Data Protection Act and Medical Information

In order for us to provide our patients with highest possible standards of care, we have to keep information about them, including their name, address, date of birth, next of kin and details of their medical history and this is held solely for the purposes of providing care.  Records are stored both on computer (electronically) and on paper (manually).

As a Practice we have a legal responsibility to keep confidential all of the information held about you. Full information regarding NHS obligations and patients' rights are set out in the Data Protection Act 1998.

Information about you may need to be shared from time to time with other professionals involved in your care, eg. a hospital consultant, district nurse or midwife. The sharing of medical information is specifically covered by the Act. It says that the sharing of sensitive, patient-related, information is permissible for "medical purposes" provided that it is processed by:

• A health professional e.g. GP, nurse, health visitor
• A person who, though not a health professional, has responsibility to preserve confidentiality.

The acorn surgery staff will always meet these conditions when delivering services to you.  To help improve the standards of health care, information from your records may also be used for research and statistical analysis. In the Data Protection Act 1998 "medical purposes" is defined to include "preventative medicine, medical diagnosis, medical research, the provision of care and treatment and the management of healthcare services".  Some research studies involve interviews, questionnaires and surveys and in these circumstances you will be approached (usually by letter) to ask if you like to be involved.  Wherever possible, information used for such purposes will be anonymised so that it is not possible to identify the patient to whom it relates. You have the right to prevent processing and sharing of your information. However, the professionals involved in your care may encounter difficulties and delays if they are unable to share important health information about patients.

Your rights as a patient

The Data Protection Act 1998 gives every individual a number of rights. In brief, you have the right to:

• Access information held about you - please note: In accordance with the Act a fee may be charged for this service
• Prevent processing of information likely to cause distress
• Prevent use of information about you for direct marketing
• Correct an incorrect record
• Seek compensation if you suffer damage
• Have an assessment made if you think the Act has been contravened

Our Practice undertakes to respect these rights within the Act.

Our obligations as a Practice

The Data Protection Act 1998 imposes a number of obligations on our services, briefly:

• Information about you will be processed fairly and lawfully
• Information will be used solely for planning and delivering your health care and will not be used in an inappropriate way
• The information recorded about you will be adequate and relevant, but not excessive
• The information will be accurate and up to date
• Information will be kept no longer than necessary
• All of the information will be processed within the service in accordance with your rights
• We will take all necessary measures to prevent unlawful processing, accidental loss, damage or destruction
• Information will not be transferred to a country outside the European Economic Area, unless the country provides adequate protection of your rights as regards the processing of information

Our Practice undertakes to fulfill the obligations of the Act.

All NHS organisations must have a Caldicott Guardian who is responsible for ensuring systems hold information and data safely and securely.  The Caldicott Guardian for acorn surgery is:-

the Practice Manager.  Click here for more information on Caldicott Guardians:

You can also contact the Information Commissioner who has responsibility for ensuring good practice in all aspects of Data Protection - web site is: www.dataprotection.gov.uk