Privacy policy
PRIVACY NOTICE
Your information, what you need to know
This notice describes why we collect information about you, how your information will be used and your rights in respect of your data.
Why we collect information about you
Your records are used to ensure you get the best possible care. Your information helps them to make the best decisions about your care and helps provide you with proactive advice and guidance. Important information is also collected to help us to remind you about specific treatment which you might need, such as health checks, immunisations for children and reminders for screening appointments. We work with other NHS services to co-ordinate these.
Information held about you may be used to help protect the health of the public and to help us to improve NHS services. Information may be used within the GP practice to monitor the quality of the service provided (known as ‘clinical audit’).
What data do we collect and receive about you?
Records are stored digitally and on paper. Your record includes personal details about you such as your name, date of birth, address, carers, legal representatives, emergency contact details, as well as:
- Any appointments, visits, emergency appointments
- Notes and reports about your health
- Details about your diagnosis, treatment and care
- Details about any medication you are taking
- Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays
- Relevant information from health and care professionals, relatives and/or carers
We also receive information from other organisations that are caring for you that we hold in your record, including letters and test results.
How we use your information: For providing your care
Prescriptions
Where you have agreed we will share information on your prescriptions to pharmacies.
Test requests and results
Where we undertake tests on you, such as blood tests, we will send the sample and details of the tests we are requesting to the most appropriate pathology laboratory. The data shared with the laboratory will include your NHS number, name, the type of test requested and any health information relevant to doing the test and producing the result or report. We will receive the test results back from the laboratory in a digital format and these will be stored in your electronic patient record (EPR).
Out of hours
We work closely with ‘out of hours’ providers including NHS 111 to ensure that if you need care from a doctor outside of normal hours that they have access to your electronic patient record when needed to give you the best possible care. This may be delivered in a variety of ways e.g. telephone consultation.
Primary Care Networks
Primary Care Networks (PCN) are a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan designed to enable neighbouring GP practices to work more closely together to further opportunities for sharing services, supporting improved access and delivery of patient care. Your information may be shared with services operating at PCN level, for example, where a referral is made to a new specialist clinics for patients of all practices within the PCN.
Patient referrals
WitH your agreement, your health care professional may refer you to other services not provided by the practice, or they may work with other services to provide your care in the practice. Information will be shared, for the most part digitally using shared record systems, emails but also in some situations by letter.
Once you have been seen, the other care agency will tell us about the treatment they have provided for you and any support which your GP needs to provide. This information is then included in your electronic patient record. Referrals can be to a variety of different services, such as smoking cessation services, social prescribers, voluntary services and other health and care agencies, as appropriate, for your care.
Hospital, Community or Social Care Services
Sometimes the staff caring for you need to share some of your information with others who are also supporting you. This could include hospital or community-based specialists, nurses, health visitors, therapists or social care services. Information will be shared to organisations where you receive care, both locally and further afield, if you need specialist care or emergency care in another area.
Shared computer systems
Health and Social care services have developed and continue to develop systems to share data efficiently, effectively and quickly. It is important for anyone treating you to be able to access your shared record so that they have all the information they need to care for you. This will be during your routine appointments, in urgent situations such as going to A&E, calling 111 or going to an Out of hours appointment. It is more efficient for staff to access a shared record than to try to contact other staff by phone or email.
Only authorised staff can access the systems and the information they see is carefully checked so that it relates to their job. Systems do not share all your data, just data which services have agreed is necessary to include.
For more information about shared care records, please visit: SiDER+ webpage
Clinical Digital Tools
We also use a range of digital tools to support improved patient care and experience. These digital tools may relate to very specific conditions and use of them supports diagnosis, clinical decision making, prescribing and management of a condition. Often these digital tools are developed and managed by third parties who are contracted by the NHS for the provision of this very specific work to ensure best patient care. Your information may be shared with or processed by these organisations where it is relevant to your care.
Digital Tools
We use a range of digital tools to support improving patient experience and administrative functions at the practice. These digital tools have been developed by third party suppliers and their purpose is to manage and automate very specific functions, such as (but not limited to), patient registration, patient on-line booking.
Some of the digital tools (both clinical and functional) used by the practice may use automation or AI (Artificial Intelligence) to improve accuracy and operating efficiency within the practice.
Safeguarding of children or vulnerable adults
If we have significant concerns or hear about an individual child or vulnerable adult being at risk of harm, we may share relevant information with other organisations, such as local authorities and the Police, involved in ensuring their safety.
Ensuring medicines work well
We work with the local Medicines Management team of NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB) to help get the best out of medicines for patients and ensure effectiveness in managing conditions. This generally uses anonymous data, but occasionally they will assist in reviews of medication for patients with complex needs. Doctors may also seek advice and guidance on prescribing queries.
Identifying health risks
Systems known as ‘risk stratification tools’ are used to help determine a person’s risk of suffering particular conditions and enable us to focus on preventing ill health before it develops. Information in these systems comes from a number of sources, such as hospitals and the practice. This can help us identify and offer you additional services to improve your health.
Population Health Management
Health and care services work together as ‘Integrated Care Systems (ICS)’ and share data for the following reasons:
- Understanding the health and care needs of the care system’s population, including health inequalities
- Provide support to where it will have the most impact
- Identify early actions to keep people well, not only focusing on people in direct contact with services but, looking to join up care across different partners.
Multi-disciplinary team meetings
For some long-term conditions, such as asthma, the practice participates in meetings with staff from other agencies involved in providing care, to help plan the best way to provide care to patients with complex or long term conditions.
National Services (including screening programmes)
There are some national services like National Diabetes Audit and the National Cancer Screening Programmes that collect and keep information from across the NHS. This is how the NHS knows when to contact you about services like cervical, breast or bowel cancer screening.
You can find out more about how the NHS holds and shares your information for national programmes on the NHS Screening Website. Please visit: NHS Screening Website
Data may also be shared on anyone who contracts a ‘communicable disease’, such as measles, in order to manage public health and safety.
How we use your information: beyond providing your care
The information collected about you when you use our services may be shared with other recognised healthcare organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:
- improving the quality and standards of care
- research into the development of new treatments
- preventing illness and diseases
- monitoring safety
- planning new services
- public health screening
- assisting the Care Quality Commission with any investigations
- investigating fraud
Wherever possible data used for these purposes is anonymised so that you cannot be identified. If information cannot be completely anonymous, then this may only take place when the law allows the information to be used. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations.
Statutory disclosures
Sometimes we are duty bound by laws to disclose information to organisations such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DLVA), the General Medical Council (GMC), Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and Counter Fraud services. In these circumstances we will always try to inform you before we are required to disclose and we only disclose the minimum information that the law requires us to do so.
Objecting to the of use of data for purposes beyond your care
The NHS Constitution states ‘You have a right to request that your personal and confidential information is not used beyond your own care and treatment and to have your objections considered’. For further information please visit: The NHS Constitution Website
National data opt-out
The national data opt-out enables patients to opt-out from the use of their personal confidential data for research or planning purposes. To find out more or to register to opt out, please visit: NHS Your Data Matters Website
If you have any concerns about use of your data not covered by the National Data Opt out, please contact the practice.
How long do we hold information for?
Records are kept for the lifetime of the patient. If you move to a new practice, your record will be transferred. If the practice you have left need to access your record, for example to deal with a historic complaint, they will let you know. When information has been identified for destruction or deletion it will be disposed of using approved confidential disposal procedures.
Your rights:
Data Protection laws give you a number of rights, including access to your data, correction, erasure, objection and restriction of use of your data Data Subject rights. Details on how to request access to your data are set out below. If you have any concerns about the accuracy and use of your records, please contact us.
Right of Access to your information (Subject Access Request)
You have the right to have a copy of the information we hold about you. There are some safeguards regarding what you will have access to and you may find information has been removed for the following reasons.
- Where your doctor has decided that some information may cause significant harm to you or someone else
- Where the information is about someone else (third party) and is confidential to them
You can make a request by asking or writing (including email) to the practice. We may ask you to complete a form so that we have a record of your request. You will need to provide proof of identity.
If you would like to access your GP record online please email awmp.documents@nhs.net
Alternatively, we encourage patients to sign up for access to the NHS app NHS app.
Lawful basis for processing:
The use of personal data for providing care is supported under the following Article 6 and 9 conditions 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...”
Change of Details
It is important that you tell us as soon as you can if any of your details such as your name or address, email address or mobile number have changed. This is to make sure no information about you is sent to an old address.
Mobile telephone number
If you provide us with your mobile phone number, we may use this to send you text reminders about your appointments or other health screening information. Please let us know if you do not wish to receive text reminders on your mobile.
Email address
Where you have provided us with your email address we will use this to send you information relating to your health and the services we provide. If you do not wish to receive communications by email, please let us know.
Any changes to this notice will be published on our website and in a prominent area at the Practice.
Data Protection Officer
Should you have any questions or concerns about your data, please contact our Data Protection Officer Kevin Caldwell via the following:
Email: somicb.GPDPO@nhs.net
Telephone: 01935 384000
Right to complain
If you have concerns or are unhappy about any of our services, please contact the Practice on 01934 732464 or use the Practice Complaints page on the practice website . Please visit the complaints area of our website.
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 Phone: 0303 123 1113
Visit the ICO Website: Information Commissioners Office Website
NHS App and AccuRx integration
We use the NHS Account Messaging Service provided by NHS England to send you messages relating to your health and care. You need to be an NHS App user to receive these messages. Further information about the service can be found at the privacy notice for the NHS App managed by NHS England
Registered patients who are NHS App users will be able to access and use the functionality available through AccuRx via the NHS App, providing patients with greater accessibility to health care and advice from the Practice.
This integration has been commissioned by NHS England who along with the GP practice act as Joint Data Controllers for the data that is processed on E-Consult via the NHS App. It is important to note that NHS England has no access to your GP patient data as part of these arrangements.
Website Privacy Policy
We are committed to protecting the privacy of all individuals using this website.
This policy explains how we use any personal information we collect from you through this website.
Collection of personal information
You can access most of the pages on our website without giving us your personal information. However, you may choose to provide us with your personal information on some pages of the website by completing an on-line form.
By submitting your personal information, you consent to our use of the information as set out in this privacy policy.
Use of personal information
We shall use any personal information you give to us, in accordance with this policy, and with any additional statements appearing on forms used for submitting your personal information. We shall not disclose your personal information to any third parties without obtaining your prior consent unless we are required by law to do so. In particular:
We shall use your personal information to administer, and may respond to, your request.
We shall securely store the information you supply together with any response we may provide.
If you contact us regarding the website we may use your details to reply to you. If you make a comment or complaint about other aspects of the service we may use your details to investigate your comments.
Website privacy
This website uses https to ensure data is encrypted in transmission. This encryption, known as TLS encryption protocol, allows us to protect your privacy. You can usually verify that the page is encrypted by seeing a small lock symbol in the upper left corner of your browser and the website address is prefixed with https://.
Data storage
All data obtained by us is held and used in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
Cookie Policy
Read our Cookie Policy
Links
This website contains links to other sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties that run any other websites. Please refer to their own privacy policies for more information.
Access to your personal information
You have a right under the Data Protection Act 2018 to ask us to provide you with the information we hold about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. If you would like to access a copy of your information, please contact the Practice Manager using the following contact details in the heading above.
Site search
Please DO NOT add any personally identifiable information – such as your name, NHS number, address or any other distinguishing detail – when using the site search function. The site search is intended to return information displayed on the website ONLY, and is not linked to our practice management system or your individual NHS records. Site search data is recorded in our analytics and cannot be deleted.