We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can provide the best possible care.
We have a computerised medical record system which means information about your healthcare is held on a secure server. You have the right to know what information we hold about you. Please ask the receptionist if you wish to see or obtain a copy of your record. If you are referred to a hospital specialist you are also welcome to request a copy of the referral letter.
We are sometimes involved in health research and teaching of student doctors. We will not use or disclose your personal health information for these purposes unless you have been informed beforehand and you have given us your consent to do so.
Sometimes we are required by law to pass on information e.g. the notification of births and deaths and certain diseases or crimes to the government is a legal requirement.
NHS Connecting for Health is currently developing the National Care Records Service, which will create a Summary Care Record (SCR) for each individual patient, to be held centrally. You will be contacted by the NHS before any information is made available outside the Practice. You will be advised that you have the right to withdraw your consent to information being shared. We supply fully anonymised data to the NHS for adminstrative purposes. Any NHS member of staff from outside the Practice is required to sign a confidentiality agreement before they have access to your data. The NHS extracts data from records to enable patient surveys to be sent to the correct patients e.g. those who have been referred for hospital care, but no specific information is available about any illness or treatment.
Our use of your personal health information is covered by a duty of confidentiality and is regulated by the Data Protection Act. The Data Protection Act gives you a number of rights in relation to how your personal information is used, including a right to access the information we hold about you. Everyone working for the NHS has the legal duty to keep information about you confidential and adheres to a Code of Practice on protecting patient confidentiality. Anyone who recieves information form us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.
National data Opt-Out programme
NHS Digital is developing a new system to support the national data opt-out which will give patients more control over how confidential patient information is used. The system will offer patients and the public the opportunity to make an informed choice about whether they wish their confidential patient information to be used just for their individual care and treatment or also used for research and planning purposes.
Patients and the public who decide they do not want their confidential patient information used for planning and research purposes will be able to set their national data opt-out choice online.
For further opt-out information, please visit the NHS Digital site:
And if you would like to opt-out, you can follow the process using the link below;
Our practice policy on this subject is available to review below:
