Patient Information
We need to hold personal information about you on our computer system and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe-keeping. Please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.
Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with others involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record is properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both a legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.
All information about you is held securely and appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent accidental loss.
In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues. In other circumstances you will be required to give written consent before information is released – such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.
To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone or email unless we are sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends, or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not leave messages with others.
You have a right to see your records if you wish. Please ask at reception if you would like further details and our patient information leaflet.
Data protection officer - Paul Couldrey
Summary Care Record (SCR)
If you are registered with a GP practice in England you will already have a Summary Care Record (SCR), unless you have previously chosen not to have one. It will contain key information about the medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any adverse reactions to medicines you have had in the past.
Information about your healthcare may not be routinely shared across different healthcare organisations and systems. You may need to be treated by health and care professionals that do not know your medical history. Essential details about your healthcare can be difficult to remember, particularly when you are unwell or have complex care needs.
Having a Summary Care Record can help by providing healthcare staff treating you with vital information from your health record. This will help the staff involved in your care make better and safer decisions about how best to treat you.
You have a choice
You have the choice of what information you would like to share and with whom. Authorised healthcare staff can only view your SCR with your permission. The information shared will solely be used for the benefit of your care.
Your options are outlined below; please indicate your choice on the form overleaf.
- Express consent for medication, allergies and adverse reactions only. You wish to share information about medication, allergies and adverse reactions only.
- Express consent for medication, allergies, adverse reactions and additional information. You wish to share information about medication, allergies and adverse reactions and further medical information that includes: Your significant illnesses and health problems, operations and vaccinations you have had in the past, how you would like to be treated (such as where you would prefer to receive care), what support you might need and who should be contacted for more information about you.
- Express dissent for Summary Care Record (opt out). Select this option, if you DO NOT want any information shared with other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
Please note that it is not compulsory for you to complete this consent form. If you choose not to complete this form, a Summary Care Record containing information about your medication, allergies and adverse reactions and additional further medical information will be created for you as described in point 2 above.
If you choose to you can select your preferred option by completing the consent form and returning it to our reception team.
You are free to change your decision at any time by informing us.
GP Connect
Beech Tree Surgery uses a system called GP connect to allow NHS111 to directly book appointments into our clinical system (SystmOne) and also to connect patient data between our clinical system and our online triage/consultation tool (Anima).
GP Connect allows authorised clinical staff to share and view GP practice clinical information and data between IT systems, quickly and efficiently.
It makes patient information available to all appropriate clinicians when and where they need it, leading to improvements in both care and outcomes. GP Connect can only be used to share patient information for direct care purposes, not for any other reasons such as planning or research.
It provides a suite of technical standards that system suppliers can develop and offer to their customers in their own familiar system.
Products and services can be used individually or combined to support interoperability between differing system across a variety of care settings. These products are developed and delivered by the GP Connect team in NHS England.
To see if any other healthcare organisations might be using GP connect , please use the transparency tool below:
https://transparency.ndsp.gpconnect.nhs.uk/Name
If for any reason you would like your personal data to be not shared within the NHS via GP connect or any other way, please email us to advise and we will be sure to swiftly remove the implied consent currently in place. this is best done via email: hnyicb-voy.beechtreeadmin@nhs.net
HN Clinical Coaching Service
Data is being processed for the purpose of delivering a clinical coaching service, provided by a company called HN. This service is delivered by a specially trained nurse or healthcare professional who will work with you on a one-to-one basis to advise on the best way to manage your condition(s). We will share your contact details with HN to enable them to contact you and confirm that you would want to take part in HN’s clinical coaching. This service will help provide you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to improve your health and quality of life. HN will only use your data for the purposes of delivering their service to you. If you do not wish to take part in the service provided by HN we will continue to manage your care within the Practice. HN are required to hold data we send them in line with retention periods outlined in the Records Management code of Practice for Health and Social Care. Further information about HN and their clinical coaching service is available at https://www.hn-company.co.uk/
General Practice Data for Planning and Research
This practice is supporting vital health and care planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. For more information about this see the GP Practice Privacy Notice for General Practice Data for Planning and Research.
National data opt-out
You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning. To find out more visit nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your confidential patient information is used. You can change your choice at any time.
Type 1 opt-out: medical records held at your GP practice
You can tell us if you do not want your confidential patient information held in your GP medical record to be used for purposes other than your individual care. This is commonly called a type 1 opt-out. This opt-out request can only be recorded by your GP practice. Data sharing with NHS Digital began on 1 September 2021, if you had already registered a Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice your data will not of been shared with NHS Digital. If you wish to register a Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice to opt out of future uploads with NHS Digital, this should be done by returning this form to our reception team.
National Data Opt-out: information held by NHS Digital
Previously you could tell your GP practice if you did not want us, NHS Digital, to share confidential patient information that was collected from across the health and care service for purposes other than your individual care. This was called a type 2 opt-out. The type 2 opt-out was replaced by the national data opt-out. Type 2 opt-outs recorded on or before 11 October 2018 have been automatically converted to national data opt-outs. You can find out more about and register a National Data Opt-out, or change your choice on nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters or by calling 0300 3035678.