 Employment solicitor Victoria Patterson discusses how to proceed after an injury in the surgery. |
 How should you react when practice employees start a relationship? Solicitor Matthew Smith offers some advice |
 Gavin Jones of Blake Lapthorn summarises the legal principles behind providing free healthcare on the NHS to non-UK residents, and the checks to perform when registering immigrants. |
 Our GP partnership is breaking up after a few attempts at reconciliation. What should we do to manage the schism? |
 MDU medicolegal adviser Dr Beverley Ward explains the legal position on consent and confidentiality, concerning an under-16's script for the Pill. |
 One of your practice staff requests a flexible working schedule to fit in with her childcare arrangements. Are you under any obligation to accommodate the request and, if so, how do you go about it? |
 A patient asks you to sign a certificate guaranteeing their fitness to exercise at their new gym. Are you obliged to do so? |
 A patient has been behaving in a troublesome manner and you want to remove him from the surgery list, how should you proceed? |
 A policeman attends your surgery asking for the entire medical records of one of your patients. You are reluctant to disclose the entire records, especially since you are aware that the record contains sensitive information that is unrelated to the accident.Are you obliged to make the disclosure? |
 We are thinking of merging with another practice, where do we start? |
 The new QP indicators have presented some tricky conundrums for practices. Dr Russell Brown provides his advice |
 A patient has complained to your practice that the conduct of one of your GPs in a recent consultation was rude and unprofessional. How should the practice proceed? |
 A patient has returned to your surgery with a rash after receiving the flu vaccine. You discover she is slightly allergic to egg but wasn’t asked before she received the injection and was given the wrong type. What should you do now? |
 The parent or guardian of a 9-year-old makes a subject-access request under the Data Protection Act to see their child’s medical records. Are you obliged to honour this request? |
 During a regular visit to a local care home, you are asked to administer the flu vaccine to an elderly resident. However, her daughter, who is visiting at the time, says her mother has dementia and questions your right to administer the vaccine without her authority. What should you do? |
 You run a very busy practice and will struggle to administer the flu vaccine to all the vulnerable patients on your list, can you delegate this task to other practice staff? |
 A receptionist at our practice claims she has been harassed by a male nurse. What should you do? |
 You have been approached by a solicitor acting for a patient to make an assessment of their mental capacity to make a will and lasting power of attorney, but are uncomfortable about agreeing. What should you do? |
 During a consultation, a child puts his hand into the sharps box and scratches his hand. The mother is furious. What should you do? |
 Our practice nurses are opposing our suggested changes to their working hours. Can we enforce this change? |
 Your practice manager has requested flexible working, but you are worried this is not workable in your practice. What should you do? |
 Decisions surrounding consent and capacity are often complex, with many grey areas. Dr Mary Church offers her advice on some tricky scenarios |
 Should you share information about an elderly patient without capacity, even if her daughter asks for it? Our expert advises |
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An employer phones your practice about a suspected fake Med 3 form that states an employee should refrain from work for four weeks. What should you do? |
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A routine audit shows several ampoules of diamorphine are missing. The last entry in the controlled drugs register was made by the senior partner, who is well-known for his somewhat erratic record keeping, but also suffers from chronic low back pain. What should you do? |
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A salaried GP's wife is pregnant and has mentioned being able to 'share' maternity leave with her. Is he right? |
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What are the redundancy procedures if you have a member of staff on maternity leave? Our legal expert advises |
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There is a potentially offensive comment in the notes of a patient who is requesting a copy of their records. What should you do? Our expert advises. |
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A pregnant practice nurse is concerned over the risk of infection to her, and her unborn baby, by working in your practice. What should you do? |
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What action can be taken if an ex-staff member breaches a patient's medical confidentiality? Our legal expert advises |
Your practice manager has a bad line in sexist jokes. Should you intervene? Our legal expert advises |
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Should your practice be following up patients who miss bowel cancer screening? Our legal expert advises |
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Your practice nurse requests time off to learn a foreign language. Do you have to let her? |
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A practice nurse has asked for time off for IVF. How should you treat this absence? |
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You are about to employ a salaried GP. What checks should you do before they start? Our legal expert advises. |
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A patient treated for depression when they were a teenager wants this diagnosis removed from his medical record. The patient – now in their thirties – has had no recurrence of depression, but what should you do? Our legal expert advises. |
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During a QOF inspection, one of the PCT inspectors (non-medical) wants to access your patients’ records. You want to be cooperative, but this request falls outside the consent you have gained from patients previously. Should you refuse? Our legal expert advises. |
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Two divorced parents sharing the care of their child are requesting that your practice records their residence as the home address for the child. What should you do? Our legal expert advises. |
