Confidentiality & Medical Records
Health care information is collected from patients in confidence and attracts a legal duty of confidence until it has been effectively anonymised. This legal duty, established under common law, prohibits information use or disclosure without consent. Such consent may be explicit but it more likely to be implied, e.g., referring a patient onwards for care from another provider. The common law duty of consent applies only to the information which attracts the common law duty of confidentiality and should not be confused with consent as a lawful basis for processing personal information found within the Data Protection Legislation. During the course of their work staff will routinely have access to patient identifiable information, whether verbal, written or electronic. Everyone working within the NHS has a legal duty to keep information confidential and such information must not be disclosed or discussed except to authorised personnel on a ‘need to know’ basis. 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.
Patient Information Sharing and the General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
To comply with the new regulations governing data protection, we have reviewed our processes for sharing and protecting the security of your personal and healthcare information. Please read our Privacy Statement and Data Sharing Information Leaflet.
Privacy Notice
Please click here to read our privacy notice.
Data Sharing Information Leaflet
Please click here to read how we share your information in the process of your care.
Access to Records
The General Data Protection Regulation (2018) 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;
- Proof of identity will be required if you make a verbal request;
- We are required to respond to you within one month;
- You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth NHS number etc);
- You will be required to provide ID before any information is released to you.
Our application form can be accessed here
Access to your records can be obtained by signing up to our secure online service. Please call into the surgery to register for online services. You will be asked to provide photo ID (passport, photocard driving licence etc).
New Data Collection Service
General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDfPR)
As well as using your information to support the delivery of care to you, your data may be used by NHS Digital to help improve the way health and social care is delivered to patients and service users throughout England. From the revised date of 30th September 2021, NHS Digital will securely extract your information to provide access to patient data to the NHS and other organisations who need to use it, to improve health and social care for everyone.
NHS Digital will primarily use your information in a way that does not identify you (your information will be pseudonymised). However, they will be able to use their software to identify you in certain circumstances, and where there is a valid legal reason to do so. NHS Digital may also share your information with third parties such as Local Authorities, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), research organisations, including universities and pharmaceutical companies.
At the time of publication (May 2021), patients who have a “type 1” opt- out, will be excluded from this programme and will not have their data extracted for this purpose. Further information about GPDfPR can be found here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-practice-data-for-planning-and-research/transparency-notice.
We will rely on Legal Obligation (Article (6)(1)(c)), Health and Social Care (Article 9(2)(h)) and Public Health (Article (9)(2)(i)) as the legal basis for processing your data for this purpose.
Type 1 Opt-out form
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 practice manager by email at queensavenue.reception@dorsetgp.nhs.uk
Complaints
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 regarding the complaints procedure can be found here.
To complete a complaints form click here.
Are you under 18 and wish to make a complaint? Click here to download a copy of our Child Friendly Complaints 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.