Confidentiality & Medical Records
What is GDPR-The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) is a new EU regulation that came into force on 25th May 2018 and will replace the existing data protection legislation including the UK Data Protection Act 1998.
Who does GDPR apply to ?- The GDPR applies to all individuals and organisations with day-to-day responsibilities for data protection.
What does this mean for patients - YOUR DATA:
- must be processes lawfully, fairly and transparently.
- Collected for specific, explicit and legitimate purposes.
- must be limited to what is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.
- must be accurate and kept uptodate.
- must be held securely.
- it can only be retained for as long as is necessary for reasons it was collected.
PRIVACY STATEMENT FOR PATIENTS - How we use your records.
- This practice handles medical records in-line with laws on data protection and confidentiality.
- we share medical records with those who are involved in providing you with care and treatment.
- In some circumstances we will also share medical records for medical research, for example to find out more about why people get ill.
- We share information when the law requires us to do so, for example, to prevent infectious diseases from spreading to check the care provided to you is safe.
- You have the right to object to your medical records being shared with those who provided you with the care.
- You have the right to object to your information being used for medical research and to plan health services.
- You have the right to have any mistake corrected and to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office
The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:
- To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
- To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
- When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.
If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.
Access to Records
In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and Access to Health Records Act, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made in writing to the practice manager or by completing a form/consent available at the Reception desk . No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
To pursue a complaint please contact the practice manager Lorraine Greenwood who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure from reception.
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.