Your medical records 

Your medical record is very important as it is integral to your health care. Obviously it is essential that records are kept as accurately as possible and are up-to-date. Your medical record is now held entirely on computer. Apart from being a chronological record of your health care, to which the doctors and nurses need to refer, the computerized records allow us to perform other essential tasks with relative ease. For example we can use the information to make sure we offer appointments for health reviews at the appropriate time, and for clinical audit, which proves to be a useful tool for continually reviewing and improving the services we provide.

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.

Keeping your records up to date

As a patient, it is a great help if you keep us up-to-date with your personal information, e.g. your contact details or even aspects of your health such as if you stop smoking. The more accurate a health record is, the better health care can be provided. This is a start of how we perceive the future health record should be; a record as much the patient’s as the doctor’s.

It is important that you tell us 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.

Patients can access their medical records via the NHS App - If you would like to learn more about this please email the Practice at STOCCG.MarpleCottageSupport@nhs.net 

Confidentiality - Protecting Your Medical Record and Privacy

Marple Cottage Surgery is committed to safeguarding the confidentiality of personal information by ensuring it follows its legal obligations for data protection, information sharing, disclosures of personal confidential data and subject access rights

To provide clinical care for you we will collect and store information such as personal details, including name, address, your medical consultations, treatment and medications, test results, X-rays, telephone calls, letters received from hospital etc.  Without his information we cannot provide safe clinical care.

We have a legal duty to explain to our patients how we use any personal information we collect about you, whether records electronically or in paper format.  Information sharing must be consistent with the interests of the patient and / or staff.

For further details of sharing of information please refer to our Privacy Notice

Fair Processing Notice

PRIVACY NOTICES

Information Governance Policy

GDPR Patient Leaflet

How we will use your information

The information we record helps us provide safe and effective clinical care for you, and we call this data used for providing direct patient care.  We can only disclose your data to another party if you give consent, or to enable another organisation / provider to provide direct clinical care eg if we refer you to hospital. 

In some situations we can disclose this information if it is required by law or if it is justified in the public interest eg to prevent infectious diseases from spreading

In some circumstances we will also share medical records for medical research, for example to find out more about why people get ill.

Your rights

• You have the right to be given a copy of your medical record.
• You have the right to object to your medical records being shared with other organisations (please refer to the Data Sharing & Opt Out section)
• You have the right to object to your information being used for medical research and to plan health services.
• You have the right to have any mistakes corrected and to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Please see the practice privacy notice on the website or speak to a member of staff for more information.

In order to comply with our legal and contractural obligations the practice may send data to NHS Digital when directed by the Secretary of State for Health under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

GDPR - Confidentiality & Medical Records

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records following General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

We will only share identifiable information to provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services, etc., unless you consent to sharing with other organisations.  

Processing your information in this way and obtaining your consent ensures that we comply with Articles 6(1)(c), 6(1)(e) and 9(2)(h) of the General Date Protection Regulations (GDPR).

We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations or receive information from the following organisations:-

• Out of hours providers
• NHS Trusts / Foundation Trusts 
• Independent Contractors e.g. dentists, opticians, pharmacists    
• Private Sector Providers
• Ambulance Trusts           
• Social Care Services        
• Local Authorities             
• Fire and Rescue Services              
• Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of via our Privacy Notice  

If you do not wish information about you to be used in such a way, please refer to the Data Sharing & opts Out section on the website

Access to Records (DSAR)

In accordance with GDPR patients may request to see their medical records by completing a Data Subject Access Request form.  We will require verification of ID before releasing any information. This will need one form of photographic identification and a second form of proof of address in order to prove your identity.

Data Subject Access Request Form

Data Subject Access Request Form

Please complete the DSAR form and return to the Practice, along with two forms of identification. One must be photographic, such as Passport or Photocard Driving Licence. The second form must be proof of current address, as matching your GP Record.  

You can return this to the practice by email at STOCCG.MarpleCottageSupport@nhs.net

You will need to take a photograph of two forms of identification, and also a photograph of you holding the Photographic Identification. 

Requests will be processed within one calendar month. 

Alternatively, for access to medical records - you can access this yourself via online services by registering for the NHS App, or alternative service providers. Please visit the online services section of the website for more information. 

Freedom of Information

Information about the General Practitioners 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 Managing Partner.

Encrypted Emails received from the Practice

Encrypted Email - How to open your message

Accessing Encrypted Emails Guide (NHSMail Guidance)

Privacy Notices

Privacy Notice During Covid19 Pandemic

During these exceptional circumstances we want to make it easier for you to understand and provide you with more information about how our GP Practice may seek to collect, use, share and hold information about you in relation to the unprecedented challenges we are facing during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

We may collect, use and share your information in response to the Coronavirus which is above and beyond what would ordinarily be collected used, accessed and shared. This is because it will allow front line services to manage and contain the virus. Such information will be limited to what is proportionate and necessary.

For more information on how we protect your information please refer to the Privacy notices below