Data Sharing

How Your Records Are Used To Help You

Your records are used to guide professionals in the care you receive to ensure that:

• Your nurse, doctor or any other healthcare professionals involved in your care has accurate and up-to-date information to assess your health and decide what care you need
• Full information is available if you see another doctor, or are referred to a specialist or another part of the NHS
• There is a good basis for assessing the type and quality of care you have received
• Your concerns can be properly investigated if you need to complain

How Your Records Are Used To Help The NHS

Your records may also be used to help us:

• Assess the needs of the general population
• Make sure our services can meet patient needs in the future
• Review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standard
• Teach and train healthcare professionals
• Conduct research and development
• Pay your GP and hospital for the care they provide
• Audit NHS accounts and services
• Prepare statistics on NHS performance
• Investigate complaints, legal claims or untoward incidents

How We Keep Your Records Confidential

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

You may be receiving care from other organisations (like social services) as well as the NHS. We may need to share some information about you so that we can all work together for your benefit. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it.
We will not disclose your information to third parties unless there are exceptional circumstances, such when the health or safety of others is at risk or where the law requires information to be passed on.

Anyone Who Receives Information From Us Is Also Under A Legal Duty To Keep It Confidential

We are required by law to report certain information to the appropriate authorities. This is only provided
after formal permission has been given by a qualified healthcare professional. Occasions when we
must pass on information include:

• Notification of new births
• Where we encounter infectious diseases which may endanger the health or safety of others such as meningitis or measles (but not HIV/AIDS)

Our Guiding Principle Is That We Are Holding Your Records In Strict Confidence

How You Can Get Access To Your Own Health Records

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you have the right to request access to your medical files. Children and young people may also request access to their health records, as can their parents. Access to health records may also be given to those acting on behalf of a patient if they have been nominated by the patient. This can be relevant for those patients with learning difficulties or who lack the mental capacity to care adequately for themselves. A next of kin has no automatic right to access your medical records.

Who else can access your medical records?

In the majority of situations, third parties such as the police, insurance companies or solicitors cannot be given access to your health records unless you give written consent to do so or it is required by law and directed by a judge or magistrate. However, situations can arise where information may be disclosed to the police without patient consent. This may be when police are investigating or prosecuting a serious crime or where the disclosure of this information could prevent serious injury to the patient or others.

The Medical Reports Act 1988 also gives you the right to see any medical reports written about you for employment and insurance purposes.

If you would like access to your health record please request a form from reception. You are entitled to receive a copy.  We are also obliged to go through your record first to remove any reference to other parties which might breach their confidentiality and also take out any information which might be harmful to you.

Further Information on sharing your record and opting out

NHS England has commissioned a provider, Xyla Health and Wellbeing, to provide the ‘Your local Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme’ for patients at risk of type 2 diabetes. Once a patient is referred, they will be contacted for a motivational interview with the provider (Xyla) to help them enrol onto the course and to have an opportunity to ask any questions they have at this time, including if you don’t want to enrol in the programme.

Xyla Health and Wellbeing is part of the Acacium Group and sometimes, if required and legally allowed, Xyla may share some of your basic details such as your name and contact details with providers who have been identified as suitable to contact you to provide support for you during this programme. Any sharing of your data is done as little as possible, under due diligence and in compliance with applicable laws.

For full details on how Xyla would use your data for the diabetes prevention programme, see their privacy notice

 

The National Data opt-out

The national data opt-out is a new service that allows people to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for research and planning. 

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE NATIONAL DATA OPT-OUT

Privacy Notices

Please note that all telephone calls to and from the surgery are recorded.

Snodland Medical Practice works hard to provide the public and patients with clear and accurate information relating to how their personal information is used by the organisation and publishes Privacy Notices on this website to inform service users of these uses.

These Privacy Notices help us to ensure that the use of your data is Fair, Lawful and Transparent in line with our organisational responsibilities under Data Protection Law.

Each notice provides a clear explanation of

• the purpose for processing your data
• the contact details for us and our Data Protection Officer
• the lawful basis for processing your data
• who your data may be shared with
• your rights to object to the processing of your data
• your rights to access your personal data and where appropriate to have it corrected
• how long your data will be kept for
• your right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office about how your data is processed

Notices

• Data Sharing: Legal Requirements
• Data Sharing: Direct Care
• Data Sharing: National Screening Programes
• Data Sharing: Research

The Privacy Notices are designed to be Concise, Clear and Intelligible.  However, we would always welcome your questions regarding the use of your data if you feel this does not provide you with enough information or you would prefer any of the notices to be explained to you.