Practice Policies and Privacy Notice
Patient Rights & Responsibilities
Our responsibilities to you:
- You have the right to receive health care on the basis of your clinical need, not on your ability to pay, your lifestyle or any other factor.
- You will get emergency medical treatment at any time through your GP, the emergency ambulance service and the hospital A&E department
- You will be referred to a consultant acceptable to you, when your GP thinks it is necessary, and be referred for a second opinion if you and your GP agree this is desirable.
- You can view your medical records subject to the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 and to know that those working for the NHS are under a legal obligation to keep the contents confidential.
Your responsibilities to us:
- Please tell us of any change of name, address or contact telephone number so are records are accurate.
- Please do not ask for information about anyone other than yourself
- If you have arranged to meet somebody here please inform the receptionist as, in the interest of confidentiality, we are otherwise unable to tell anyone whether or not you are in the building.
- Please be patient if your appointment is delayed. Delays are often caused by patients needing emergency attention.
Zero Tolerance:
All staff working at the surgery have the right to carry out their work without a threat of violence. The surgery has a policy of removing from our list any patient who is physically or verbally abusing or threatening towards any member of staff or other patients. We promise to treat all our patients with respect – in return, we feel our staff are entitled to the same respect.
Your Data Matters to the NHS
Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
Data shared with other organisations
We receive information about your health from other organisations who are involved in providing you with health and social care. For example, if you go to hospital for treatment or an operation the hospital will send us a letter to let us know what happens. This means your GP medical record is kept up-to date when you receive care from other parts of the health service. There are also a number of Digital Tools that are centrally managed by North East London Integrated Care Board which help support your direct care and improve the way care is delivered in the future. To view the fair processing notice for these tools follow this link: www.northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/legal-information
How your data is used
Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.
Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.
You have a choice
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?
No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.
What do you need to do?
If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.
To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters