Your Health Record

There is a new Central NHS Computer System called the Summary Care Record (SCR). The Summary Care Record is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. Initially, it will contain just your medications and allergies.

Later on as the central NHS computer system develops, (known as the ‘Summary Care Record’ – SCR), other staff who work in the NHS will be able to access it along with information from hospitals, out of hours services, and specialists letters that may be added as well.

Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held on central NHS databases.

As with all new systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so.

On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing your personal information and wish to keep your information at the level of this practice. Connecting for Health (CfH), the government agency responsible for the Summary Care Record have agreed with doctors’ leaders that new patients registering with this practice should be able to decide whether or not their information is uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System.

For existing patients it is different in that it is assumed that you want your record uploaded to the Central NHS Computer System unless you actively opt out.

Your Health Record

Your Information and Confidentiality

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 and secure
• Provide information in a format that is accessible to you (e.g. 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 have to 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—for example, if you had a serious medical condition that may put others you had come into contact with at risk
• We hold your records in STRICT CONFIDENCE

Confidentiality & Medical Records

Your Information and Confidentiality

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 and secure

Provide information in a format that is accessible to you (e.g. 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 have to 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—for example, if you had a serious medical condition that may put others you had come into contact with at risk

We hold your records in  STRICT CONFIDENCE

WFHP Patient Privacy Notice

WFHP COVID-19 PRIVACY NOTICE – to be updated 

 

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Below are 2 leaflets that explains how NHS England and our surgery are sharing your medical information to enable to offer the best possible care:

Patient Leaflet about Care Data

About Your Medical Centre

 

Who are our partner organisations?

We may share information with the following main partner organisations:

Strategic Health Authorities (SHA’s)

NHS Trusts (Hospital’s, PCT’s)

Special Health Authorities

Ambulance Service

You may be receiving care from other organisations as well as the NHS (for example Social Services), we may need to share some information about you so we can all work together for your benefit. We only ever use or pass on your information if others involved have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to third parties without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as when the health or safety of others is at risk or where the law requires information to be passed on.  We may share yourinformation, with your consent and subject to strict sharing protocols on howit will be used, with:

SocialServices

EducationServices

LocalAuthorities

VoluntarySector Providers

PrivateSector

Anyone who receives information from us also has a legal duty to: KEEP IT CONFIDENTIAL!

We are required by law to report some information to the appropriate authorities. For example:

· Infectious diseases which may endanger the safety of others, such as meningitis or measles (but not HIV/AIDS)

· Where a formal court order has been issued

Our guiding principle is that we hold your records in the strictest of confidence.

 

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Why we collect information about you:

In the National Health Service 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
• Notes and reports about your health
• Details and records about your treatment and care
• Results of x-rays, laboratory tests, etc.
• Relevant information from people who care for you and know you well such as healthprofessionals 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, and

Show you what they have recorded about you, if you ask

 

How your records are used

•  The people who care for you use your records to:
• Provide a good basis for all health decisions made in consultation with you and otherhealth care professionals
• Deliver appropriate health care
• Make sure your health care is safe and effective, and
• Work effectively with others providing you with health care

Others may also need to use records about you to:

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

Some information will be held centrally to beused 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 personal identifiable information for essential NHS purposes such as research and auditing.

However, this information will only be used with your consent, unless the law requires usto pass on the information

 

You have the right

You have the right to confidentiality under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), the Human Rights Act 1998 and the common law duty of confidence (the Disability Discrimination and the Race Relations Acts may also apply)

 

You also have the right to ask for a copy of all records about you (a fee may be charged) see Access to Medical Records

• Your request must be made in writing to the organisation holding your information
• There may be a charge to have a printed copy of the information held about you
• We are required to respond to you within 40 working days
• You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, NHS number etc.)
• You will be required to provide ID before any information is released to you

If you think anything is inaccurate or incorrect, please inform the surgery or organisation such as the hospital holding your information

Notification

The Data Protection Act 1998 requires organisations to notify the Information Commissioner of the purposes for which they process personal information