Old Kilpatrick Medical Practice aims to ensure the highest standard of medical care for our patients. To do this we keep records about you, your health and the care we have provided or plan to provide to you.
This privacy notice does not provide exhaustive details of all aspect of the collection and use of personal information by Old Kilpatrick Medical Practice; however, we are happy to provide any additional information or explanation needed. If you wish to request further information please contact the Practice Manager by:
Telephone: 01389 315800
Letter: Erskine View, Old Kilpatrick G60 5JG
Email: GG-UHB.gp40065clinical@nhs.net@nhs.net
How We Use Your Information
In order to provide for your care, we need to collect and keep information about you and your health on our records. Your records are used to:
- Provide a basis for all health decisions made by care professionals with and for you;
- Make sure your care is safe and effective;
- Work effectively with others providing you with care.
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;
- Auditing – Using patient health information to review and improve the quality of healthcare. Patient identifiable information is only used within the practice. (Patients have the right to request that their health information is not included in audits);
- 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;
- Research approved by the Local Research Ethics Committee. (If anything to do with the research would involve you personally, you will be contacted to provide consent).
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:
- Local Authority Departments, Education, Housing and Public Health;
- Police and Fire Services.
Risk Prediction
Risk prediction data tools are increasingly being used in the NHS to help determine a person’s risk of suffering a particular condition, preventing an unplanned or (re)admission and identifying a need for preventive information.
Information about you is collected from a number of sources in NHS Scotland including this GP Practice. A risk score is then arrived at through an analysis of your
De-identifiable information by ISD Scotland and is only provided back to your GP’s Data Controller in an identifiable form. Risk prediction 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.
Scottish Primary Care Information Resource (SPIRE)
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.
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 department, 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 01337 840462.
Mail to Patients
We use a printing company called Docmail to send letters to our patients. Data is sent securely online and Docmail puts it in a format and prints the letter, despatches via Royal Mail, and then deletes the information we send. A specific Privacy Notice is HERE
Computer Systems
This Practice operates two clinical computer systems on which your medical record information is held securely. This information can then be shared with other clinicians so that everyone caring for you is fully informed about your relevant medical history. Administrative and reception staff at the practice use this system to assist clinical staff in the day-to-day administrative management of your care.
Shared Care Records
To support your care, and improve the sharing of relevant information to our partner organisations when they are involved in looking after you, we will share information to other NHS systems e.g. medication details for out of hours care. The general principle is that information is passed to these systems unless you request this does not happen, but that system users should ask for your consent before viewing your record.
How We Keep Your Information Confidential and Secure
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, Article 8 of the Human Rights Act, the Common Law of Confidentiality, The General Data Protection Regulation and the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security. Everyone working in, or for the NHS must use personal information in a secure and confidential way.
We will only every use or pass on your information if there is a genuine need to do so. We will not disclose information about you to third parties without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as when the law requires.
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.
We consider patient consent as being the key factor in dealing with your health information.
Anyone Who Receives Information From Us Is Also Under A Legal Duty to Keep It Confidential and Secure
All staff 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 insurance reports and of associated documents.
Right of Access to Your Health Information
The Data Protection Act allows you to find out what information about you is held on computer and in manual records. This is known as “right of subject access” and applies to personal information held about you. If you want to see the information about you that the Practice holds:
- you will need to make a written request to the practice manager;
- we are required to respond to you within one month;
- you will need to give us adequate information (e.g. full name, address, date of birth) to enable us to identify you and provide the correct information.
Who Else May Ask to Access Your Information
- The Court can insist that we disclose medical records to them;
- Solicitors often ask for medical reports. These will always be accompanied by 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;
- Social Services– The Benefits Agency and others may require medical reports on you from time to time. These will often be accompanied by your signed consent to disclose information. Failure to co-operate with these agencies can lead to loss of benefit or other support. However, if we have not received your signed consent we will not normally disclose information about you;
- Insurance Companiesfrequently ask for medical reports on prospective clients. These are always accompanied by your signed consent form. We will only disclose the relevant medical as per your consent. You have the right, should you request it, to see reports prepared for Insurance Companies or employers before they are sent. We may contact you on receipt of a third party request to discuss your consent and clarify what will be shared.
Sharing 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.
Third Parties
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 Record 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.
Changes To This Privacy Notice
We keep our Privacy Notice under regular review.
Concerns About Sharing Your Information
If you have any concerns about how we use or share your information, or you do not wish us to share your information, then please contact our Practice Manager.
Complaints
If you have a complaint about how your information is managed at the practice, please contact the Practice Manager. If you remain unhappy with the Practice’s response, you can complain to the Information Commissioner Office www.ico.gov.uk
Change of Details
It is important that you tell us if any of your details such as your name, address or telephone number 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 kept accurate and up to date for you.