How we use your personal information
This fair processing notice explains why the GP practice collects information about you and how that information may be used.
The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. NHS trust, GP surgery, walk-in clinic, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.
NHS health records may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure.
Records which this GP practice holds about you may include the following information;
- Details about you, such as your address, carer, legal representative, emergency contact details
- Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc
- 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
To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS. Information may be used within the GP practice for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided.
Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified. Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes – the surgery will always gain your consent before releasing the information for this purpose.
Risk stratification
Risk stratification data tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person’s risk of suffering a particular condition, preventing an unplanned or (re)admission and identifying a need for preventive intervention. Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP practice.
A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information using software managed by Apollo, and is only provided back to your GP as data controller in an identifiable form. Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. If necessary your GP may be able to offer you additional services. Please note that you have the right to opt out of your data being used in this way.
Medicines management
The practice may conduct medicines management reviews of medications prescribed to its patients. This service performs a review of prescribed medications to ensure patients receive the most appropriate, up to date and cost effective treatments. This service is provided to practices within Cornwall through Kernow clinical commissioning group.
How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records?
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:
- Data Protection Act 1998
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
- Health and Social Care Act 2012
- NHS Codes of Confidentiality, Information Security and Records Management
- Information: To Share or Not to Share Review
Every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.
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 any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), where the law requires information to be passed on and / or in accordance with the new information sharing principle following Dame Fiona Caldicott’s information sharing review (Information to share or not to share) where “The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.”
This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out by the Caldicott principles. They should be supported by the policies of their employers, regulators and professional bodies.
Who are our partner organisations?
We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations;
- NHS Trusts / Foundation Trusts
- GP’s
- NHS Commissioning Support Units
- Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
- Private Sector Providers
- Voluntary Sector Providers
- Ambulance Trusts
- Clinical Commissioning Groups
- Social Care Services
- Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)
- Local Authorities
- Education Services
- Fire and Rescue Services
- Police & Judicial Services
- Voluntary Sector Providers
- Private Sector Providers
- Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of
You will be informed who your data will be shared with and in some cases asked for explicit consent for this happen when this is required.
We may also use external companies to process personal information, such as for archiving purposes. These companies are bound by contractual agreements to ensure information is kept confidential and secure.
Devon and Cornwall care record
Health and social care services in Devon and Cornwall have developed a system to share patient data efficiently and quickly and, ultimately, improve the care you receive.
This shared system is called the Devon and Cornwall care record.
It’s important that anyone treating you has access to your shared record so they have all the information they need to care for you. This applies to your routine appointments and also in urgent situations such as going to A&E, calling 111 or going to an out-of-hours appointment.
It’s also quicker for staff to access a shared record than to try to contact other staff by phone or email.
Only authorised health and care staff can access the Devon and Cornwall care record and the information they see is carefully checked so that it relates to their job. Also, systems do not share all your data – just data that services have agreed is necessary to include.
For more information about the Devon and Cornwall care record, please go to www.devonandcornwallcarerecord.nhs.uk.
Third party processors
In order to deliver the best possible service, the practice will share data (where required) with other NHS bodies such as other GP practices and hospitals. In addition the practice will use carefully selected third party service providers. When we use a third party service provider to process data on our behalf then we will always have an appropriate agreement in place to ensure that they keep the data secure, that they do not use or share information other than in accordance with our instructions and that they are operating appropriately. Examples of functions that may be carried out by third parties includes:
- Companies that provide IT services & support, including our core clinical systems; systems which manage patient facing services (such as our website and service accessible through the same); data hosting service providers; systems which facilitate appointment bookings or electronic prescription services; document management services etc.
- Delivery services (for example if we were to arrange for delivery of any medicines to you).
- Payment providers (if for example you were paying for a prescription or a service such as travel vaccinations).
Further details regarding specific third party processors can be supplied on request.
The national data opt out
You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning. The national data opt-out implements the opt-out model proposed by the National Data Guardian, as accepted by the Government and the Department of Health and Social Care.
Patients have a right under the NHS constitution to request that their personal confidential data is not used beyond their direct care and the national data opt-out provides an easy and accessible way for patients to exercise this right. You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your confidential patient information is used. You can change your choice at any time.
National data opt-outs are not recorded at the GP practice and instead you can change your national data opt-out using the online service: www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.
or by calling NHS Digital: NHS Digital Contact Centre, 0300 303 5678
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays)
All health and care organisations in England are required to apply your national data opt-out by March 2020, including hospitals and GP practices.
Young adults from the age of 13 can set and change their own national data opt-out.
NHS Kernow as data controllers must take note and apply national data opt-outs whenever confidential patient information is to be shared either internally or outside of the organisation. The national data opt-out does not apply to information that is anonymised or is aggregate or count type data. For further information and support relating to national data opt out please refer to the following: NHS: Opt out of sharing your health records.
Access to personal information
You have a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information the surgery holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate. In order to request this, you need to do the following:
- Your request must be made in writing to the GP – for information from the hospital you should write direct to them
- There is not normally a charge for subject access requests to have a printed copy of the information held about you (although in certain cases a charge may be made and this will be explained prior to arranging copies if is the case)
- We are required to respond to you within 1 month
- You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, NHS number and details of your request) so that your identity can be verified and your records located
Objections / complaints
Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the GP practice, please contact the GP practice manager. If you are still unhappy following a review by the GP practice, you can then complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) via their website (www.ico.gov.uk).
If you are happy for your data to be extracted and used for the purposes described in this privacy notice then you do not need to do anything. If you have any concerns about how your data is shared then please contact the practice.
Cookies
You can be assured that Wadebridge and Camel Estuary Practice website managed by Silicon Practice does not use cookies to track your activity online.
Silicon Practice Limited does not set first party cookies on this website containing any personal data unless specifically instructed to do so by the user. For example, if a user requests to be remembered on a form then a cookie is set to retain the form data for next time.
The Web Site uses third-party cookies to collect anonymous traffic data about your use of this website. This information is stored by google and subject to their privacy policy, which can be viewed here: www.google.com/privacy.html. Google analytics collects information such as pages you visit on this site, the browser and operating system you use and time spent viewing pages. The purpose of this information is to help us improve the site for future visitors. These cookies are not used to track you or your activity but if you do not wish these cookies to be stored on your computer, disable cookies in your browser settings.
You may delete cookies at any time. See the help in your internet browser to find out how to delete your cookies.
Change of details
It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any of your details such as date of birth is incorrect in order for this to be amended. You have a responsibility to inform us of any changes so our records are accurate and up to date for you.
Notification
The Data Protection Act 1998 requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal and sensitive information.
This information is publicly available on the Information Commissioners Office website www.ico.org.uk
The practice is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).
Who is the data controller?
The data controller, responsible for keeping your information secure and confidential is:
Dr Nick Robertson – Wadebridge and Camel Estuary Practice
Complaints
Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed by the practice please contact the practice manager at the following address:
Mrs Nicky Brenton – Wadebridge and Camel Estuary Practice, Brooklyn, Wadebridge, PL27 7BS.
If you are still unhappy following a review by the practice you can then complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO):
Website
www.ico.org.uk, casework@ico.org.uk
Phone
0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745
Reviewed 11/05/2022
Practice manager
