Confidentiality is the duty of a person to not disclose anything learned from a patient who has attended, consulted or been treated, without that person’s consent.

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 Practice or being registered at the Practice.

The duty of confidentiality owed to a person under 16 is as great as the duty owed to any other person.

All patients can expect that their personal information will not be disclosed without their permission (except in the most exceptional circumstances when disclosure is required when somebody is at grave risk of serious harm).

Your information, your rights

Being transparent and providing accessible information to patients about how we will use personal information is a key element of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

The following notice reminds you of your rights in respect of the above legislation and how your GP Surgery will use your information for lawful purposes in order to deliver your care and the effective management of the local NHS system.

This notice reflects how we use information for:

• The management of patient records.
• Communication concerning your clinical, social and supported care.
• Ensuring the quality of your care and the best clinical outcomes are achieved through clinical audit and retrospective review.
• Participation in health and social care research.
• The management and clinical planning of services to ensure that appropriate care is in place for the people of South Norfolk today and in the future.

Data Controller

As your registered GP Surgery, we are the data controller for any personal data that we hold about you.

What information do we collect and use?

All personal data must be processed fairly and lawfully, whether is it received directly from you or from a third party in relation to your care.

The lawful basis for processing your personal information is that it is necessary to perform the task of being your NHS general practice, a task in the public interest, and it is necessary for the purposes of providing your healthcare.

We will collect the following types of information from you or about you from a third party (provider organisation) engaged in the delivery of your care:

• ‘Personal data’ meaning any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified from the data. This includes, but is not limited to name, date of birth, full postcode, address, next of kin and NHS number.
• ‘Special category / sensitive data’ such as medical history including details of appointments and contact with you, medication, emergency appointments and admissions, clinical notes, treatments, results of investigations, supportive care arrangements, social care status, race, ethnic origin, genetics and sexual orientation.

Your healthcare records could contain information about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. from an acute hospital, GP surgery, community care provider, mental health care provider, walk-in centre, social services, prison services). These records may be electronic, a paper record or a mixture of both. We use a combination of technologies and working practices to ensure that we keep your information secure and confidential.

Why do we collect this information?

The NHS Act 2006 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012 invests statutory functions on GP practices to promote and provide the health service in England, improve quality of services, reduce inequalities, conduct research, review performance of services and deliver education and training. To do this, we will need to process your information in accordance with current data protection legislation to:

• Protect your vital interests.
• Pursue our legitimate interests as a provider of medical care, particularly where the individual is a child or a vulnerable adult.
• Perform tasks in the public’s interest.
• Deliver preventative medicine, medical diagnosis, medical research.
• Manage the health and social care system and services.

How do we use this information?

To ensure that you receive the best possible care, your records will be used to facilitate the care you receive.

Information held about you may be used to protect the health of the public and to help us manage the NHS. Information may also be used for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided. In addition, your information will be used to identify whether you are at risk of a future unplanned hospital admission and/or require support to effectively manage a long term condition.

How is the information collected?

Your information will be collected either electronically using secure NHS Mail or a secure electronic transfer over an NHS encrypted network connection. In addition, physical information will be sent to your practice. This information will be retained within your GP’s electronic patient record or within your physical medical records.

Who will we share your information with?

In order to deliver and coordinate your health and social care, we may share information with the following organisations:

• NHS Hospital Trusts.
• Specialist Trusts.
• Services commissioned as part of an NHS package of care.
• Care Homes, Nursing Homes, Extra Care Housing and Specialist Residential Accommodation commissioned by social and other government services.
• Independent Contractors such as Dentists, Opticians, Pharmacists.
• Private Sector Health Providers.
• Voluntary Sector Health Providers.
• Ambulance Trusts.
• Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG).
• Social Care Services.
• Local Authorities.
• Education Services.
• Fire and Rescue Services.
• Police and Judicial Services.
• Referral Management Organisation commissioned by (CCG).
• Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of.
• GP practices in South Norfolk in order to deliver extended primary care services.
• IC24 – 111 and Out of Hours Service.

Your information will only be shared if it is appropriate for the provision of your care or required to satisfy our statutory function and legal obligations. Your information will not be transferred outside of the European Union.

Who do we receive information from?

Whilst we might share your information with the above organisations, we may also receive information from them to ensure that your medical records are kept up to date and so that your GP can provide the appropriate care.

In addition we receive data from NHS Digital (as directed by the Department of Health) such as the uptake of flu vaccinations and disease prevalence in order to assist us to improve “out of hospital care”.

How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records?

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information that has been collected lawfully. Every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation or NHS contracted organisation has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential. We maintain our duty of confidentiality by conducting annual training and awareness, ensuring access to personal data is limited to the appropriate staff and information is only shared with organisations and individuals that have a legitimate and legal basis for access.

Information is not held for longer than is necessary. We will hold your information in accordance with the Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016.

Do I need to give my consent?

The GDPR sets a high standard for consent. Consent means offering people genuine choice and control over how their data is used. When consent is used properly, it helps you build trust and enhance your reputation. However consent is only one potential lawful basis for processing information. Therefore your GP practice may not need to seek your explicit consent for every instance of processing and sharing your information, on the condition that the processing is carried out in accordance with this notice. Your GP practice will contact you if they are required to share your information for any other purpose which is not mentioned within this notice. Your consent will be documented within your electronic patient record.

What will happen if I withhold my consent or raise an objection?

You have the right to write to withdraw your consent at any time for any particular instance of processing, provided consent is the legal basis for the processing. Please contact your GP practice for further information and to raise your objection.

Health Risk Screening / Risk Stratification

‘Health Risk Screening’ or ‘Risk Stratification’ is a process that helps your GP to determine whether you are at risk of an unplanned admission or deterioration in health. By using selected information such as age, gender, NHS number, diagnosis,  existing long term condition(s), medication history, patterns of hospital attendances, admissions and periods of access to community care your GP will be able to judge if you are likely to need more support and care from time to time, or if the right services are in place to support the local population’s needs.

In summary Risk Stratification is used in the NHS to:

• Help decide if a patient is at a greater risk of suffering from a particular condition.
• Prevent an emergency admission.
• Identify if a patient needs medical help to prevent a health condition from getting worse.
• Review and amend provision of current health and social care services.

Your GP will use computer based algorithms or calculations to identify their registered patients who are at most risk, with support from the local Commissioning Support Unit and/or a third party accredited Risk Stratification provider. The risk stratification contracts are arranged by NHS South Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group and or NHS England in accordance with the current Section 251 Agreement. Neither the CSU nor South Norfolk CCG will at any time have access to your personal or confidential data. They will only act on behalf of your GP to organise the risk stratification service with appropriate contractual, technical and security measures in place.

Your GP will routinely conduct the risk stratification process outside of your GP appointment. This process is conducted electronically and without human intervention. The resulting report is then reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of staff within the practice. This may result in contact being made with you if alterations to the provision of your care are identified.

A Section 251 Agreement is where the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has granted permission for personal data to be used for the purposes of risk stratification, in acknowledgement that it would overburden the NHS to conduct manual reviews of all patient registers held by individual providers.

As mentioned above, you have the right to object to your information being used in this way. However you should be aware that your objection may have a negative impact on the timely and proactive provision of your direct care. Please contact the practice manager to discuss how disclosure of your personal data can be limited.

Sharing of Electronic Patient Records within the NHS

Electronic patient records are kept in most places where you receive healthcare. Our practice electronic clinical system SystmOne enables your record to be shared with organisations involved in your direct care, such as:

• Other GP Surgeries
• Community services such as district nurses, rehabilitation services, telehealth and out of hospital services.
• Child health services that undertake routine treatment or health screening
• Urgent care organisations, minor injury units or out of hours services
• Community Hospitals
• Palliative Care Hospitals
• Care Homes
• Mental Health Trusts
• Hospitals
• Social Care organisations
• Pharmacies
• Safeguarding Teams

In addition, NHS England have implemented the Summary Care Record which contains information about medication you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any adverse reactions to medication that you have had in the past. More information can be found at www.digital.nhs.uk or the phone number for general enquires at NHS Digital is 0300 303 5678.

Your electronic health record contains a lot of information about you. In most cases, particularly for patients with complex conditions and care arrangements, the shared record plays a vital role in delivering the best care and a coordinated response, taking into account all aspects of a person’s physical and mental health. Many  patients are understandably not able to provide a full account of their care, or may not be in a position to do so. The shared record means patients do not have to repeat their medical history at every care setting.

Your record will be automatically set up to be shared with the organisations listed above, however you have the right to ask your GP to disable this function or restrict access to specific elements of your record. This will mean that the information recorded by your GP will not be visible at any other care setting. You may well have done this at point of registration.

You can also reinstate your consent at any time by giving your permission to override your previous dissent.

Invoice Validation

If you have received treatment within the NHS, the local Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) may require access to your personal information to determine which Clinical Commissioning Group is responsible for payment for the treatment or procedures you have received. Information such as your name, address, date of treatment and associated treatment code may be passed onto the CSU to enable them to process the bill.

These details are held in a secure environment and kept confidential. This information is only used to validate invoices in accordance with the current Section 251 Agreement, and will not be shared for any further commissioning purposes.

Your right of access to your records

The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulations allows you to find out what information is held about you including information held within your medical records, either in electronic or physical format. This is known as the “right of subject access”. If you would like to have access to all or part of your records, you can make a request in writing to the organisation that you believe holds your information. This can be your GP, or a provider that is or has delivered your treatment and care.

You should however be aware that some details within your health records may be exempt from disclosure, however this will in the interests of your wellbeing or to protect the identity of a third party. If you would like access to your GP record please submit your request in writing to correspondence address detailed below. Please note you have the right to apply for rectification, erasure and restrictions of processing your data. Details can be obtained from the Practice Business Manager at the address at the end of this document.

Call recording and closed circuit television recording (CCTV)

All telephone calls are recorded for monitoring and training purposes in line with our telephone recording protocol which adheres to the GDPR. The practice also operates external CCTV for security and safety purposes in line with current Information Commissioners Office guidance.

Complaints

In the event that your feel your GP practice has not complied with the current data protection legislation, either in responding to your request or in our general processing of your personal information, you should raise your concerns in the first instance in writing to the Practice Business Manager at the practice address below.

If you remain dissatisfied with our response you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at:

Address
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Phone
0303 123 1113

Wesbite
www.ico.org.uk

Address for correspondence:

• Practice Business Manager: Chet Valley Medical Practice, 40-48 George Lane, Loddon, Norwich Norfolk NR14 6QH

Data protection officer

Kafico

Website
www.kafico.co.uk

Email
emma.cooper35@nhs.net

We are continually looking to turn patient feedback into real improvements in the services we provide. We use it to focus on the things that matter most to our patients, carers and their families.

Information about the General Practitioners and the Practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the Practice Business Manager, Mrs Claire Warman.

Please phone the practice on 01508 520222.

Your information

Chet Valley Medical Practice takes privacy seriously and we want to provide you with information about your rights, who we share your information with and how we keep it secure.

Please use the links below to find more information about the practice and data protection.

• Our Data Protection Videos
• Your Information
• Children and Young People
• What We Do with Your Information
• What Else Do We Use Your Information For?
• Sharing When Required by Law
• Information Rights
• Case Finding and Profiling
• Norfolk Sharing Partners
• Information Technology
• Keeping Your Information Safe
• How Long Do We Keep Your Information?
• Our Use of CCTV
• Our Use of Telephone Recording
• Norfolk Primary Care Networks
• Practice Processors (PDF)
• Practice Processing Activities (PDF)
• Secondary Use of Data

All GP practices are required to declare the mean earnings (e.g. average pay) for GPs working to deliver NHS services to patients at each practice.

The average pay for GPs working in Chet Valley Medical Practice in the last financial year was £61,011 before tax and National Insurance. This is for 3 full time GPs and 5 part time GPs who worked in the practice for more than six months.

However, it should be noted that the prescribed method for calculating earnings is potentially misleading because it takes no account of how much time doctors spend working in the practice and should not be used to form any judgement about GP earnings, nor to make any comparison with any other practice.

We assign all new and existing patients with a Named Accountable GP to oversee their care.

For patients aged 75 and over, the Named Accountable GP is responsible for:

• Working with health and social care professionals to deliver a care package that meets the needs of the patient

Patients can still choose to see any GP in the Surgery. We will make reasonable efforts to accommodate their preference.

If you have a preference or want to know who your Named GP is, you can contact us for more information.

GP services fees

Patients registered at Chet Valley Medical Practice have access to a number of services which are not covered by the NHS. As this is non-NHS work, there is a charge for these services. The level of charge is as advised to us annually by the British Medical Association. A list of these services, with charges, are listed below. Fees not listed are available upon application

Holiday travel immunisations not under the NHS

Travel advice and immunisations are available at Globe Travel Norwich 01603 667323.

If there is the need for a clinician to refer patients to specialist clinics, the hospital or other health care providers involved in your care for example social services, it will be necessary to share relevant clinical or confidential information to be able to provide safe and effective treatment. This is always done in the patients best interest and in some circumstances may take place at a Multi-Disciplinary Meeting. All Health and Care Providers know that Medical Information is sensitive, personal and should only be accessed when appropriate.

By signing the registration form to join the Practice, we assume your agreement to this.

There is a central NHS computer system called the Summary Care Record (SCR). It is an electronic record which contains information about the medicines you take, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines you have had. Over time, it will build to include information about other health issues considered important to your wellbeing.

Why do I need a Summary Care Record?

Storing information in one place makes it easier for healthcare staff to treat you in an emergency, or when your GP practice is closed.

This information could make a difference to how a Doctor decides to care for you, for example which medicines they choose to prescribe for you.

Who can see it?

Only Healthcare Staff involved in your care can see your Summary Care Record.

How do I know if I have one?

Over half of the population of England now have a Summary Care Record. You can find out whether summary care records have come to your area by contacting the practice directly.

Do I have to have one?

No, it is not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of the scheme, then you will need to complete the Summary Care Opt Out form.

More Information

For further information please visit the HSCIC Website.

GP Trainees

Chet Valley Medical Practice has been a training practice for the last 30 years. The current trainer is Dr Ashdown-Nichol. GP Trainees spend either six or twelve months with the Practice. They are fully qualified doctors who have chosen a career in General Practice and are fully qualified to treat patients.

Video Recording

On occasions, we may ask for your consent to allow your consultation with the GP Trainee to be video recorded for teaching purposes. Such a recording would normally be seen only by the GP Trainee and one of the GP Partners.

Video recording will only ever be carried out with a Patient’s explicit consent. You have the right to refuse, if you would prefer not to have the consultation recorded. If a patient consents to a recording but then wishes to change their mind, this is absolutely not a problem – please make the clinician aware of this and the recording will be deleted.

Medical Students

Chet Valley Medical Practice has been committed to teaching student doctors from the University of East Anglia Medical School for many years. We currently host years 1, 2, 3 and 4 throughout the academic year.

The students rotate between placements in GP surgeries, hospitals and UEA based lectures.

On the days when students are with us they gain experience with our GPs in clinics and by speaking to patients about symptoms, investigations, treatment, medications and to learn how a GP decides what course of action to take.

The students also need to practice examination skills which allows them to gain confidence when approaching patients, talking to them and explaining things.

Our students are currently taught by:

• Dr Hofmann
• Dr Forse

If you are interested in finding out more about helping with students, please ask a receptionist to pass your name onto Carrie Pidd who organises the teaching for the practice.

If you are approached to meet with the students, you are not under any pressure to agree. If you decide not to help it will not impact on your future care.

Some of the conditions that students cover are:

• Dermatology
  • Eczema, rashes
• Respiratory
  • Asthma, COPD, chest pain, pneumonia
• Cardiovascular
  • Varicose veins, stroke, cardiac problems
• Haematology
  • Anaemia, leukaemia and other blood disorders
• Diabetes
• Gastroenterology
• Thyroid
• Neurology
• Epilepsy
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinsons
• Ophthalmology
• Renal conditions
• Mental health
• Paediatrics
• Pregnancy and women’s health
• Musculoskeletal, bones and joints
• Basic examination skills

Responsibilities of Practice Staff

All Health Professionals must follow their professional codes of practice and the law. This means that they must make every effort to protect confidentiality. It also means that no identifiable information about a patient is passed to anyone or any agency without the express permission of that patient, except when this is essential for providing care or necessary to protect somebody’s health, safety or wellbeing.

All Health Professionals are individually accountable for their own actions. They should, however, also work together as a team to ensure that standards of confidentiality are upheld, and that improper disclosures are avoided.

Employer Responsibilities

The GPs at Chet Valley Medical Practice, as employers:

• Are responsible for ensuring that everybody employed by the Practice understands the need for confidentiality and that it is maintained at all times.
• Have overall responsibility for ensuring that systems and mechanisms are in place to protect confidentiality.
• Have vicarious liability for the actions of those working in the practice- including health professionals and non-clinical staff i.e. those not employed directly by the Practice but who work in the Practice.