Prescriptions for Patients Travelling Abroad

Ealing Park Health Centre

Patients Travelling Abroad – Prescriptions & Advice

Prescriptions for patients traveling out of the country

By law, the NHS ceases to have responsibility for the medical care of patients when they leave the UK.  People traveling within Europe are advised to carry an authorised European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) at all times and this gives entitlement to reduced cost (and sometimes free) medical treatment.

Patients should be advised to check specific entitlements prior to travel.

  • For patients who will be out of the country for less than 3 months, it is reasonable to provide sufficient medicines for an existing condition (i.e. asthma, diabetes).
  • GPs are not required by their Terms of Service to provide prescriptions for the treatment of a condition that is not present and may arise while the patient is abroad. Persons who have left the UK, or who are intending to leave the UK, for more than 3 months are not normally allowed to continue to be registered with a practice.

General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR)

Dear Patient,

You may have heard about the General Practice Data for Planning and Research data collection which will be effect from 1st September 2021.

The data held in the GP medical records of patients is used every day to support health and care planning and research in England, helping to find better treatments and improve patient outcomes for everyone. NHS Digital has developed a new way to collect this data, called the General Practice Data for Planning and Research data collection.

The new data collection reduces burden on GP practices, allowing doctors and other staff to focus on patient care.

For more information please click on this link https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-practice-data-for-planning-and-research.

You can opt-out by registering at https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/. Your individual care will not be affected if you opt-out using this option.

GPES Data for Pandemic Planning & Research (COVID-19)

The purpose of the data collection is to respond to the intense demand for General Practice data to be shared in support of vital planning and research for COVID-19 purposes, including under the general legal notice issued by the Secretary of State under Regulation 3(4) of the Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 (COPI).

The England General Practitioners Committee (GPC England), of the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) requested support from General Practitioners for these data collections.

They have made the following statement:

 The RCGP and BMA support this initiative. The collection set out in this DPN was designed by NHS Digital, with the support of NHSX in response to concerns raised by representatives of the GP profession regarding the current pressure on General Practice to respond to multiple requests to release data in support of COVID-19 planning and research.

NHS Digital as the data controller for nationally extracted data will ensure that due diligence is carried out regarding any applications made to NHS Digital for access to the data that is being collected. NHSX will be responsible for a single point of contact (SPOC) COVID-19 request process that will triage and prioritise those applications that are applicable to this data set and pass those applications to NHS Digital who will be responsible for assessing and fulfilling the applications; these applications will only be successful if they pass the appropriate ethical, legal and Information Governance requirements to ensure that data is only shared where it is secure, lawful and appropriate to do so. NHS Digital will do this through the Data Access Request Service (DARS) with advice on requests for data from this collection from the Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data (IGARD) along with consultation with profession representatives at RCGP and the BMA.

A Data Provision Notice had been issued directly to practices and can be found here.

Practice Charter – Patient Leaflet

Practice Charter – Patient Leaflet 25

Introduction

NHS guidance in the Standard Contracts require all GMS and PMS Practices to produce a practice leaflet. These Regulations also set out the core information that each leaflet must contain.

16.7. Practice leaflet

16.7.1. The Contractor shall-

(a) compile a practice leaflet which shall include the information specified in Schedule 3;

(b) review its practice leaflet at least once in every period of 12 months and make any amendments necessary to maintain its accuracy; and

(c) make available a copy of the leaflet, and any subsequent updates, to its patients and prospective patients.

16.7.2. Where the Contractor has a website, the Contractor shall publish on that website details of the practice area specified in clause 13.2.1 including the area known as the outer boundary area specified in clause 13.3.1 by reference to a sketch diagram, plan or postcode.

In 2016 the NHS Identity Team published new guidance on the use of the NHS logo. Practices can download and use the approved logo from here;

https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsidentity/identity-guidelines/nhs-logo/

Privacy Notice

Your information, what you need to know

This privacy notice explains why we collect information about you, how that information may be used, how we keep it safe and confidential and what your rights are in relation to this.

Why we collect information about you

Health care professionals who provide you with care are required by law to maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received within any NHS organisation. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare and help us to protect your safety.

We collect and hold data for providing healthcare services to our patients and running our organisation which includes monitoring the quality of care that we provide. In carrying out this role we may collect information about you which helps us respond to your queries or secure specialist services. We may keep your information in written form and/or in digital form.

The records may include basic details about you, such as your name and address. They may also contain more sensitive information about your health and also information such as outcomes of needs assessments.

Details we collect about you

The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. from Hospitals, GP Surgeries, A&E, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

Records which this GP Practice may hold about you include the following:

  • Details about you, such as your address and next of kin
  • Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments,
  • Notes and reports about your health
  • Details about your treatment and care
  • Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays,
  • Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or your carers

How we keep your information confidential and safe

Everyone working for our organisation is subject to the Common Law Duty of Confidence. Information provided in confidence will only be used for the purposes advised with consent given by the patient, unless there are other circumstances covered by the law. The NHS Digital Code of Practice on Confidential Information applies to all NHS staff and they are required to protect your information, inform you of how your information will be used, and allow you to decide if and how your information can be shared. All our staff are expected to make sure information is kept confidential and receive regular training on how to do this.

The health records we use may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Your records are backed up securely in line with NHS standard procedures. We ensure that the information we hold is kept in secure locations, is protected by appropriate security and access is restricted to authorised personnel.

We also make sure external data processors that support us are legally and contractually bound to operate and prove security arrangements are in place where data that could or does identify a person are processed.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:

  • Data Protection Act 2018
  • General Data Protection Regulation
  • Human Rights Act
  • Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
  • NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Information Security
  • Health and Social Care Act 2015
  • And all applicable legislation

We maintain our duty of confidentiality to you at all times. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if we reasonably believe that others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (such as a risk of serious harm to yourself or others) or where the law requires information to be passed on.

How we use your information

Improvements in information technology are also making it possible for us to share data with other healthcare organisations for providing you, your family and your community with better care. For example, it is possible for healthcare professionals in other services to access your record with your permission when the practice is closed. This is explained further in the Local Information Sharing section below.

Under the powers of the Health and Social Care Act 2015, NHS Digital can request personal confidential data from GP Practices without seeking patient consent for a number of specific purposes, which are set out in law. These purposes are explained below.

You may choose to opt-out to personal data being shared for these purposes. When we are about to participate in a new data-sharing project we aim to display prominent notices in the Practice and on our website four weeks before the scheme is due to start.

Instructions will be provided to explain what you have to do to ‘opt-out’ of the new scheme. Please be aware that it may not be possible to opt out of one scheme and not others, so you may have to opt out of all the schemes if you do not wish your data to be shared.

You can object to your personal information being shared with other healthcare providers which will not affect your entitlement to care, but you should be aware that this may, in some instances, affect your care as important information about your health might not be available to healthcare staff in other organisations. If this limits the treatment that you can receive then the practice staff will explain this to you at the time you object.

To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS.

iGPR

We use a processor, iGPR Technologies Limited (“iGPR”), to assist us with responding to report requests relating to your patient data, such as subject access requests that you submit to us (or that someone acting on your behalf submits to us) and report requests that insurers submit to us under the Access to Medical Records Act 1988 in relation to a life insurance policy that you hold or that you are applying for.
iGPR manages the reporting process for us by reviewing and responding to requests in accordance with our instructions and all applicable
laws, including UK data protection laws. The instructions we issue to iGPR include general instructions on responding to requests and specific instructions on issues that will require further consultation with the GP responsible for your care.

Child Health Information

We wish to make sure that your child has the opportunity to have immunisations and health checks when they are due. We share information about childhood immunisations, the 6-8 week new baby check and breast-feeding status with NHS CLCH health visitors and school nurses, and with NEL Commissioning Support Unit, who provide the Child Health Information Service on behalf of NHS England.

Clinical audit

Information may be used by the Clinical Commissioning Group for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided to patients with long terms conditions. Some of this information may be held centrally and used for statistical purposes (e.g. the National Diabetes Audit). When this happens, strict measures are taken to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified from the data.

Clinical Research

Sometimes anonymised data may be used for research purposes – but we will normally ask your permission before releasing any information for this purpose which could be used to identify you.

In some instances, the Confidentiality Advisory Group, part of the Health Research Authority may allow for identifiable information to be shared with researchers without consent of individuals. You may however opt-out of this, details of which can be found below under the ‘National Data Opt-Out’.

Improving Diabetes Care and long-term condition management

Information that does not identify individual patients is used to enable focussed discussions to take place at practice-led local diabetes and long term condition management review meetings between health care professionals. This enables the professionals to improve the management and support of these patients.

Individual Funding Request

An ‘Individual Funding Request’ is a request made on your behalf, with your consent, by a clinician, for funding of specialised healthcare which falls outside the range of services and treatments that CCG has agreed to commission for the local population. An Individual Funding Request is taken under

consideration when a case can be set out by a patient’s clinician that there are exceptional clinical circumstances which make the patient’s case different from other patients with the same condition

who are at the same stage of their disease, or when the request is for a treatment that is regarded as new or experimental and where there are no other similar patients who would benefit from this treatment. A detailed response, including the criteria considered in arriving at the decision, will be provided to the patient’s clinician.

Invoice Validation

Invoice validation is an important process. It involves using your NHS number to check which Clinical Commissioning Group is responsible for paying for your treatment. Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 provides a statutory legal basis to process data for invoice validation purposes. We can also use your NHS number to check whether your care has been funded through specialist commissioning, which NHS England will pay for. The process makes sure that the organisations providing your care are paid correctly.

NHS England and Open Exeter

NHS England has a legal duty to keep a list of all patients registered with GP Practices in England. This list is held in the National Health Application and Infrastructure Services (NHAIS) systems.  These systems also hold data about patients registered with GPs in Wales and the Isle of Man. NHS Digital, and other service agencies around the country manage these systems on behalf of NHS England.

The data are used to provide Primary Care Support Services. NHS England has a contract with Capita Business Services Ltd, operating as Primary Care Support England to provide these services which include:

  • Moving paper patient records between practices and into storage when patients leave or move practices
  • Storing paper records of unregistered and deceased patients
  • Sending letters to patient to inform them of their NHS number when one is first allocated
  • Providing the cervical cytology call and recall administrative service on behalf of Public Health England
  • delivering prior notification lists of patients eligible for screening to GPs
  • processing new patient registrations and deregistrations at GP practices to maintain accurate lists of numbers of patients at GP Practices.
  • Making payments to NHS Ophthalmic practitioners for NHS services provided
  • Making payments to GP practices based on lists of registered patients, and specific payments for childhood vaccinations and immunisations
  • Writing to patients on behalf of Primary Care commissioners with regards to provision of primary care services or assignment to a GP Practice list.
  • Writing to patients when they have been removed from their GP Practice list
  • Conducting audits and reconciliations of GP Practice lists to ensure list sizes are accurate.

The data from the NHAIS list is used to update the Personal Demographics Service (PDS). This provides information for hospitals, Public Health England Cancer Screening Programmes, Child Health systems and other health providers making sure that they know their patients’ current GP Practice and can access other essential information such as the Summary Care Record.

NHS England Regional Local Teams (RLTs) and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) (where delegated) may also undertake necessary processing of a limited subset of these data (e.g. patient name, address, postcode and NHS number) for example when managing practice closures and list dispersals (the process used to allocate patients to neighbouring GP Practices). This processing is necessary to inform patients of their re registration options and ‘Choice’ as required under the NHS Constitution.

Sources of the data:  The data are transferred automatically from GP practice systems in to the NHAIS systems. The data is also updated by Primary Care Support England after notifications from data subjects themselves.

The categories of personal data held on the systems are:

  • Name – including any previous names, unless name changes are the result of adoption, gender reassignment or witness protection schemes
  • Current and historic addresses and whether the address is a registered nursing home
  • Dates of Birth
  • Gender
  • Place of Birth
  • NHS number
  • Cervical Screening history
  • Special allocation scheme status
  • Current and Previous GP practice details
  • GPs Banking details

Categories of recipients:  Statistical information (numbers) produced from NHAIS systems is shared with other organisations to enable them to fulfil their statutory obligations, for example the Office of National Statistics, Public Health England and local authorities for their public health purposes. Personal data may also be shared with the approval of NHS England’s Caldicott Guardian when he is assured that confidentiality is respected, for example when hospitals need to update their records for direct care purposes or to support specific research projects with ethical and or Health Research Authority approval.

Legal basis for processing: For GDPR purposes NHS England’s basis for lawful processing is Article 6(1)(e) – ‘…exercise of official authority…’. For special categories (health) data the basis is Article 9(2)(h) – ‘…health or social care…’

For more details relating to patient information available to NHSE se their privacy notice:

Local Information Sharing

Your GP electronic patient record is held securely and confidentially on an electronic system managed by your registered GP practice. If you require attention from a local health or care professional outside of your usual practice services, such as in an Evening and Weekend GP HUB services, Emergency Department, Minor Injury Unit or Out Of Hours service, the professionals treating you are better able to give you safe and effective care if some of the information from your GP record is available to them. If those services use a TPP clinical system your full SystmOne medical record will only be shared with your express consent.

Where available, this information can be shared electronically with other local healthcare providers via a secure system designed for this purpose. Depending on the service you are using and your health needs, this may involve the healthcare professional accessing a secure system that enables them to view either parts of your GP electronic patient record (e.g. your Summary Care Record) or a secure system that enables them to view your full GP electronic patient record (e.g. TPP SystmOne medical records or EMIS remote consulting system).

In all cases, your information is only accessed and used by authorised staff who are involved in providing or supporting your direct care. Your permission will be asked before the information is accessed, other than in exceptional circumstances (e.g. emergencies) if the healthcare professional is unable to ask you and this is deemed to be in your best interests (which will then be logged).

Enhanced Data Sharing Module for practices using TPP SystmOne

If your Practice uses the TPP SystmOne software, you can choose whether other health and care providers can access your information to help provide you with care. We have drawn up an “allowed list” of local organisations with whom we can share your data (when you register for their services and give them verbal permission to provide your care through a TPP clinical system). See the link below under Who are our partner organisations.

If your GP uses SystmOne clinical software, organisations outside of this allowed group who use the same software will require formal documented permission to see your records. Your GP system will send you an SMS or email which you can give to the organisation asking for access which will formally validate your consent.

It is possible for you to set your own specific permissions (as distinct from the allowed list we have provided). More information about this, and how to do so, can be found here.

Cloud Based Hosting for EMIS practices

From 10 June 2019 EMIS Web started migrating practice patient data storage to Amazon Web Services (AWS). The security and governance arrangements for this service have been scrutinised and a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) has been undertaken on behalf EMIS practices which can be obtained through those practices.

National Fraud Initiative – Cabinet Office

The use of data by the Cabinet Office for data matching is carried out with statutory authority under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection Act 2018. Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice.

For further information see:

National Registries

National Registries (such as the Learning Disabilities Register) have statutory permission under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006, to collect and hold service user identifiable information without the need to seek informed consent from each individual service user.

Risk Stratification

‘Risk stratification for case finding’ is a process for identifying and managing patients who have or may be at-risk of health conditions (such as diabetes) or who are most likely to need healthcare services (such as people with frailty). Risk stratification tools used in the NHS help determine a person’s risk of suffering a particular condition and enable us to focus on preventing ill health before it develops.

Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts, GP Federations and your GP Practice. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information. This can help us identify and offer you additional services to improve your health.

Risk-stratification data may also be used to improve local services and commission new services, where there is an identified need. In this area, risk stratification may be commissioned by the NWL Clinical Commissioning Groups. Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006 provides a statutory legal basis to process data for risk stratification purposes. Further information about risk stratification is available from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/tsd/ig/risk-stratification /

If you do not wish information about you to be included in any risk stratification programmes, please let us know. We can add a code to your records that will stop your information from being used for this purpose. Please be aware that this may limit the ability of healthcare professionals to identify if you have or are at risk of developing certain serious health conditions.

Safeguarding

To ensure that adult and children’s safeguarding matters are managed appropriately, access to identifiable information will be shared in some limited circumstances where it’s legally required for the safety of the individuals concerned.

Summary Care Record (SCR)

The NHS in England uses a national electronic record called the Summary Care Record (SCR) to support patient care. It contains key information from your GP record. Your SCR provides authorised healthcare staff with faster, secure access to essential information about you in an emergency or when you need unplanned care, where such information would otherwise be unavailable.

Summary Care Records are there to improve the safety and quality of your care. SCR core information comprises your allergies, adverse reactions and medications. An SCR with additional information can also include reason for medication, vaccinations, significant diagnoses / problems, significant procedures, anticipatory care information and end of life care information. Additional information can only be added to your SCR with your agreement.

Please be aware that if you choose to opt-out of SCR, NHS healthcare staff caring for you outside of this surgery may not be aware of your current medications, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had, in order to treat you safely in an emergency. Your records will stay as they are now with information being shared by letter, email, fax or phone. If you wish to opt- out of having an SCR please return a completed opt-out form to the practice.

Supporting Medicines Management

NWL Clinical Commissioning Groups use pharmacist and prescribing advice services to support local GP practices with prescribing queries, which may require identifiable information to be shared. These pharmacists work with your usual GP to provide advice on medicines and prescribing queries, and review prescribing of medicines to ensure that it is appropriate for your needs, safe and cost-effective. Where specialist prescribing support is required, the CCG medicines management team may provide relating to obtaining medications on behalf of your GP Practice to support your care.

Supporting Locally Commissioned Services

CCGs support GP practices by auditing anonymised data to monitor locally commissioned services, measure prevalence and support data quality. The data does not include identifiable information and is used to support patient care and ensure providers are correctly paid for the services they provide.

Suspected Cancer

Data may be analysed in cases of suspected cancer by The Royal Marsden NHS TrustThe Royal Brompton HospitalImperial College Healthcare NHS Trust , Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation TrustLondon North West Healthcare NHS Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to facilitate the prevention, early diagnosis and management of illness. Measures are taken to ensure the data for analysis does not identify individual patients.

Data Retention

We manage patient records in line with the Records Management NHS Code of Practice for Health and Social Care which sets the required standards of practice in the management of records for those who work within or under contract to NHS organisations in England, based on current legal requirements and professional best practice.

Who are our partner organisations?

We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following types of organisations:

  • NHS Trusts
  • Specialist Trusts
  • GP Federations
  • Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists
  • Private Sector Providers
  • Voluntary Sector Providers
  • Ambulance Trusts
  • Clinical Commissioning Groups
  • Social Care Services
  • Local Authorities
  • Education Services
  • Fire and Rescue Services
  • Police
  • Other ‘data processors’

Specific details of the organisations with whom we share your data can be seen here:

https://www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk/yourhealth/healthinformation

We will not share your full information outside of health partner organisations without your consent unless there are exceptional circumstances such as when the health or safety of others is at risk, where the law requires it or to carry out a statutory function. No information will ever be shared where we do not have a lawful basis to do so.

Within the health partner organisations providing your care (NHS and Specialist Trusts) and in relation to the above mentioned themes – Risk Stratification, Invoice Validation, Supporting Medicines Management, Summary Care Record – your information will be shared unless you choose to opt-out (see below).

This means you will need to express an explicit wish to not have your information shared with the other organisations; otherwise it will be automatically shared. 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. There are occasions when we must pass on information, such as notification of new births, where we encounter infectious diseases which may endanger the safety of others, such as meningitis or measles (but not HIV/AIDS), and where a formal court order has been issued. Our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strictest confidence.

Right to withdraw consent to share personal information (Opt- Out)

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 do not want your information to be used for any purpose beyond providing your care you can choose to opt-out. If you wish to do so, please let us know so we can code your record appropriately. We will respect your decision if you do not wish your information to be used for any purpose other than your care but in some circumstances we may still be legally required to disclose your data.

There are two main types of opt-out.

Type 1 Opt-Out

If you do not want information that identifies you to be shared outside the practice, for purposes beyond your direct care, you can register a ‘Type 1 Opt-Out’This prevents your personal confidential information from being used other than in particular circumstances required by law, such as a public health emergency like an outbreak of a pandemic disease. Please talk to a member of staff at your Practice to initiate the type 1 opt-out.

National Data Opt-Out

NHS Digital have created a new opt-out system named the National Data Opt-Out which allows individuals to opt-out of their information being used for planning and research purposes. From 25 May 2018, NHS Digital has had to apply this opt-out for all their data flows, and from 2020 all health and care organisations will have to ensure the opt-out is respected. Individuals who previously opted out with a ‘Type 2’ objection will not have to do anything as you will be automatically be opted out.

If you wish to apply the National Opt-Out, please go to NHS Digitals website here https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/

Access to your information

Under the Data Protection Act 2018 everybody has the right to see, or have a copy, of data we hold that can identify you, with some exceptions. You do not need to give a reason to see your data. If you want to access your data you must make the request in writing or speak to a member of the Practice staff. Under special circumstances, some information may be withheld.

If you wish to have a copy of the information we hold about you, please contact:

Shelley Quarcoo – Practice Business Manager

Change of Details

It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any of your details are incorrect in order for this to be amended. Please inform us of any changes so our records for you are accurate and up to date.

Mobile telephone number

If you provide us with your mobile phone number we may use this to send you reminders about your appointments or other health screening information. Please let us know if you do not wish to receive reminders on your mobile.

Notification

The Digital Economy  2017 requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal data

We are registered as a data controller and our registration can be viewed online in the public register at: http://ico.org.uk/what_we_cover/register_of_data_controllers

Any changes to this notice will be published on our website and in a prominent area at the Practice.

Complaints

If you have concerns or are unhappy about any of our services, please contact the Practice Business Manager – Shelley Quarcoo – 0208 758 0570

Phone: 0303 123 1113

Website: www.ico.orguk

 

For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data-sharing issues, you can contact:

The Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF

Information we are required to provide you

Data Controller contact details Ealing Park Health Centre, 195a South Ealing Road, W5 4RH
Data Protection Officer contact details NWLDPOService <nwl.infogovernance@nhs.net
Purpose of the processing for the provision of your healthcare

 

  • To give direct health or social care to individual patients.
  • For example, when a patient agrees to a referral for direct care, such as to a hospital, relevant information about the patient will be shared with the other healthcare staff to enable them to give appropriate advice, investigations, treatments and/or care.
  • To check and review the quality of care. (This is called audit and clinical governance).
Lawful basis for processing

for the provision of your healthcare

 

 

These purposes are supported under the following sections of the GDPR: 

Article 6(1)(e) ‘…necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’; and

Article 9(2)(h) ‘necessary for the purposes of preventative or occupational medicine for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…” 

Healthcare staff will also respect and comply with their obligations under the common law duty of confidence.

Purpose of the processing for medical research and to measure quality of care Medical research and to check the quality of care which is given to patients (this is called national clinical audit).
Lawful basis for processing for medical research and to measure the quality of care

 

The following sections of the GDPR mean that we can use medical records for research and to check the quality of care (national clinical audits)Article 6(1)(e) – ‘processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller’.

For medical research: there are two possible conditions.

Either:

Article 9(2)(a) – ‘the data subject has given explicit consent…’

Or:

Article 9(2)(j) – ‘processing is necessary for… scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) based on Union or Member States law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and interests of the data subject’.

To check the quality of care (clinical audit):

Article 9(2)(h) – ‘processing is necessary for the purpose of preventative…medicine…the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…’

Purpose of the processing to meet legal requirements Compliance with legal obligations or court order.
Lawful basis for processing to meet legal requirements These purposes are supported under the following sections of the GDPR: Article 6(1)(c) – ‘processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject…’

Article 9(2)(g) – ‘processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of Union or Member State law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject;

Schedule 1 part 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018 lists the substantial public interest conditions, of which paragraph 2 states data can be processed when the purpose is for the exercise of function conferred on a person by enactment or rule of law.

Purpose of the processing for National screening programmes

 

  • The NHS provides several national health screening programmes to detect diseases or conditions early such as cervical and breast cancer, aortic aneurysm and diabetes.
  • The information is shared so that the correct people are invited for screening. This means those who are most at risk can be offered treatment.
Lawful basis for processing

for National screening programmes

 

The following sections of the GDPR allow us to contact patients for screening.Article 6(1)(e) – ‘processing is necessary…in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller…’’

Article 9(2)(h) – ‘processing is necessary for the purpose of preventative…medicine…the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…’

Lawful basis for processing for employment purposes The following sections of GDPR allow us to process staff data in an employment capacityArticle 6(1)(b) – ‘processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation’

Article 9(2)(b) – ‘processing is necessary for the purposes of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of the controller or of the data subject in the field of employment … law in so far as it is authorised by Union or Member State law or a collective agreement pursuant to Member State law providing for appropriate safeguards for the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject;’

Rights to object

 

  • You have the right to object to information being shared between those who are providing you with direct care.
  • This will not affect your entitlement to care, but this may affect the care you receive – please speak to the practice.
  • Any objection will be reviewed by the Practice and a decision taken on whether to uphold the request. The right to object is not an absolute right.
  • In appropriate circumstances it is a legal and professional requirement to share information for safeguarding reasons. This is to protect people from harm.
  • The information will be shared with the local safeguarding service [Insert Borough Social Services contact details
Right to access and correct
  • You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected. Please speak to a member of staff or look at our ‘subject access request’ policy on the practice website – insert link
  • You have the right to request rectification of your record if you believe information contained within it is wrong. Information will only be deleted in very exceptional circumstances. In most instances the original information will be retained on the record noting the rectified information.
Retention period

 

GP medical records will be kept in line with the law and national guidance. Information on how long records are kept can be found at: https://digital.nhs.uk/article/1202/Records-Management-Code-of-Practice-for-Health-and-Social-Care-2016or speak to the practice.
Right to complain

 

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. You may follow this link https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ or call the helpline 0303 123 1113
Data we get from other organisations We receive information about your health from other organisations who are involved in providing you with health and social care. For example, if you go to hospital for treatment or an operation the hospital will send us a letter to let us know what happens. This means your GP medical record is kept up-to date when you receive care from other parts of the health service.

 

The NHS Care Record Guarantee

The NHS Care Record Guarantee for England sets out the rules that govern how patient information is used in the NHS, what control the patient can have over this, the rights individuals have to request copies of their data and how data is protected under the Data Protection Act 2018.

http://systems.digital.nhs.uk/infogov/links/nhscrg.pdf

The NHS Constitution

The NHS Constitution establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. It sets out the rights patients, the public and staff are entitled to. These rights cover how patients access health services, the quality of care you’ll receive, the treatments and programmes available to you, confidentiality, information and your right to complain if things go wrong. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-england

NHS Digital

NHS Digital collects health information from the records health and social care providers keep about the care and treatment they give, to promote health or support improvements in the delivery of care services in England.

http://content.digital.nhs.uk/article/4963/What-we-collect

Reviews of and Changes to our Privacy Notice

We will keep our Privacy Notice under regular review. This notice was last reviewed in March 2019.

Feedback and Complaints

We aim to provide you with the best possible medical service. At times you may feel that we have not achieved this and want to make your feelings known.  Most problems can be sorted out quickly and easily, often at the time they arise with the person concerned and this may be the approach you try first.

Where you are not able to resolve your complaint in this way and wish to make a formal complaint you should do so, preferably within writing, as soon as possible after the event and ideally within a few days as this helps us to establish what happened more easily.

The period for making a complaint is normally:

  • 12 months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint occurred or
  • 12 months from the date on which the event which is the subject of the complaint comes to the complainant’s notice.

If you are a registered patient you can complain about your own care. You are unable to complain about someone else’s treatment without their written authority. We are able to provide you with a separate complaints form to register your complaint and this includes a third-party authority form to enable a complaint to be made by someone else. Please ask at reception for this. You can provide this in your own format if you wish.

Please leave feedback online or send your written complaint to:

  • Practice Management, Ealing Park Health Centre, 195a South Ealing Road, London, W5 4RH

You can also email complaints to us at admin.ephc@nhs.net or ask our Reception staff for a copy of our Complaint Form.

We aim to to acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working day and will endeavour to to resolve any subsequent issues within a time period agreed with you.

If you would prefer to have an informal discussion, then please contact the Practice Management on 020 8758 0570. Please leave a message if they are not available and they will return your call as soon as they can.

Complaining on Behalf of Someone Else

We keep to the strict rules of medical and personal confidentiality. If you wish to make a complaint but are not the patient involved, we will require the written consent of the patient to confirm that they are unhappy with their treatment and that we can deal with someone else about it. Please ask at reception for the complaints form which includes a statement of authority that the patient can sign.  Where the patient is incapable of providing consent due to illness or accident it may still be possible to deal with the complaint. Please provide the precise details of the circumstances which prevent this in your covering letter. Please note that we are unable to discuss any issue relating to someone else without their express permission, which must be in writing, unless the above circumstances apply.

Confidentiality 

All complaints must be treated in the strictest confidence.

Where the investigation of the complaint requires consideration of the patient’s medical records, the Practice Manager must inform the patient or person acting on his or her behalf if the investigation will involve disclosure of information contained in those records to a person other than the practice or an employee of the practice.

The practice must keep a record of all complaints and copies of all correspondence relating to complaints but such records must be kept separate from patients’ medical records.

The practice has an annual review of complaints received within the year and the learning issues or changes to procedures which have arisen are documented.

Complaint form and Leaflet