Privacy and Fair Processing Notice

Our privacy and fair processing notice explains why we collect information about you and how that information may be used to deliver your direct care and manage the local health and social care system.

The notice reflects:

  • What information we collect about you.
  • How and why we use that information.
  • How we retain your information and keep it secure.
  • Who we share your information with and why we do this.

The notice also explains your rights in relation to consent to use your information, the right to control who can see your data, and how to seek advice and support if you feel that your information has not been used appropriately.

Supplementary coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic information

The ICO recognises the unprecedented challenges the NHS and other health professionals are facing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The ICO also recognise that “public bodies may require additional collection and sharing of personal data to protect against serious threats to public health”.

The government has also taken action in respect of this and on 20th March 2020 the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care issued a notice under Regulation 3(4) of The Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 requiring organisations such as GP Practices to use your information to help GP Practices and other healthcare organisations to respond to and deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to look after your healthcare needs during this difficult time, we may urgently need to share your personal information, including medical records, with clinical and non-clinical staff who belong to organisations that are permitted to use your information and need to use it to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This could consist of either treating you or a member of your family and enable us and other healthcare organisations to monitor the disease, assess risk and manage the spread of the disease.

Please be assured that we will only share information and health data that is necessary to meet your and public healthcare needs.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has also stated that these measures are temporary and will expire on 30th September 2020 unless a further extension is required. Any further extension will be communicated via an update to this privacy notice.

Please also note that the data protection and electronic communication laws do not stop us from sending public health messages to you, either by phone, text or email as these messages are not direct marketing.

It may also be necessary, where the latest technology allows us to do so, to use your information and health data to facilitate digital consultations and diagnoses and we will always do this with your security in mind.

Please read about how your information is being used for COVID-19 research.

If you are concerned about how your information is being used, please contact our DPO.

Confidentiality, information and data sharing

We take your confidentiality, your personal information and the protection of your medical record very seriously. This applies to the NHS, every organisation and everybody involved in your care.

NHS data collection: all patients are automatically included

This national initiative, developed by NHS England and managed by NHS Digital, is designed to collect patient identifiable data from different healthcare providers (such as GPs, hospitals and community services) and bring it all together in one place. The purpose of this is intended to help the NHS design and develop future health care services and provided joined up information with regard to how patients are treated and managed between different NHS organisations. Anonymised data (data that cannot identify you) may also be used for research purposes.

NHS and NHS Digital: Your Data Matters provides information which we would recommend that our patients read. You can also call their helpline on 0300 303 5678.

All patients are by default opted into this data extract, but patients do have a choice. If you want to opt out, after reading the information from the NHS and NHS Digital, please click here. GP surgeries can no longer set your personal opt out preferences.

You can also read these helpful resources:

Summary care record

Summary care record (SCR) is an electronic record of important information about a patient’s health and contains information about current medications, allergies and any bad reactions to medicines. Additional information may be added over time if a patient gives their consent.

Summary care records are especially useful if you visit a different doctor or hospital in the evening, in an emergency or at the weekend, or if you are away from home.

You can also phone the summary care record information line on 0300 123 3020.

The Practice is participating in the summary care record and patients who have not opted out will currently have a summary care record. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, you will need to complete the Summary Care Record Opt Out form. You can change your preference at any time.

You have the right to confidentiality. Your medical condition will not be discussed outside this Practice except to other relevant healthcare professionals, when necessary. If you wish to know any test results you must telephone in person. Staff will not give out test results to friends, relatives or partners. If you wish another person to collect your test results, we must have this in writing at the time the test is taken. Please be prepared to answer any relevant security questions.

Enhanced data sharing model (EDSM)

The medical record computer system that we use across our Practice is called SystmOne and is widely used in this area and across England. This system gives the facility to share your electronic healthcare record with other health providers involved in your care, using the enhanced data sharing model (EDSM). Your medical health record includes your medical history, details about your medication and any allergies that you may have.

You can choose whether to share these full medical details with other healthcare providers (for example district nurses or walk-in centres).

Many other healthcare organisations use SystmOne, including other GP Practices, out of hours services, children’s services, community services and hospitals.

Sharing your health record will help us deliver the very best level of care for you.

Within this data sharing model, you have two choices that allow you to control how your record is shared. You can change these choices at any time. If you wish to opt out, please ask reception.

Sharing out

This controls whether the information we hold about you as a GP Practice can be shared with other NHS sanctioned care services where you are receiving care.

Sharing in

This controls whether you agree for us to view information you have agreed to share out at other NHS sanctioned care services where you are receiving care.

Example

Imagine you are receiving care from three services: your GP, a district nurse and a smoking clinic. You want us and the district nurse to share information with each other and you want both of them to know your progress at the smoking clinic.

However, you don’t want the smoking clinic to see any of your other medical information.

Your sharing choices at each place would be:

  • We can share in and out.
  • The district nurse can share in and out.
  • The smoking clinic cannot share in, so cannot see the GP or the district nurse information above but can share out, therefore sharing their information with us and the district nurse to both be able to view.

Exceptions

  • In very exceptional circumstances your information may be shared without your permission, for example if your life is at risk.
  • A parent can give consent to share a child’s record. This will be recorded as ‘consent not asked’ and ‘parental consent given’ noted as the reason why the record was shared.
  • Vaccinations will be shared regardless of whether there is a consent to share or not.

Phone calls

To assist with training and quality, we may record any phone call, made to or from the Practice.