Your Information

Why We Collect Information About You

Your doctor and other health professionals caring for you keep records about your health and any treatment and care you receive from the National Health Service. These help ensure that you receive the best possible care from us. They may be written down (manual records), or held on a computer. The records may include:

•  Basic details about you, such as address and next of kin.
•  Contacts we have had with you, such as surgery visits.
  
•  Notes and reports about your health and any treatment and care you have received.
•  Results of investigations, such as x-rays and laboratory tests.
•  Relevant information from other health professions, or those who care for you and know you well.

Your records are used to guide professionals in the care you receive to ensure that your doctor, nurse or any other healthcare professionals involved in your care has up-to-date information to assess your health and decide what care you need. Full information is available if you see another doctor, or are referred to a specialist or another part of the NHS, there is a good basis for assessing the type and quality of care you have received and your concerns can be properly investigated if you need to complain.

Your information may also be used to help us: assess the needs of the general population, make sure our services can meet patient needs in the future;, review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standard, teach and train healthcare professionals, conduct health research and development and to audit NHS accounts and services.

Access To Your Patient Information

Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. You may be receiving care from other organisations as well as the NHS (like Social Services). We may need to share some information about you so we can all work together for your benefit.

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 third parties without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as when the health or safety of others is at risk or where the law requires information to be passed on.

Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential. We are required by law to report certain information to the appropriate authorities. This is only provided after formal permission has been given by a qualified health professional.

Our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strict confidence.

How You Can Access Your Own Health Records

The General Data Protection Regulations 2018 allows you to find out what information is held on computer and in your manual records. If you wish to view your records, please speak to the Patient Services Team for further details,  an appointment is required. You should also be aware that in certain circumstances your right to see some details in your health records may be limited in your own interest or for other reasons.

If you would like electronic access to your records, we are able to provide this via the NHS App. Please read our information leaflet which provides further detail about online access, our online records application form can be found here