Privacy Notice

Your information, what you need to know:

This privacy notice explains why we collect information about you, what data we collect, how that information will be used, how we keep it safe and confidential and what your rights are in relation to this.

Why we collect information about you:

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 and help us protect your safety.

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.

Data we collect about you:

  • Your personal data such as name, contact number, date of birth, next of kin etc
  • Your history with us such as appointments, vaccinations, and clinic visits, etc.
  • Notes and reports about your health
  • Details about your treatment and care
  • Results of investigations and referrals such as blood tests, x-rays etc. and
  • Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or carers

We obtain and hold data for the sole purpose of providing healthcare services to our patients and we will ensure that the information is kept confidential. We can disclose your personal information if:

  • It is required by law
  • You consent – either implicitly or for the sake of your own care or explicitly for other
    purposes
  • It is justified in the public interest

Some of this information is held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we hold data centrally, 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 practice will always endeavour to gain your consent before releasing the information.

You may choose to withdraw your consent to personal data being used in this way. If we are to participate in a new data sharing project we will make patients aware by displaying prominent notices in the practice and on our website at least four weeks before the scheme is due to start. Instructions will be provided to explain how to “opt out” of each new scheme.

A patient can object to their personal information being shared with other healthcare providers but if this limits the treatment that you can receive then the doctor will explain this to you at the time.

Our Commitment to Data Privacy and Confidentiality Issues:

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (which is overseen by the Information Commissioners Office) Human Rights Act, the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality, and the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security.

All our staff operate in accordance with the NHS Constitution and NHS Care Record Guarantee.

All our staff receive appropriate and on-going training to ensure they are aware of their personal responsibilities and have contractual obligations to uphold confidentiality, enforceable where appropriate through disciplinary procedures. Only a limited number of staff have access to person information where it is appropriate to their role and strictly on a need to know basis.

Who are our partner organisations?

We may also have to share your information, subject to agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations:

  • NHS Trusts
  • 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
  • NHS England (NHSE) and NHS Digital (NHSD)
  • Local Authorities
  • Education Services
  • Fire and Rescue Services
  • Police & Judicial Services
  • Voluntary Sector Providers
  • Private Sector Providers
  • Other ‘data processors’

Your Rights:

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Data Subject Access:
    • You have the right to request a copy of your personal data. Under the Data Protection legislation 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.
    • To request this, you need to do the following:
      • Your request should be made to the practice
      • We are required to respond to you within one 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 information we hold about you at any time.
  • Rectification: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erasure:
    • You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under certain conditions. In certain situations (for example, where we have processed your data unlawfully), you have the right to request us to “erase” your personal data. We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases) and will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.
    • If we do agree to your request, we will delete your data but will generally assume that you would prefer us to keep a note of your name on our register of individuals who would prefer not to be contacted. That way, we will minimise the chances of you being contacted in the future where your data are collected in unconnected circumstances. If you would prefer us not to do this, you are free to say so.
  • Withdraw: Where we have obtained your consent to process your personal data for certain activities (for example for a research project), or consent to market to you, you may withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Data Portability:
    • You have the right to transfer your data from us to another data controller. We will help with this with a GP to GP data transfer and transfer of your hard copy notes
  • Objection:
    • You have the right to object to processing your data under certain conditions.
    • If we are using your data because we deem it necessary for our legitimate interests to do so, and you do not agree, you have the right to object.
    • We will respond to your request within 30 days (although we may be allowed to extend this period in certain cases). Generally, we will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply

How long will we store your information?

All records held by the Practice will be kept for the duration specified by national guidance from NHS Digital, Health and Social Care Records Code of Practice. Once information that we hold has been identified for destruction it will be disposed of in the most appropriate way for the type of information it is. Personal confidential and commercially confidential information will be disposed of by approved and secure confidential waste procedures. We keep a record of retention schedules within our information asset registers, in line with the Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016.

What should you do if your personal details change?

It is important that you tell the surgery if any of your contact details such as your name or address have changed especially if any of your other contacts details are incorrect. It is important that we are made aware of any changes immediately in order that no information is shared in error.

Opting out of NHS Digital collecting your data ('Type 1 opt-out')

If you do not want your identifiable patient data to be shared outside of your GP practice for purposes except for your own care, you can register an opt-out with your GP practice. This is known as a Type 1 opt-out. If you wish to apply for Type 1 Opt Out please make your wishes known to the Practice Manager.

National data opt-out

The national data opt-out was introduced on 25 May 2018, enabling patients to opt-out from the use of their data for research or planning purposes, in line with the recommendations of the National Data Guardian in her Review of Data Security, Consent and Opt-Outs.

By 2020 all health and care organisations are required to apply national data opt-outs where confidential patient information is used for research and planning purposes. NHS Digital has been applying national data opt-outs since 25 May 2018. Public Health England has been applying national data opt-outs since September 2018.

The national data opt-out replaces the previous ‘type 2’ opt-out, which required NHS Digital not to share a patient’s confidential patient information for purposes beyond their individual care. Any patient that had a type 2 opt-out recorded on or before 11 October 2018 has had it automatically converted to a national data opt-out. Those aged 13 or over were sent a letter giving them more information and a leaflet explaining the national data opt-out.  For more information go to

 National data opt out programme

 https://digital.nhs.uk/services/national-data-opt-out

To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters. 

On this web page you will:

• See what is meant by confidential patient information

• Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care

• Find out more about the benefits of sharing data

• Understand more about who uses the data

• Find out how your data is protected

• Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting

• Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone

• See the situations where the opt-out will not apply

Objections / Complaints

Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the Chobham & West End Medical Practice, please contact the Practice Manager. If you are still unhappy following a review by the GP practice, you have a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority: You have a right to complain to the UK supervisory Authority as below.

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.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 Manager

 

If you would like to know more about your rights in respect of the personal data we hold about you, please contact the practice manager.

Data Controller

Name: Chobham & West End Medical Practice

Email: admin.chobhamandwestend@nhs.net

Telephone: 01276 857117

Address: 16 Windsor Road, Chobham, Woking, Surrey, GU24 8NA

 

Data Protection Officer

Name: Daniel Lo Russo

Email address: syheartlandsicb.informationgovernance@nhs.net

Telephone: 07811 355 274

Adress: Surrey Heartlands, Block C, 1st Floor, Dukes Court, Duke Street, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5BH