Due to our planet being in a Climate Emergency Walkden Medical Centre are trying to be more sustainable

In 2021 we earned the bronze award under the ‘Green Impact for Health’ scheme and are now working towards the silver award.

We committed to support the National Green Impact Agenda to reduce carbon emissions in line with the 2030 United Nations Sustainability Development Goals.

Sustainability has now become one of key initiatives and in this effort, we already ensure:

• Reduced the use of paper by communicating via a paperless system where possible and stopped using a fax machine.
• Radiators are turned down where possible
• All staff are responsible for turning off lighting, electrical equipment which is all clearly labelled to act as a constant reminder.
• All lights have been replaced with LED lighting.
• We provide our staff with fairtrade coffee and plastic free Rainforest Alliance tea bags.
• We use Eco friendly washing up liquid and avoid products that contain palm oil.
• We discourage the use of single use plastic.
• We recycle plastic, cardboard, toner cartridges, paper, food and batteries. Only confidential waste goes to the shredder.
• Our New Patient registration packs have been reviewed and can now be completed on-line. However, should a paper registration be required this has now been condensed and is printed double sided.
• The practice is reducing polypharmacy and over prescribing as well as switching inhalers to dry powder where appropriate.
• Our health education and promotion messages are now delivered to patients via the waiting area screen to reduce the use of leaflets.
• We promote a series of health and wellbeing campaigns each year covering topics for most seasonal and long-term health issues.
• Reduce thermostat temperature on boiler by 2 degrees
• Top up insulation in loft space to a depth of 270-300mm.

Our next aims are to continue the work we have started, as follows:

• We are in the process of doing a travel survey in the hope of encouraging staff to walk, cycle and car share.
• We are going to make the Green Impact a standing item on the agenda for meetings.
• We will be asking about sustainability at interviews.
• We will try to source all our food and drink responsibly and maintain our commitment to the use of Fair-trade products.
• We also intend to encourage staff to have a meat free Tuesday’s and encourage healthy eating as well as sharing food days.
• We are now asking our suppliers about their own environmental policies.
• We are reviewing our office supplies and making many switches which include purchasing sustainable pencils and paper.
• We aim to help the NHS reach their target of being Net Zero by 2045 and we hope as our patients you will help and encourage us.
• Install new boiler optimisation controls to allow for weather compensation

Please feel free to ask us about our pledge and what you can do to help us.

The practice fully supports the NHS Zero Tolerance Policy towards harassment and abuse of staff, patients, or other visitors.
This includes (but is not limited to) sexism, racism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and ageism, or harassment or abuse on the basis of disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief.

The aim of this policy is to tackle the increasing problem of violence against staff working in the NHS and ensures that doctors and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused, and is also for the protection of other patients, their families and visitors.

We understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint. We ask you to treat your doctors and their staff courteously and act reasonably.

All incidents will be followed up and you will be sent a formal warning after a second incident or removed from the practice list after a third incident if your behaviour has been unreasonable.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or verbal abuse, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the practice list and, in extreme cases, the police will be contacted if an incident is taking place and the patient is posing a threat to staff or other patients.

All patients registered with a GP have a Summary Care Record, unless they have chosen not to have one. The information held in your Summary Care Record gives health and care professionals, away from your usual GP practice, access to information to provide you with safer care, reduce the risk of prescribing errors and improve your patient experience. Your Summary Care Record contains basic information about allergies and medications and any reactions that you have had to medication in the past.

Some patients, including many with long term health conditions, have previously agreed to have Additional Information shared as part of their Summary Care Record. This additional information includes information about significant medical history (past and present), reasons for medications, care plan information and immunisations.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

By including this additional Information in your SCR, health and care staff can give you better care if you need health care away from your usual GP practice:

• in an emergency
• when you’re on holiday
• when your surgery is closed
• at out-patient clinics, when you visit a pharmacy

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

Who can see it?

Only healthcare staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

Do I have to have one?

The purpose of SCR is to improve the care that you receive, however, if you don’t want to have an SCR you have the option to opt out, you can also change your mind at any time. You can choose any of the following options:

1. To have a Summary Care Record with Additional Information shared. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see an enriched Summary Care Record if they need to provide you with direct care.
2. To have a Summary Care Record with core information only. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see information about allergies and medications only in your Summary Care Record if they need to provide you with direct care.
3. To opt-out of having a Summary Care Record altogether. This means that you do not want any information shared with other authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals involved in your direct care, including in an emergency.

If you wish to ‘opt out’ of the Summary Care Record or wish to have a Summary Care Record with core information only, please contact the Practice.

More Information

For further information visit the NHS Care records website.

How and why NHS Digital collects, analyses, publishes and shares data collected from GP practices for planning and research.

For more information, please see NHS Digital: General Practice Data for Planning and Research.

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Walkden Medical Centre in the last financial year (2021-2022) was £80,300 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 2 full time GPs and 4 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

If you feel you would like a chaperone present at your consultation please inform the receptionist who will be happy to arrange this for you.

This practice is committed to providing a safe and comfortable environment and to putting patients at ease wherever possible and strives to achieve good practice at all times. All patients are entitled to have a chaperone present during any consultation, examination or procedure. Clinicians at this practice will advise patients that a chaperone is necessary during any intimate examination; this is to safeguard both the clinician and you, the patient.

Where a chaperone is not available, the clinician will ask you to make an appointment and request the presence of a chaperone at the time of booking.

Staff members have received appropriate training to act as chaperones and a DBS check.

Family and friends are not permitted to act as chaperones as they do not have the knowledge required, nor do they have the necessary training.