East Calder Medical Practice processes data in line with current data protection legislation. Please contact our practice manager for all data protection related enquiries.
We would like to reassure our patients that the proposed extraction of GP data by NHS Digital does not include any patients registered with this practice or in NHS Scotland. NHS Digital provide services in England so are not able to access any data held in Scotland. You are not required to opt out as your data is already safe. We take patient confidentiality extremely seriously and safeguards are in place to protect this, including when data is used for research.
Further information on how NHS Scotland handles your personal information is on the NHS Inform website.
How the NHS handles your personal health information
To provide you with the care you need, we hold the details of your consultations, illnesses, tests, prescriptions and other treatments that have been recorded by everyone involved in your care and treatment e.g. G.P, Health Visitor, Practice Nurse. This information may be stored on paper or electronically on computer files by practice staff.
We sometimes disclose some of your personal health information with other organisations involved in your care. For example, when your GP refers you to a specialist at the hospital we will send relevant details about you in the referral letter and receive information about you from them. Our practice also participates in regional and national programmes such as the cervical cytology screening service and your name and address, date of birth and health number will be given to them in order to send an invitation to you.
We need to use some of your personal health information for administrative purposes. In order to receive payment for services provided to you, we have to disclose basic details about you to the NHS Board responsible for this area and to the Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service. These organisations have a role in protecting public funds, and are authorised to check that payments are being properly made.
We are required to co-operate with these checks and the disclosure of your data is a necessary part of our provision of healthcare services.
We may use your mobile number to contact you by text message to remind you about any appointments you have at the practice. Please let us know if you do not want to be contacted in this way.
Sometimes, we may participate in studies that are designed to improve the way services are provided to you or to check that our performance meets required standards and benchmarks. Whenever we take part in activities such as these we will ensure that as far as possible any details that may identify you are not disclosed.
We are sometimes involved in health research and the teaching of student nurses, doctors and other health professionals. We will not use or disclose your personal health information for these purposes unless you have been informed beforehand and given your consent for us to do so.
Where you need a service jointly provided with a local authority we will seek your permission before giving them your details.
Sometimes, we are required by law to pass on information (for example, the notification of births and deaths, certain diseases, or crimes) to the government as a legal requirement.
Our use of your personal health information is covered by a duty of confidentiality, and is regulated by Data Protection legislation. Data Protection legislation gives you a number of rights in relation to how your personal information is used, including a right to access the information we hold about you.
You can view our data protection notice at the bottom of this page in the “Attachments” section.
Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential and adheres to a Code of Practice on Protecting Patient confidentiality.
Learn more about the Protection patient confidentiality
If you would like another person to be able to access your confidential medical information on your behalf we require your signed consent. You can provide this by completing the consent to disclosure form, available at the bottom of this page in the “Attachments” section. Please note we will require to verify your identification in order to process this type of request.
Legally, patients from age 12 years and above are deemed able to make decisions on there own, they must agree if the practice is to give out medical information to a parent or guardian. The form is as above, it must be returned to the surgery with proof of ID for the patient.