What is a privacy notice?

A privacy notice helps your doctor’s surgery tell you how it uses information it has about you, like your name, address, date of birth and all of the notes the doctor or nurse makes about you in your Healthcare record whenever you come to see us. It also tells you how we make sure your information is kept safe

How we protect your information?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force 25th May 2018. This new regulation has been introduced to strengthen data protection for individuals within the EU. This will sit alongside the Data Protection Act 2018.

What information do we collect about you?

We collect information about you such as: your name, why you are coming to see us, your birthday and year you were born, your address, the name of the person who will generally bring you to your appointments, your family doctor (General Practitioner or GP), the reason that you are coming to see us, any information that your family doctor or you or your family gives us, test results, X-rays and any other information to enable us to care for you.

Why we collect it?

Our main purpose at Old Whint Surgery is to deliver quality healthcare to adults and children. We collect the information we need to care for you in the best way. We ask for your address so that we know where we can contact you, we ask for your date of birth as your age may be important to your care and each time you come to see us we will write down things that you tell us, things that we tell you and any medicines or treatment we give you so that way we can look back at what we have done for you to make sure we are treating you in the best way.

What do we do with it?

We keep the information we collect electronically and on paper. All of this information together is called your Health Record and anyone involved in caring for you at the practice can see what has been collected. This way we can all make the right decisions about your care with all of the information you have given us.

Who we share it with?

We may share the information we record about you with other hospitals involved in your care. We routinely share information with school nurses, but not directly with school unless it is important for them to know. If you have a social worker, we will share it with them too. That way they are kept up to date on what we are doing for you. Your parents / guardians should get a copy of any letters we send to your doctor about your care.

If you tell us something that makes us worried about your safety or the safety of someone else you know, we might have to share this with other people outside of the practice – even if you don’t want us to. This is part of our job to keep you and others safe

How do we keep your information safe?

Everyone working in our practice understands that they need to keep your information safe; this is called keeping your information confidential or protecting your privacy. They have training every year to remind them of this, we tell them that they are only allowed to look at your information if they are involved in your care or to help us run our practice and they understand that they must keep any information safe especially the information that identifies you. This might be your name or address and anything you come to see us about. We are not allowed to give any of this type of information to anyone who shouldn’t see it. This includes talking to them about it.

Checking we are doing our best

All GP practices are checked by organisations to make sure they are treating and caring for patients and families in the best way they can. The people who inspect us may ask to see a small number of health records. They check that notes are written clearly and are kept safe to ensure that we are recording and storing your information safely.

How long do we keep your information for?

We will keep a copy of your information in our practice for as long as you are registered with our practice and if you leave the practice, we will ensure that a copy of any information we hold about you is passed on to your new GP. Your record status will be marked as “inactive” in our clinical system but it will not be deleted.

Am I able to see the information you collect about me?

Yes! You or your family will need to ask your doctor or nurse first though as there may be things that we would need to explain to you such as abbreviations or medical words.

Can I have a copy of my records?

Yes! Your parent / guardian will need to contact us to tell us what they want to see – it may just be part of your record, your x ray or a report. We will check they are who they say they are to make sure we are not sharing your information with anyone who shouldn’t see it. You may be able to request your health records yourself.

If I think some of my information is wrong can I do anything about it?

Yes! You or our parent or guardian needs to contact us at Old Whint Surgery. Let the practice know what it is that you think is wrong.

If I’m unhappy with the way you’ve used some of my information can I do anything?

Yes! Let us know by using our Contact the Practice form. If you’re still not happy, you can contact the Information Commissioners office www.ico.org.uk

We hope this leaflet tells you what you need to know about the information we collect about you.

This information can be made available in other languages and formats if requested.