Your Medical Record
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality is the cornerstone of health care and central to the work of everyone working in general practice. All information about patients is confidential; from the most sensitive diagnosis to the fact of having visited the Surgery or being registered as a patient. All patients can expect that their personal information will not be disclosed without their permission, except in the most exceptional circumstances, when somebody is at grave risk of serious harm. The duty of confidentiality owed to a person under the age of sixteen is as great as the duty owed to any other person.
YOUR DATA
Whitley House Surgery collects, stores and processes your personal data in line with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 which is implemented in the UK via the Data Protection Act 2018. You will find a poster about how we use your medical records in the waiting room or you can view our full Privacy Notice for adults Privacy Notice Full Aug21, and a simpler version for adults or children Privacy Notice Summary Aug21. Please ask reception for a copy if you need one.
UPDATE YOUR PERSONAL DETAILS
If your personal details change please download and complete this form ChangeofPersonalDetails.pdf Once completed please return it to reception. If you cannot print it at home, please come to reception and we can give you a paper copy to complete.
ACCESS TO MEDICAL RECORDS
Any request for access to patient medical records by a patient, patient’s representative or outside body will be dealt with in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. To request a copy of your notes please contact the practice who will provide you with the appropriate forms to complete and guide you through the process.
ONLINE ACCESS TO MEDICAL RECORDS
Download the NHS App for online access to book / amend / cancel appointments, view medication and view your medical record. Proxy online access can be granted if certain criteria are met. A child from 11 years old can request online access, but a GP would need to review and approve the request.
PROXY ACCESS
Proxy access was developed to allow someone other than the patient to access and manage parts of their GP online services account. The proxy is given their own online access account (rather than using the patient’s login details). It is often used by the parents or recognised carers of young children, and recognised carers of adults. Further information about proxy access can be found here. Proxy access can be requested by completing the relevant sections of our Online Application form.
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Safeguarding is a priority at Whitley House Surgery. You can discuss safeguarding concerns with any member of our clinical team. Please note if there is an immediate risk of harm to a child or vulnerable adult, please call the police by dialling 999.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act November 2000 gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, with full access granted in January 2005. The Act sets out exemptions to that right and places certain obligations on public authorities. It replaced the Open Government Code of Practice, which has been in operation since 1994 and requires the Practice to produce a Publication Scheme.
COPYING CORRESPONDENCE
The Department of Health (DH) has a policy of encouraging healthcare professionals to supply patients with a copy of letters relating to their health. These letters will only include copies initiated within the Practice and written to other health care
professionals external to the Practice. Should you require any of these copies please make your request in writing. The provision of copies of letters not initiated within the Practice will not be permitted, as the responsibility for the provision of these lies with the originator. However, the patient may still be entitled to receive copies of these
under the Access to Medical Records Act, Data Protection Act, or other relevant
legislation.
SUMMARY CARE RECORDS — YOUR EMERGENCY CARE SUMMARY
This is a summary which will be created from your GP records and can be accessed by other authorised health care staff providing your care anywhere in England. It will contain information about any medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had. The clinician wanting to view your records will ask your permission before doing so. If you do not want a record created, please ask a Receptionist for an opt-out form.
CARE DATA—SHARING YOUR DATA (Data Opt Out)
NHS England now has the power to extract confidential anonymised data from GP Practices without obtaining patient consent. The intention is to make increased use of clinical information for research and planning purposes. If you want more information or wish to opt out visit https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/. or Collecting GP Data - advice for the public - NHS Digital
MY CARE RECORD
This is an approach to improving care by joining up your health and care information in the East of England. For more information visit https://www.mycarerecord.org.uk/
Information About Online Services
You can now use NHS App or SystmOnline to help manage your healthcare. You can book / cancel / change appointments, order repeat medication or access your health records. NHS App is a newer solution and will be developed to give you more access to a wider range of support over time and this is the one we would recommend. Please click on the appropriate link below to access and download NHS App or SystmOnline.