How we handle your information
This information applies to all patients who are registered with Gleadless Medical Centre.
What information do you hold about me?
Healthcare professionals in our practice record information about the care we provide.
The type of information that is recorded includes the following;
- information to identify you and communicate with you – for example: name, address, telephone number, e-mail, date of birth, gender, etc.
- information that you tell us when you see us in consultations – for example: about your physical and psychological health, social circumstances and family history
- details of diagnoses, examinations, investigations, treatments and referrals
- information about you from other people – for example: letters from hospitals, care organisations, relatives, carers, insurance companies and solicitors.
Where is this information held?
Most of the information we hold about you is recorded electronically. It is stored securely in an NHS-accredited service. We hold some paper records – these are mainly your older records.
Who can see this information?
Clinical and administrative staff at Gleadless Medical Centre can see your records in order to be able to provide care for you. All of our staff work under a strict code of confidentiality. Sometimes we will use staff from other organisations to help us with specific items of care in the practice. They also work under a strict code of confidentiality.
We share relevant information about you with other people providing care for you (see below)
Do you share my information?
We share information with other clinicians and services who are providing direct care for you – examples of this would be referrals to hospitals, clinics, community nurses and social care. This may be as a traditional referral letter or as part of the Sheffield Care Record.
The Sheffield Care Record allows other people who are looking after you to see relevant information from your GP record (such as diagnoses, investigations, treatments, prescriptions and allergies). More detail about the Sheffield Care Record is available via this link Sheffield CCG Looking After Your Information . You can, if you wish, opt out of this electronic sharing via the Sheffield Care Record. There is information about how to do this in the above link. If you are thinking about opting out of the Sheffield Care Record, please discuss this with one of the GPs. We think that this is a very useful service for patients.
All patients in England have a Summary Care Record unless they have opted out. The Summary Care Record is available nationally to people treating you, especially in emergency or unexpected circumstances. It contains a list of your medication and allergies. With your specific consent, we can also add other information to this record.
We share limited information to enable health authorities to organise childhood immunisation and cervical smear services.
We are legally obliged to share some specific information about you – for example notification of communicable diseases, child protection investigations or by court order.
Under the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, we are also legally obliged to release to NHS England (acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health) any information they demand. Part of this is the controversial care.data extract. At present, this has been put ‘on hold’ while the safeguards are investigated. Although not a legal right, the Secretary of State has said that he will give patients the ability to opt out of this extract if they wish.
From January 2016 we have to share anonymised information about NHS Fit Notes (eMed3) with the Department for Work and Pensions. Although this information does not identify you, the Secretary of State for Health has said that your information won’t be extracted if you have objected to the secondary use of your data (for purposes other than your direct care). There is further information about this at the gov.uk website.
Can I see my information?
Under the Data Protection Act, you have the right to see a copy of the information that we hold about you. See the information on the Information Commission website for further information about your rights.
You can access some of your medical records online, after you’ve provided photographic proof of your identity and registered for the service.
Currently you can see details of your current medication, allergies and immunisations. You can register for online services via our home page.
Over the next year you will be able to view your test results, list of diagnoses and recent consultations. We will update the website when this is available.
[This information is also known as a Privacy notice or Fair processing notice]