Your personal information is recorded in your health records and on computer and we are registered under the Data Protection Act. Our staff have a legal and contractual duty to keep personal health information secure, and confidential at all times. However, for the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about you is shared between members of the team. The information held assists us in analysing and auditing various aspects of health care. We take care to ensure your personal information is only accessible to authorised people. In order to find out more about current data protection legislation and how we process your information, please visit the Data Protection Notice on the Privacy Statement tab above, or ask a member of staff for a copy of our Data Protection Notice.
The following are examples of how your health information may be used :
Care and Treatment
- Routine record keeping, consultation of records etc, in the course of the provision of care and treatment
- Processing of records in the event of a medical emergency
- Disclosures made by one health professional or organisation to another, e.g. where a GP refers a patient to a specialist
- Clinical audit, e.g. the monitoring of a patient care pathway against existing standards and benchmarks
Administration
- Processing for administrative purposes, e.g. disclosure by a GP made in order to receive payment for treatment provided and post-payment verification of payments
- Administrative audit, which may include studies designed to improve the efficiency of the NHS as an organisation, e.g. to support decisions about the allocation of resources
Research and Teaching
- Statutory and non-statutory disclosures to disease registers and for epidemiological research
- Clinical Trials
Use and Disclosures for Non-Health Purposes
- Disclosures for Crime and Disorder Act 1998 purposes
- Disclosures to the police
The above list is not exhaustive. Please ask our Office Manager if you have any concerns or require further information.
Access to your Health Records
The Data Protection Act and GDPR gives you the right to see personal health information about yourself. Information on how you can apply for access to your health records is available at reception. Access to medical records for people outside the health care team (or who are involved in the patient’s clinical care) is only given with the patient’s written permission.