Data Protection

Why do we need your information?

The Healthcare Professionals who provide you with care keep records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously.  These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare and treatment.

NHS health records may be electronic, paper-based or a mixture of both.  We use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure.

Records about you may include the following information;

  • Details about you, such as your address, your carer or legal representative and emergency contact details.
  • Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments.
  • Notes and reports about your health.
  • Details about your treatment and care.
  • Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays etc.
  • Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you.
  • Contact details (including email address, mobile telephone number and home telephone number)

To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive, including contacting you. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS and the services we provide. Limited information may be used within the GP practice for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service we provided.

How do we lawfully use your data?

We need your personal, sensitive and confidential data to provide you with healthcare services as a General Practice.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation we will be lawfully using your information in accordance with: –

Article 6, e) processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;”

Article 9, (h) processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, 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

We use your personal and healthcare information in the following ways:

  • when we need to speak to or contact other doctors, consultants, nurses, or any other medical/healthcare professional or organisation during your diagnosis or treatment or ongoing healthcare; this includes the use of telephone or video consultation.
  • when we are required by law to hand over your information to any other organisation, such as the police, by court order, solicitors, or immigration enforcement.
  • In a de-identified form to support planning of health services and to improve health outcomes for our population.

We will never pass on your personal information to anyone else who does not need it, or has no right to it, unless you give us consent to do so.

More information can  be found in our Privacy Notice