general medical services contract, we offer enhanced services in:

• Contraception
• Diabetes care
• Immunisations
• Minor Surgery
• Monitoring of patients with Monoclonal Gammopathy of Unknown Significance
• Additional monitoring of patients on certain medications

We have annual targets to improve access. Statistics are regularly posted in the practice and on our practice website.  

Class 4: How we make decisions.      

All decisions regarding the Practice and its services are documented in the minutes of its meetings.

Class 5: Policies and procedures.

Our policies and procedures cover the following areas:

• Data Protection (including data protection policy, privacy policy and release of records)
• Equality and Diversity
• HR
• Health and Safety policies to manage the health and safety of staff and visitors

Class 6 – lists and registers.

None held.

Class 7 – services.

More information about the services we offer, including leaflets, guidance and newsletters produced for the public can be found in the practice, on our website. A patient information leaflet is available online and in practice.

The GP Out of Hours Services provides care for patients between the hours of 6.30pm and 8.00am. They can be contacted by telephoning 111.