Your data matters (PDF leaflet)
An overview of how the NHS uses information about your health and care and how you can opt-out.
General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR)
From the 1st September 2021, the NHS will change how it shares your GP medical record. The General Practice Data for Planning and Research data extract by NHS Digital from GP Practices across England will help the NHS to improve health and care services for everyone, by collecting patient data and holding it in a central national database.
This is an upgrade to an existing similar process called GPES (General Practice Extract Service). This new data collection will be more efficient, effective, and much more frequent.
For example, patient data held in this new national database can help the NHS to:
- monitor the long-term safety and effectiveness of care
- plan how to deliver better health and care services
- prevent the spread of infectious diseases
- identify new treatments and medicines through health research.
If you do not want your GP data shared with NHS Digital using GPDPR, you need to register an opt-out with your GP practice. Click on the button below to download the opt-out form.
You can find more information to help you decide on the NHS Digital website.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and your information
The ICO recognises the unprecedented challenges the NHS and other health professionals are facing during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The ICO also recognise that ‘Public bodies may require additional collection and sharing of personal data to protect against serious threats to public health.’ The Government have also taken action in respect of this and on 20th March 2020 the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care issued a Notice under Regulation 3(4) of The Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 requiring organisations such as GP Practices to use your information to help GP Practices and other healthcare organisations to respond to and deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to look after your healthcare needs during this difficult time, we may urgently need to share your personal information, including medical records, with clinical and non clinical staff who belong to organisations that are permitted to use your information and need to use it to help deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. This could (amongst other measures) consist of either treating you or a member of your family and enable us and other healthcare organisations to monitor the disease, assess risk and manage the spread of the disease.
Please be assured that we will only share information and health data that is necessary to meet yours and public healthcare needs. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has also stated that these measures are temporary and will expire on 30th September 2020 unless a further extension is required. Any further extension will be will be provided in writing and we will communicate the same to you.
Please also note that the data protection and electronic communication laws do not stop us from sending public health messages to you, either by phone, text or email as these messages are not direct marketing.
It may also be necessary, where the latest technology allows us to do so, to use your information and health data to facilitate digital consultations and diagnoses and we will always do this with your security in mind.
If you are concerned about how your information is being used, please contact our DPO using the contact details provided in this Privacy Notice.
How we use your information
This privacy notice explains why we as a practice collect information about our patients and how we use that information.
Mowbray House and Hutton Rudby Surgeries manage patient information in accordance with existing laws and with guidance from organisations that govern the provision of healthcare in England such as the Department of Health and the General Medical Council.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:
- Data Protection Act 1998
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
- Health and Social Care Act 2012
- NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Information Security
GPs have fair processing responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998. In practice, this means ensuring that your personal confidential data (PCD) is handled clearly and transparently, and in a reasonably expected way.
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 changed the way that personal confidential data is processed, therefore it is important that our patients are aware of and understand these changes, and that you have an opportunity to object and know how to do so.
The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any NHS treatment or care you have received (e.g. NHS Hospital Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-in clinic, etc.). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.
NHS health records may be processed electronically, on paper or a mixture of both; a combination of working practices and technology are used to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Records held by this GP practice may include the following information:
- Details about you, such as address and next of kin
- Any contact the practice has had with you, including appointments (emergency or scheduled), clinic visits, etc.
- Notes and reports about your health
- Details about treatment and care received
- Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.
- Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you
The practice collects and holds data for the sole purpose of providing healthcare services to our patients and we will ensure that the information is kept confidential. However, we can disclose personal information if:
a) It is required by law
b) You provide consent – either implicitly or for the sake of their own care, or explicitly for other purposes
c) It is justified to be in the public interest
Some of this information will be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we hold data centrally, we take strict and secure measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.
Information may be used for clinical audit purposes to monitor the quality of service provided, and may be held centrally and used for statistical purposes. Where we do this we ensure that patient records cannot be identified.
Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for clinical research purposes – the practice will always endeavour to gain your consent before releasing the information.
Improvements in information technology are also making it possible for us to share data with other healthcare providers with the objective of providing you with better care.
Patients can choose to withdraw their consent to their data being used in this way. When the practice is about to participate in any new data-sharing scheme we will make patients aware by displaying prominent notices in the surgery and on our website at least four weeks before the scheme is due to start. We will also explain clearly what you have to do to ‘opt-out’ of each new scheme.
A patient can object to their personal information being shared with other health care providers but if this limits the treatment that you can receive then the doctor will explain this to you at the time.
Medicines management
Your GP practice supports a medicines management review service of medications prescribed to its patients. This service involves a review of prescribed medications to ensure patients receive the most appropriate, up to date and cost-effective treatments. This service is provided by qualified and registered healthcare professionals from within the GP practice, our NHS Primary Care Network, NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group or by external partners approved by the GP practice. Patient identifiable information does not leave the practice system but is accessed to ensure only appropriate clinical recommendations or decisions are made for each patient. Each patient can opt out of (or back into) the practice using their data for anything other than specified purposes or where there is a lawful requirement to do so.
Mobile telephone
If you provide us with your mobile phone number we may use this to send you reminders about any appointments or other health screening information being carried out.
Practice website
Our website does use cookies to optimise your experience. The ‘Remember my details’ feature on our online prescription form uses first party cookies on your computer to store your information. This information is only used to remember your details and is never passed to any third party (cookies must be enabled for this to work).
Using this feature means that you agree to the use of cookies as required by the EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC. You have the option to decline the use of cookies on your first visit to the website.
Risk stratification
Risk stratification is a process for identifying and managing patients who are at high risk of requiring emergency or urgent care. Typically this is because patients have a long term condition such as COPD, cancer or other medical condition at risk of sudden worsening. NHS England (the national Commissioning Board) encourages GPs to use risk stratification tools as part of their local strategies for supporting patients with long-term conditions and to provide care plans and planned care with the aim to prevent avoidable admissions or other emergency care.
Information about you is collected from a number of sources including NHS Trusts and from this GP practice. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your de-identified information using software provided by Systmone as the data processor and is provided back in an identifiable form to your GP or member of your care team.
Risk stratification enables your GP to focus on preventing ill health and not just the treatment of sickness. If necessary your GP may be able to offer you additional services.
Please note that you have the right to opt out of Risk Stratification.
Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed, or wish to opt out of any data collection at the practice, please contact the practice, or your healthcare professional to discuss how the disclosure of your personal information can be limited.
Patients have the right to change their minds and reverse a previous decision. Please contact the practice, if you change your mind regarding any previous choice.
Invoice validation
If you have received treatment within the NHS your personal information may be shared within a strictly monitored, secure and confidential environment in order to determine which Clinical Commissioning Group should pay for the treatment or procedure you have received.
Information such as your name, address and date of treatment may be passed on to enable the billing process – these details are held in a secure environment and kept confidential. This information will only be used to validate invoices, and will not be shared for any further commissioning purposes.
Child safety
What happens if your doctor is worried about your child being safe? Read information flyer.
How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records?
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (which is overseen by the Information Commissioner’s Office), Human Rights Act, the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality, and the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security. Every staff member who works for an NHS organisation has a legal obligation to maintain the confidentiality of patient information.
All of our staff, contractors and committee members receive appropriate and regular training to ensure they are aware of their personal responsibilities and have legal and contractual obligations to uphold confidentiality, enforceable through disciplinary procedures. Only a limited number of authorised staff have access to personal information where it is appropriate to their role and is strictly on a need-to-know basis.
We maintain our duty of confidentiality to you at all times. 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 any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), or where the law requires information to be passed on.
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 organisations:
- NHS trusts
- Specialist trusts
- 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’
National data opt-out programme
The national data opt-out programme will afford patients the opportunity to make an informed choice about whether they wish their confidential patient information to be used just for their individual care and treatment or also used for research and planning purposes.[1] This programme will be live with effect from 25 May 2018.
Patients who wish to opt out of data collection will be able to set their national data opt-out choice online. An alternative provision will be made for those patients who are unable to do so or who do not want to use the online system.
Individuals who have opted out using the existing Type 2 opt-out will be automatically transferred to the new national data opt-out system and will be notified on an individual basis of the change.
The following resources (click to download) are available for staff at Mowbray House Surgery:
- Pack A – The NDG Review and Government Response Published March 2018
- Pack B – Taking the National Data Opt-out Forward Published March 2018
- Pack C – National Data Opt-out Approach Published March 2018
- Pack D – National Data Opt-out Operational Policy Published November 2017
- Pack E1 – Preparing for Implementation Published March 2018
- Pack F – Not yet published
- Pack G – Fit with Data Protection Bill (GDPR) Published December 2017
Should any queries arise regarding the national data opt-out programme, the practice staff will email the query to the national data opt-out enquiries mailbox: newoptoutenquiries@nhs.net
Access to personal information
You have a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to access/view information the practice holds about you, and to have it amended or removed should it be inaccurate. This is known as ‘the right of subject access’. If we do hold information about you we will:
- give you a description of it
- tell you why we are holding it
- tell you who it could be disclosed to
- let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form
If you would like to make a ‘subject access request’, please contact the practice manager in writing. There may be a charge for this service. Any changes to this notice will be published on our website and on the practice notice board.
The practice is registered as a data controller under the Data Protection Act 1998. The registration number is Z5855012 and can be viewed online in the public register at www.ico.gov.uk.
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 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 accurate and up to date for you.
Notification
The Data Protection Act 1998 requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal and sensitive information. This information is publicly available on the Information Commissioners Office website www.ico.org.uk. The practice is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).
Who is the Data Controller?
The Data Controller, responsible for keeping your information secure and confidential is Ellie Dougall. Any changes to this notice will be published on our website and displayed in prominent notices in the surgery.
The Partnership is registered as a data controller under the Data Protection Act 1998 Z5855012. Our registration can be viewed on-line in the public register at www.ico.org.uk.
Primary Care Network
We are a member of Hambleton North Primary Care Network (PCN). This means we will be working closely with a number of other practices and health and care organisations to provide healthcare services to you.
During the course of our work we may share your information with these practices and health care organisations/professionals. We will only share this information where it relates to your direct healthcare needs.
When we do this, we will always ensure that appropriate agreements are in place to protect your information and keep it safe and secure. This is also what the law requires us to do.
If you would like to see the information the PCN holds about you please contact Sarah Stelling at Mowbray House Surgery.
Further information
Further information about the way in which the NHS uses personal information and your rights in that respect can be found in:
- The NHS Care Record Guarantee (link to PDF)
- The NHS Constitution (website)
- NHS Digital’s Guide to Confidentiality in Health & Social Care (website) gives more information on the rules around information sharing
An independent review of information about patients is shared across the health and care system led by Dame Fiona Caldicott was conducted in 2012: Information: To share or not to share? The Information Governance Review.
NHS England – Better Data, Informed Commissioning, Driving Improved Outcomes: Clinical Data Sets provides further information about the data flowing within the NHS to support commissioning.
Please visit the NHS Digital website for further information about their work. Information about their responsibility for collecting data from across the health and social care system can be found.
The Information Commissioner’s Office is the Regulator for the Data Protection Act 1998 and offer independent advice and guidance on the law and personal data, including your rights and how to access your personal information. For further information please visit www.ico.org.uk
