Practice Privacy Notice

he Data Protection Officer (DPO) for Yokermill Medical Centre is Tracy Ward, Information Governance Office and she is part of the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde Health Board. Contact details are available from Practice Manger.

 

·        The Data Controller, responsible for keeping your information secure and confidential is the GP Partnership (Dr Gemie-Roushdy & Dr Smith) of Yokermill Medical Centre, 6 Yoker Mill Road, Glasgow, G13 4PU

 

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 we will 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. Your Information is used to:

 

·        Support research; however, we will always gain your consent before sharing your information with medical research databases when the law allows.

·        Obtain relevant information for the NHS, about your health to help improve NHS services & public health in Scotland – for example, to find out how many people have a particular illness or disease. If so, information that identifies you is removed if possible. If the NHS uses information that does identify you (for example, to include it in a disease register), they must explain how and why your information will be used.

 

We may also use, or share, your information for the following purposes:

·          Looking after the health of the general public;

·          Making sure that our services can meet patient needs in the future;

·          Preparing statistics on NHS performance and activity (where steps will be taken to ensure you cannot be identified;

·          Investigating concerns, complaints or legal claims;

·          Helping staff to review the care they provide to make sure it is of the highest standards;

·          Training and educating staff;

 

Disclosure of Information to Other Health and Social Professionals

We work with a number of other NHS and partner agencies to provide healthcare services to you. Below is a list of organisations that we may share your information with:

 

Our Partner Organisations:

 ·          Other NHS hospitals

·          Relevant GP Practices

·          Dentists, Opticians and Pharmacies

·          Private Sector Providers (private hospitals, care homes, hospices, contractors providing services to the NHS)

·          Voluntary Sector Providers who are directly involved in your care

·          Ambulance Service

·          Specialist Services

·          Health and Social Care Clusters

·          Out of Hours Medical Service

·          NHS Scotland

 

We may also share your information with your consent, and subject to strict sharing protocols, about how it will be used, with:

·          Health and Social Care

·          Police and Fire Services

 

Scottish Primary Care Information Resource (SPIRE) & Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)

NHS Scotland uses information from GP patient records to help plan and improve health and care services in Scotland. You have a choice about the information from your GP records being used in this way. You can opt out from this at any time by contacting the Practice. 

Data extracts previously captured via SPIRE are now scheduled to be undertaken by the new PHS Primary Care Intelligence Service (PCIS). 

CPRD’s privacy notice is displayed within the practice or for more information see their website: https://www.cprd.com/public/

 

Medicine Management

 The Practice may conduct Medicines Management Reviews of medications prescribed to its patients. This service performs a review of prescribed medications to ensure patients receive the most appropriate, up to date and cost effective treatments. This service is provided by our clinicians and Pharmacists provided by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.

 

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 Kings Park Surgery this information is processed electronically and given a risk score[1] which is relayed to your GP who can then decide on any necessary actions to ensure that you receive the most appropriate care.

 

Emergency Care Summary (ECS)

 Emergency care information such as your name, date of birth, the name of your GP, any medicines which your GP has prescribed, any medicines you are allergic to or react badly to, is shared with Out of Hours as this might be important if you need urgent medical care when the GP surgery is closed.

NHS staff (Doctors, Nurses, Accident and Emergency, Ambulance control and crews) can look at your ECS if they need to treat you when the surgery is closed. They will ask for your consent before they look at your records.

In an emergency and if you are unconscious, staff may look at your ECS without your agreement to let them give you the best possible care.

Whenever NHS staff looks at your ECS, a record will be kept so we can always check who has looked at your information.

 

Key Information Summary (KIS)

Key information summary (KIS) has been designed to support patients who have complex care needs or long term conditions.

KIS allows important information to be shared with health care professionals in unscheduled care in the NHS 24, A&E, Scottish Ambulance Service, Out of Hours, hospital and pharmacy environments.

Information contained in KIS summary includes, future care plans, medications, allergies, diagnosis, your wishes, carer and next of kin details.

You have the right to say that you do not want Care staff to see ECS/KIS. Please contact the Practice on 0141 942 9494 to let us know.

 Processing your information in this way and obtaining your consent ensures that we comply with Articles 6(1)(c), 6(1)(e) and 9(2)(h) of the GDPR. 

 

 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 current Data Protection Act 1998[2], Common Law Duty of Confidentiality, the NHS Scotland Code of Practice, Article 8 of the Human Rights Act, as well as guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

 

To protect your confidentiality, we will not normally disclose any medical information about you over the telephone, or by fax, unless we are sure that we are talking to you. This means that we will not disclose information to your family, friends, and colleagues about any medical matters at all, unless we know that we have your consent to do so.

 All persons in the Practice sign a confidentiality agreement that explicitly makes clear, their duties in relation to personal health information and the consequences of breaching that duty.

 Please be aware that your information will be accessed by non-clinical Practice staff in order to perform tasks enabling the functioning of the Practice. These are, but not limited to: 

·          Typing referral letters to Hospital Consultants or allied Health Professionals

·          Opening letters from hospitals and Consultants

·          Scanning clinical letters, radiology reports and any other documents not available in electronic format

·          Photocopying or printing documents for referral to Consultants

·          Handling, printing, photocopying and postage of medico legal and life assurance reports and other associated documents

 

Access to your Medical Records

 You have a right to access the information we hold about you, and if you would like to access this information, we would ask you complete a Subject Access Request (SAR). Please ask at reception for a SAR form and you will be given further information. We will also need to verify your identity before we can process your SAR.

 Furthermore, should you identify any inaccuracies; you have a right to have the inaccurate data corrected.

 Who else may ask to access your information?

 ·          The HM Court System

·          Social Services - The Benefits Agency and others may require medical reports on you from time to time. We will need your signed consent to provide information to them.

·          Solicitors - We will require your signed consent for us to disclose information. We will not normally release details about other people that are contained in your records (e.g. wife, children parents etc.) unless we also have their consent;

·          Life Assurance Companies/Employers/Occupational Health Doctors frequently ask for medical reports on individuals. These are always accompanied by your signed consent form. We will only disclose the relevant medical information as per your consent. You have the right, should you request it, to see reports prepared for Insurance Companies, employers or occupational Health doctors before they are sent.

 

Would we share your information without Consent?

 

We will normally ask you for your consent, but there are times when we may be required by law to share your information without your consent, for example:

 

·        Where there is a serious risk of harm or abuse to you or other people

·        Where a serious crime, such as assault, is being investigated or where it could be prevented

·        Where we encounter infectious diseases that may endanger the safety of others, such as meningitis or measles (but not sensitive information such as HIV/AIDS)

·        Where a formal Court Order has been issued

·        Where there is a legal requirement, e.g. if you had committed a road traffic offence

 

 

 

Retention periods

 In accordance with the Records Management NHS Codes of Practice (Scotland), your healthcare records will be retained for the duration of your life and for 3 years after your death.

 

 

Objection/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’.

 

If you are happy for your data to be extracted and used for the purposes described in this privacy notice then you do not need to do anything. If you have concerns about how your data is shared then please contact the practice.

 

Change of Details

 

It is important that you tell us if any of your details such as your name, address or telephone number has changed or if any of your details such as date of birth is incorrect in order for this to be amended.  You have a responsibility to inform us of any changes so our records are kept accurate and up to date at all times.

 

 Changes to our privacy policy

 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 will be reviewed again in May 2019

  [1] Risk score is produced through analysis of your anonmyised information using software manager by 

Scottish Primary Care Information Resource (SPIRE)

[2] Will be replaced by the Data Protection Act 2018 in the near future