Privacy Notice
Keeping your information private
Protecting your privacy is important to us. We only collect and use your information in line with the law, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Human Rights Act, the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality, and NHS rules on keeping information confidential.
Every member of our practice team has a legal duty to keep your information private. Anyone who receives or handles your information on behalf of the NHS also has a legal and contractual duty to keep it confidential.
We will not share your information with anyone outside the practice without your permission, except in special circumstances. These include:
- When the law requires us to share it
- When there is a serious risk to your health or safety, or to someone else’s
- To protect children or vulnerable adults
How we use your personal information
This page explains why we collect information about you and how we use it.
The doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff who look after you keep records of your health and any treatment or care you receive. This includes care from our GP practice, NHS hospitals, walk-in centres, urgent care centres, and the Greenwich out-of-hours GP service.
These records help us give you the best possible care.
What type of personal data is used?
Your NHS health records may be electronic, on paper, or a mix of both. We use secure systems and careful working practices to keep your information private and safe.
The records we hold about you may include:
- Your personal details (such as your address, carer, legal representative, emergency contact and NHS number)
- Details of any contact you’ve had with us (appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc.)
- Notes and reports about your health
- Information about your treatment and care
- Results of tests and investigations (such as blood tests, X-rays and scans)
- Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or people who care for you
- Sensitive information (such as your ethnic background, religion or sexual orientation)
- Information about any criminal offences or safeguarding concerns
Purposes for using your information
To meet your healthcare needs
As your GP practice, we use your information to give you the health and social care you need.
If you agree to a referral (for example to a hospital), we will share relevant information about you with the other healthcare staff and organisations involved. This helps them give you the right advice, tests, treatment and care.
We may also share prescription details with your pharmacist and let you know about other helpful health information.
How is your data used?
We use your records to make sure you get the best possible care and treatment.
Your information may also be used to:
- Help protect the health of the public
- Help us manage and improve NHS services
- Carry out clinical audits in the practice so we can check and improve the quality of care we provide
Some of this information is held centrally and used for statistics. When this happens, we take strict steps to make sure no individual patient can be identified. Other NHS organisations may use this de-identified information to improve and develop services – your personal details are never shared.
Everyone who receives NHS care is registered on a national database. This is held securely by NHS Digital, the national organisation responsible for collecting NHS data.
Accessible Information Standard and translation services
We follow the Accessible Information Standard. This means we make sure that anyone with a disability, impairment or sensory loss gets information in a way they can easily access and understand.
This could include:
- Large print
- British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters
- Other professional communication support
We also offer translation services if you need information in another language.
When we use these services, we work with external providers who may hold a small amount of your information (such as your name, address, contact details and NHS number). We only do this with your permission, and your information is always kept strictly confidential in line with data protection laws.
Please tell us how you prefer to receive information and we will record this on your medical record.
Research
Sometimes your information may be used for research. We will always ask for your permission before sharing it for this reason.
Safeguarding adults and children
Sometimes we may need to share your information to protect other people from harm. This could include protecting children, vulnerable adults, healthcare staff, or others who may be at risk.
These situations are rare. When they happen, we do not need your permission to share the information.
Looking after people’s wellbeing is a key part of the Care Act 2014, and preventing abuse and neglect is an important part of this.
Our practice works closely with local authorities and the local safeguarding team to help keep people safe.
What is the lawful basis for processing your information?
The law allows us to use your information. This includes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other NHS-related laws.
These laws give us the right and duty to process your information so we can:
- Provide you with medical care and protect your vital interests
- Look after children and vulnerable adults
- Carry out tasks that are in the public interest
- Deliver preventative medicine, diagnose conditions and support medical research
- Help manage and improve health and social care services
We only share your information when it is necessary for your care, or when the law requires us to do so.
All our healthcare staff also follow the common law duty of confidentiality – they must keep your information private.
Ways we may communicate with you
We may need to contact you for different reasons, including to:
- Discuss your care and treatment
- Offer you a new appointment or change an existing one
- Send you a reminder about an appointment
- Ask for your feedback on our services
- Tell you about other services (such as flu jabs)
- Arrange a home visit
- Contact you if you are a member of our Patient Participation Group
Please let us know your preferred way of being contacted when you register with the practice.
We normally contact you by letter or telephone. We may also use email or text messages (SMS).
If we send you a text message, it will not contain any confidential information. It will usually just be an appointment reminder or a general care message.
Please tell us as soon as possible if your phone number or any other contact details change.
Caldicott Principle 7
Sharing information when needed can be just as important as keeping it confidential. Health and social care staff will share your information when it is in your best interests, following the Caldicott principles (national rules that guide how patient information should be handled).
How do I gain access to my personal information?
You have the right to see or get a copy of the information we hold about you. You can also ask us to correct anything that is inaccurate.
This is called a Subject Access Request (SAR). You can make the request in writing by email or post to the practice. If you want information from a hospital, you will need to contact them directly.
In some special circumstances we may not be able to show you everything in your records. This is to protect you or other people from harm, or to keep other people’s information confidential.
We must respond to your request within 30 days. To help us process it quickly, please include:
- Your full name
- Address
- Date of birth
- NHS number
- Details of what you are requesting
There is normally no charge for this. We may only charge a fee if a request is clearly unfounded, excessive or repeated.
GP patient on-line service
If you have access to the internet, you can register for our Patient Online service.
This lets you:
- View parts of your GP record (including your medication, allergies, vaccinations, previous illnesses and test results)
- Book and cancel appointments online
- Order repeat prescriptions
To find out more and sign up, please ask at reception or see GP Online services
Transfer of information outside the European Union to third countries or international organisations.
There are strict legal rules about sending personal information outside the European Union (or to other countries and international organisations).
Our practice does not share or transfer your information outside the European Union.
How long do we keep your information?
GP medical records will be kept in line with the law and national guidance. For more information click here
Can I access the records of my children?
You may be able to access your child’s health records.
However, if a doctor or nurse decides that your child is mature enough to make their own decisions about their care (known as being “Gillick competent”), you will not automatically have the right to see their records. In these cases, we will need your child’s permission before we can share their information with you.
There may also be other situations where we cannot share the information, for example if there are safeguarding concerns or a court order.