You can be assured that anything you discuss with any member of the surgery staff, whether Doctor, Nurse or Patient Advisor, will remain confidential. Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone, including parents, other family members, care workers or teachers, without your permission.

The only reason why we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect either you or someone else from serious harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you have any worries or queries about confidentiality, please ask a member of staff.

If you would like to discuss matters of a confidential nature, either with our Patient Advisors or a member of the dispensary team, we have a quiet room available for this purpose.

Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.

We have a duty to:

• Maintain full and accurate records of the care we provide to you.
• Keep records about you confidential, secure and accurate.
• Provide information in a format that is accessible to you (i.e. in large type if you are partially sighted).

We will not share information that identifies you for any reason, unless:

• You ask us to do so.
• We ask, and you give us specific permission.
• We must do this by law.
• We have special permission for health or research purposes or.
• We have special permission because the interests of the public are thought to be of greater importance than your confidentiality.

Who are our Partner Organisations?

We may share information with the following main partner organisations:

• NHS England
• Our Commissioners
• NHS Trusts / Organisation (Hospitals, CCG’s)
• Ambulance Service
• Social Services

We may also share your information, with your consent and subject to strict sharing protocols about how it will be used, with:

• Education Services
• Local Authorities
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Private Sector

Why We Collect Information About You

In the practice we aim to provide you with the highest quality of health care. To do this we must keep records about you, your health and the care we have provided or plan to provide to you.

These records may include:

• Basic details about you, such as address, date of birth, next of kin.
• Contact we have had with you such as clinical visits.
• Details and records about your treatment and care.
• Results of x-rays, laboratory test etc.
• Relevant information from people who care for you and know you well, such as health professionals and relatives.

It is good practice for people in the NHS who provide care to:

• Discuss and agree with you what they are going to record about you.
• Give you a copy of letters they are writing about you.
• Show you what they have recorded about you, if you ask.

We will only store your information in identifiable form for a long as in necessary in and in accordance with the NHS England’s rules.

How Your Records Are Used

The people who care for you use your records to:

• Provide a good basis for all health decisions made by you and care professionals.
• Allow you to work with those providing care.
• Make sure your care is safe and effective.
• Work effectively with others providing you with care.

Others may also need to use records about you to:

• Check the quality of care (such as clinical audit).
• Protect the health of the public.
• Keep track of NHS spending.
• Manage the health service.
• Help investigate any concerns or complaints you or your family have about your .health care.
• Teach health workers.
• Help with research.

Some information will be held centrally to be used for statistical purposes. In these instances, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.

We use anonymous information, wherever possible, but on occasions we may use personally confidential information for essential NHS purposes such as research and auditing. However, this information will only be used with your consent, unless the law requires us to pass on the information.

GDPR

You have a right to privacy under the General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act.

The practice needs your personal, sensitive and confidential data, in order perform our statutory health duties. This is in the public interest, or in compliance with Article 6 (e) of the GDPR, and for the purposes of preventative or occupational medicine.

This is for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care, or treatment or the management of health or social care systems, and services in compliance with Article 9, (h) of the GDPR.

You have the right to ask for a copy of all records about you.

• Your request should be made to the practice holding your information.
• We are required to respond to you within one month.
• You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth NHS number etc.).