Confidentiality & Medical Records
New data protection legislation came into effect on the 25th May 2018 and is known as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations). The aim of these regulations is to provide greater levels of protection with regards to individual's personal data. For organisations, there is a greater emphasis on the provision of information in relation to how personal data is used.
Identifiable information about patients can be shared with others without explicit consent in the following circumstances:
- Upon completion of a registration form for NHS services at a GP practice, your data will be shared with Practitioner Services in Aberdeen. The registration form that you sign provides further details regarding the sharing of such information.
- Your GP surgery has a duty (under its legal and contractual obligations) to maintain your health records. This will include the recording of relevant medical and social information, past medical and social history, referral data, medicines management and the provision of prescriptions, test results and information received from secondary care and other health and social care providers. This is recorded in the VISION clinical system which is provided and maintained by NHS Highland.
- The practice may share your information with other healthcare providers in relation to your on going care. This includes providing current & past medical history and other data from your medical records in referral letters to secondary care, data on blood and other test requests, data on prescriptions which are sent to the chemist of patient choice, and information to the "out of hours" service.
The practice also has a legal duty to comply with the request of medical data in relation to child protection cases or in cases where a police warrant or court order has been presented.
In order to provide medical information to third parties (other public bodies, solicitors, insurance companies, charities etc.) the practice will require your signed consent.
From time to time the practice engages in medical research, most often in the form of data being provided to researchers in an anonymous way, for example, the number of patients in a practice with diabetes (where your name will not be provided). If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.
Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff. Staff are not permitted to discuss medical information with relatives or friends without the express permission of the patient.
A Practice Privacy statement provides further information on data protection and can be found Here
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice manager.
Access to Records
In accordance with the GDPR regulations, patients may request to see their medical records. Such requests should be made through the practice manager. No information will be released without the patient consent unless we are legally obliged to do so. Further information on Accessing Medical records can be found Here
Complaints and Duty of Candour
We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
To pursue a complaint please contact the Practice Manager who will deal with your concerns appropriately. Further written information is available regarding the complaints procedure which is available by referring to the attached document below. The practice also has an obligation to comply with the Duty of Candour legislation - a copy of the annual return to Scottish Government is available by contacting the Practice Manager.
Complaints Handling Procedure
Violence Policy
The NHS operate a zero tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.
Did Not Attend
If patients miss two appointments or more (and do not cancel the appointment) the practice will issue a warning letter with a reminder to attend booked appointments. If the patient does not attend on a third occasion the practice will write to the patient removing the patient from the practice list unless there is a good medical reason why the patient is missing booked appointments on a regular basis. Please remember to cancel unwanted appointments. Your unwanted appointment can be offered to someone else if we know you no longer need it.