Beccles Medical Centre is committed to meeting the statutory requirements under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and aims to make as much information as possible freely available on demand.
One of the ways in which this is done is by publishing information in a publications scheme which is designed to signpost individuals to information we proactively release as and when it becomes available.
A publication scheme fosters openness and increases transparency of what we do, what we spend, our priorities, policies and decisions. It is designed to improve public access to the information we hold and makes it easier to find and obtain the information required without the need to make a written request.
Our publication scheme follows the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) model publication scheme for public authorities.
Please be aware that we can refuse a Freedom of Information Act request if the information is readily available in our publication scheme.
We will review our publication scheme frequently to ensure it meets our aims and obligations.
Most of the information can be accessed free of charge, however in some cases you may be charged a fee.
Information available in our publication scheme
The ICO has identified seven classes of information which should be published by public bodies. These describe our organisation, role, governance, priorities and expenditure.
Information not available through our publication scheme may be available upon request.
The classes of information available in our publication scheme are:
- Who we are and what we do
- What we spend and how we spend it
- What are our priorities and how are we doing
- How we make decisions
- Our policies and procedures
- Lists and registers
- Services we offer
It is possible that some classes will hold very few documents because we do not hold any information in that class. Other reasons include where the information may be exempt from disclosure, the information has been archived or is inaccessible, or it is impractical to prepare the information for routine release.
The classes of information will not generally include:
- Information where the disclosure is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure.
- Information in draft form.
- Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage or is difficult to access for similar reasons.
| Information to be published | How the information can be obtained (eg hard copy and/or website) |
| Class 1 – Who we are and what we do Current organisational information, structures, locations and contacts | Information on who we are and what we do can be found on our website or by clicking here. Any additional information not on the website can be obtained on request. |
| Who’s who in the practice | Information on our clinical, management and administration team can be viewed on our website here. |
| Contact details for the practice, postal and email address (if used). Where possible, named contacts with telephone number and email address | Contact details for Beccles Medical Centre can be accessed by visiting our website here. |
| Opening hours | Monday 8:00 am to 6:30 pm Tuesday 8:00 am to 6:30 pm Wednesday 8:00 am to 6:30 pm Thursday 8:00 am to 6:30 pm Friday 8:00 am to 6:30 pm Saturday Closed Sunday Closed |
| Details of meetings with pharmaceutical companies and other medical suppliers As a minimum, name of the company, the date and, if appropriate, the name of the member(s) of staff attending (any senior managers and any medically qualified staff), together with a general indication of the category of meeting, for example marketing or promotion | N/A |
| Class 2 – What we spend and how we spend it Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audit Current and previous financial year as a minimum | This information will be made available on request. |
| Details on NHS/HSC funding received by the practice – as much information as possible, in as much detail as possible | This information can be viewed here. |
| Audit of NHS/HSC income | This information will be made available on request. |
| Details of expenditure items over £10,000 – published at least annually but at a more frequent quarterly or six-monthly interval where practical | N/A |
| List and value of contracts awarded by the practice, as a minimum for contracts that are of sufficient size to have gone through a formal tendering process | N/A |
| Staff allowances and expenses incurred or claimed, with totals paid to senior staff members by references to categories | This information will be made available on request. |
| Declaration of GPs’ NHS/HSC income NHS England guidance requires GP practices to publish the net earnings of GPs. The British Medical Association has produced guidance on how to calculate net earnings | Information on net GP earnings is available to view on our website here. |
| Class 3 – What our priorities are and how we are doing Strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews, as a minimum, for the current and previous year | This information can be found on our CQC (Care Quality Commission) report. The report can be accessed here. |
| Plans for the development and provision of NHS/HSC services | This information will be made available on request. |
| Performance data including performance against targets | This information will be made available on request. |
| Inspection reports by regulators: the CQC, HIW, RQIA and HSCB and any other regulators | This information can be found on our CQC (Care Quality Commission) report. The report can be accessed here. |
| Data Protection impact assessments (in full or summary format) or any other impact assessment (eg Health & Safety Impact Assessment, Equality Impact Assessments etc), as appropriate and relevant | This information will be made available on request. |
| Class 4 – How we make decisions Decision making processes and records of decisions. Current and previous year as a minimum | This information will be made available on request. |
| Records of decisions made in the practice affecting the provision of NHS/HSC services | This information will be made available on request. |
| Class 5 – Our policies and procedures Current written protocols, policies and procedures for delivering our services and responsibilities Current information only | This information will be made available on request. |
| Policies and procedures for conducting businesses and delivering services | N/A |
| Customer Service and Complaints policies and procedures (including those covering handling of requests for information and operating the publication scheme) | The information on our complaints policies and procedures can be found on our website here. |
| Internal instructions to staff | This information will be made available on request. |
| Policies and procedures about the recruitment and employment of staff | This information will be made available on request. |
| Equality and diversity policy | Our equality and diversity policy can be found here. |
| Health and safety policy | Our health and safety policy can be found here. |
| Pay policy | Our pay policy can be found here. |
| Records management policies (records retention, destruction and archive) | Our record retention, destruction and archive policy can be found here. |
| Data protection policies (including data sharing and CCTV usage) | Our data protection policy can be found here. |
| Class 6 – Lists and Registers Currently maintained lists and registers only | N/A |
| Any publicly available register or list (if any are held this should be publicised; in most circumstances existing access provisions will suffice). | N/A |
| Details of the locations of any overt CCTV surveillance cameras operated by you or on your behalf depending on the level of detail which is appropriate | This information will be made available on request. We have posters on display throughout our site acknowledging CCTV is in process. |
| Class 7 – The services we offer Information about the services we offer, including leaflets, guidance and newsletters produced for the public Current information only | This information is contained in our practice leaflet which can be viewed here. |
| The services provided under contract to the NHS/HSC | This information will be made available on request. |
| Charges for any of these services | The information on additional services that we charge for are on our website and can be found here. |
| Information leaflets | Information leaflets will be made available on request. |
| Out of hours arrangements | Out of hours arrangements can be found on our website here. |
Schedule of charges
| TYPE OF CHARGE | DESCRIPTION | BASIS OF CHARGE |
| Disbursement cost | Photocopying charge per sheet (black & white) | 3p |
| Photocopying charge per sheet (colour) | 5p | |
| Postage charge | Actual cost of Royal Mail standard 2nd class | |
| Statutory Fee | In accordance with the relevant legislation (quote the actual statute) |