NORTHGATE MEDICAL CENTRE – Privacy Information
What is a privacy notice?
A privacy notice is a statement that discloses some or all of the ways in which the practice gathers, uses, discloses and manages a patient’s data. It fulfils a legal requirement to protect a patient’s privacy.
Why do we need one?
To ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Northgate Medical Centre must ensure that information is provided to patients about how their personal data is processed in a manner which is:
- Concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible;
- Written in clear and plain language, particularly if addressed to a child; and
- Free of charge
What is the GDPR?
The GDPR replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and is designed to harmonise data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens’ data privacy and to reshape the way in which organisations across the region approach data privacy. The GPDR comes into effect on 25 May 2018.
How do we communicate our privacy notice?
At Northgate Medical Centre, the practice privacy notice is displayed on our website, through signage in the waiting room, and in writing during patient registration (by means of this leaflet). We will:
- Inform patients how their data will be used and for what purpose
- Allow patients to opt out of sharing their data, should they so wish
What information do we collect about you?
We will collect information such as personal details, including name, address, next of kin, records of appointments, visits, telephone calls, your health records, treatment and medications, test results, X-rays, etc. and any other relevant information to enable us to deliver effective medical care.
How do we use your information?
Your data is collected for the purpose of providing direct patient care; however, we can disclose this information if it is required by law, if you give consent or if it is justified in the public interest. The practice may be requested to support research; however, we will always gain your consent before sharing your information with medical research databases such as the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and QResearch or others when the law allows.
Maintaining confidentiality
We are committed to maintaining confidentiality and protecting the information we hold about you. We adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security, as well as guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Risk stratification
Risk stratification is a mechanism used to identify and subsequently manage those patients deemed as being at high risk of requiring urgent or emergency care. Usually this includes patients with long-term conditions, e.g. cancer. Your information is collected by a number of sources, including the Northgate Medical Centre; this information is processed electronically and given a risk score which is relayed to your GP who can then decide on any necessary actions to ensure that you receive the most appropriate care.
Invoice validation
Your information may be shared if you have received treatment, to determine which Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is responsible for paying for your treatment. This information may include your name, address and treatment date. All of this information is held securely and confidentially; it will not be used for any other purpose or shared with any third parties.
Opt-outs
You have a right to object to your information being shared. Should you wish to opt out of data collection, please contact a member of staff who will be able to explain how you can opt out and prevent the sharing of your information; this is done by registering a Type 1 opt-out, preventing your information from being shared outside this practice.
Accessing your records
You have a right to access the information we hold about you, and if you would like to access this information, you will need to complete a Subject Access Request (SAR). Please ask at reception for a SAR form and you will be given further information. Furthermore, should you identify any inaccuracies, you have a right to have the inaccurate data corrected.
What to do if you have any questions
The Data Protection Officer (DPO) for Northgate Medical Centre is:
NAME: Sharon Forrester-Wild
ROLE: Head of Information Governance and Quality Assurance – Data Protection Officer
ADDRESS: St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospital Trust
MOBILE: 07946 593082
Health Informatics Services
Alexandra Business Park
Prescot Road
St Helens
WA10 3TP
TEL: 0151 676 5698
EMAIL: DPO.healthcare@nhs.net
Complaints
In the unlikely event that you are unhappy with any element of our data-processing methods, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO. For further details, visit ico.org.uk and select ‘Raising a concern’.
We regularly review our privacy policy and any updates will be published on our website, in our newsletter and on posters to reflect the changes. This policy is to be reviewed annually.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COVID-19 AND YOUR INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTARY PRIVACY NOTICE APRIL 2020
This notice describes how we may use your information to protect you and others during the
Covid-19 outbreak. This is to be read alongside our main Privacy Notice which is under www.northgatemedicalcentre.nhs.uk
The Health and Social Care system is facing significant pressures due to the Covid-19
outbreak. Healthcare information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support
Health and Social Care services and to protect public health. Information is also vital in
researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the outbreak and in the current emergency it
has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant
organisations.
Existing law which allows confidential patient information to be used and shared
appropriately and lawfully in a public health emergency is being used during this outbreak.
Using this law the Secretary of State requires ALL NHS services including, Public Health England, local authorities, health organisations and GPs to share confidential patient information to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. Any information used or shared during the Covid-19 outbreak will be limited to the period of the outbreak unless there is another legal basis to use the data.
Summary Care Records
All patients registered with a GP have a Summary Care Record, unless they have chosen not to have one. The information held in your Summary Care Record gives registered and regulated healthcare professionals, away from your usual GP practice, access to information to provide you with safer care, reduce the risk of prescribing errors and improve your patient experience.
Your Summary Care Record contains basic (Core) information about allergies and medications and any reactions that you have had to medication in the past.
Some patients, including many with long term health conditions, previously have agreed to have Additional Information shared as part of their Summary Care Record. This Additional Information includes information about significant medical history (past and present), reasons for medications, care plan information and immunisations.
Change to information held in your Summary Care Record
In light of the current emergency, the Department of Health and Social Care has removed the requirement for a patient’s prior explicit consent to share Additional Information as part of the Summary Care Record.
This is because the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has issued a legal notice to healthcare bodies requiring them to share confidential patient information with other healthcare bodies where this is required to diagnose, control and prevent the spread of the virus and manage the pandemic. This includes sharing Additional Information through Summary Care Records, unless a patient objects to this.
If you have already expressed a preference to only have Core information shared in your Summary Care Record, or to opt-out completely of having a Summary Care Record, these preferences will continue to be respected and this change will not apply to you. For everyone else, the Summary Care Record will be updated to include the Additional Information. This change of requirement will be reviewed after the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Why we have made this change
In order to look after your health and care needs, health and social care bodies may share your confidential patient information contained in your Summary Care Record with clinical and non-clinical staff in other health and care organisations, for example hospitals, NHS 111 and out of hours organisations. These changes will improve the healthcare that you receive away from your usual GP practice.
Your rights in relation to your Summary Care Record
Regardless of your past decisions about your Summary Care Record preferences, you will still have the same options that you currently have in place to opt out of having a Summary Care Record, including the opportunity to opt-back in to having a Summary Care Record or opt back in to allow sharing of Additional Information.
You can exercise these rights by doing the following:
- Choose to have a Summary Care Record with all information shared. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see a detailed Summary Care Record, including Core and Additional Information, if they need to provide you with direct care.
- Choose to have a Summary Care Record with Core information only. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see limited information about allergies and medications in your Summary Care Record if they need to provide you with direct care.
- Choose to opt-out of having a Summary Care Record altogether. This means that you do not want any information shared with other authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals involved in your direct care. You will not be able to change this preference at the time if you require direct care away from your GP practice. This means that no authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see information held in your GP records if they need to provide you with direct care, including in an emergency.
To make these changes, you should inform your GP practice or complete this form and return it to your GP practice.
National Data Opt-Out
During this period of emergency, patient opt-outs will not generally apply to the data used to support the Covid-19 outbreak, due to the public interest in sharing information. This includes
National Data Opt-out.
GP Connect
In order to look after your health and care needs we may share your confidential patient
information including health and care records with authorised clinical and non-clinical staff in other
care settings, for example neighbouring GP practices, hospitals and NHS 111. In order to do this we are using a secure NHS Digital service called GP Connect. The NHS 111 service will also be able to book appointments for you into your GP practice or other specialised services that may be available in your area.
Research for COVID 19
Under the current changes to law we are required to take part in Research for COVID 19. We are currently sharing information with the following research:
Biobank – https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/2020/04/covid/
We may also use the details we have to send public health messages to you, either by
phone, text or email.
We are also required to share personal/confidential patient information with health and
care organisations and other bodies engaged in disease surveillance for the purposes of
protecting public health, providing healthcare services to the public, monitoring and
managing the outbreak.
During this period of emergency we may also offer you a consultation via telephone or videoconferencing. By accepting the invitation and entering the consultation you are consenting to this. Your personal and confidential patient information will be safeguarded in the same way it
would with any other consultation.
NHS England and Improvement and NHSX have developed a single, secure store to gather
data from across the health and care system to help with the Covid-19 response. This includes
data already collected by NHS England, NHS Improvement, Public Health England and NHS
Digital.
New data will include 999 call data, data about hospital occupancy and A&E capacity
data as well as data provided by patients themselves. All the data held in the platform is
subject to strict controls that meet the requirements of data protection legislation.
In such circumstances where you tell us you are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms we may
need to collect specific health data about you. Where we need to do so, we will not collect
more information than we require and we will ensure that any information collected is treated
with the appropriate safeguards.
Changes to this privacy notice
This notice may be amended at any time, so please review it frequently. The date at the top of this page will be amended each time this notice is updated.
To Opt out of National shared data use this form:
https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/other-ways-to-manage-your-choice/