The sensitivity of patient information is well understood within the NHS. As a patient of this practice your medical records are confidential and are accessible only to the members of the primary care team involved in your care. All staff in the Practice are bound contractually to maintain patient confidentiality and any proven breach of this will be treated extremely seriously.
We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. Confidentiality also extends to patients' family members. Medical information relating to you will not be divulged to a family member or anyone else without your written consent.
As we are computrised practice,all our patient records are kept on computer and we can assure patients of complete confidentiality. We are registered with the Data Protection Register, and your rights are protected by the Data Protection Act 1998.
It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible advice and care. However, for the effective functioning of a multi-disciplinary team it is sometimes necessary that medical information about you is shared between members of the practice team. The patient‘s rights in relation to disclosure of such information are covered by the Practice‘s registration under the Data Protection Act and we follow the guidance issued by the GMC in ‘Confidentiality: Protecting and Providing Information’ which explains those circumstances in which information may be disclosed.
This information is only available to those involved in your care and you should never be asked for personal medical information by anyone not involved in your care.