It is essential to respect the rights and privacy of patient information, but it is also important that information is accessible to healthcare professionals who may contribute to your healthcare.

This page describes how we securely and confidentially collect, use, store and possibly share personal information. Guidance is also provided on how you can use your rights to request to see any information we hold.

Health professionals who deal with your healthcare like doctors, community nurses, therapists, dentists and your pharmacist need to record information on paper or computer systems about any diagnosis, test results, treatments, drug therapy/ prescription and any other information you provide which may be relevant to improving your healthcare.

The information held about you, will over the course of your Healthcare, be added to by numerous Healthcare Professionals and clerical staff. Additions to your record, may be a result of boo king appointments, referrals, communicating with you, and other parts of the NHS.

We understand just how sensitive your information is, so all staff are given training on Information Security.                                                                                                            We have three guiding principles for Information Security, specifically:

• Confidentiality: Ensure information is accessible only to those authorised to have access.
• Integrity: Safeguard the accuracy and completeness of information and processing methods.
• Availability: Ensure only authorised users have access to information when required.

Detection & prevention of crime From time to time we need to check information such as prescriptions to detect or prevent fraud. In these cases it is unlikely that we will seek your consent to access your records, as this may interfere with the investigation. However we may inform you where your records have been inspected.

 This symbol should be clearly visible on forms used to collect information about you. It is intended to signpost you towards information that lets you know why we are collecting this information and what we will do with the information. It will also include contact details to find out more information if required.

If you are asked to provide personal information on a form, you are fully entitled to ask why this is being collected and what it is to be used for. The person collecting the information can provide you with this information.

 
The quality of care provided to you is sometimes reviewed through the process of clinical audit. This may involve members of the healthcare team or the clinical audit department reviewing patient records.

Records collected from these reviews are anonymised (remove information which can identify an individual) so that patients cannot be identified.

 
Some medical files are needed to teach students doctors and nurses. Without such information, new doctors and nurses would not be trained properly.

 Any research activity conducted, first has to be presented before an Ethics Committee to ensure that the research is appropriate, worthwhile and confidentiality issues are addressed.

Some research may require your direct involvement (especially if taking part in clinical trials). This will be fully explained before you give your consent. If you do not give consent you will not be included in the trial.

Sometimes, researchers need access to individual medical files. In these cases we will contact you first for your consent, if you do not provide your consent then your records will not be used in the research.

 
To manage the NHS and the services provided, some restricted information such as treatments, drugs prescribed and number of patients seen, are collected from hospitals, general practices, dental practices, pharmacies and organisations we may refer patients to.

In these cases and wherever possible, personal information that could identify you is removed.

 In order to maintain the level of Healthcare being provided to you it may be reasonably appropriate to share information with our partner organisations like the Local Authority, the Police or the Probation Service, in order to ensure your Healthcare is maintained.

In these circumstances we will seek your consent to share this information. There may be circumstances where your consent is not sought. In these cases any sharing of information will be done so in line with statutory guidance.

For example a doctor, by law is required to provide information to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as meningitis, to protect you and others. Another example could be where it is in the best interest to share some information about you, another individual or a group of people with the Local Authority, the Police or any other relevant body in order to protect the health and well being of you or another person, and to prevent or detect criminal activity.

 
If at any time you find that any information held about you is inaccurate or incorrect, please let the manager of the organisation holding the information know of the error.

 Parental responsibility refers to all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to a child.

If you have parental responsibility for a child then the information on this page equally applies to your child’s information.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you, or someone acting on your behalf with your consent, have a right to request access to view or obtain a copy of any personal information we hold about you. You can also restrict some parts of the information, where you have provided your consent, subject to possible exemptions.

 To request a copy or to view your records then your requests must be made in writing to the following address:

Physiological Measurements Ltd
F.A.O Senior Information Security Officer
The Old Malt House, Willow Street, Shropshire, SY11 1AJ

Email: pml@nhs.net

There maybe a charge to have a copy of your record provided, however you will be informed of this prior to your record being disclosed.

 
Information Governance provides a framework for handling personal information in a confidential and secure manner while delivering services to patients within the constraints of any prevailing legal, statutory and ethical frameworks.

For further information on Information Governance please contact:

Physiological Measurements Ltd
F.A.O Senior Information Security Officer
The Old Malt House, Willow Street, Shropshire, SY11 1AJ

Email: pml@nhs.net
Telephone: 01691 676496

Please note, calls may be recorded for quality and monitoring purposes.

Related Information

  Protecting Your Info.
  Accessing Your Info.
  Your Healthcare Info.