How We Use Personal Health Information

In line with Department of Health Guidelines, the Caldicott report and the Data Protection Act, we wish to advise you of how we handle information we hold about our patients.

We ask for information so that you receive proper care and treatment. We keep this information, together with details of your care, because it may be needed if we see you again. We may use some of this information for other reasons: for example, to help us protect the health of the public generally and to see that the NHS runs efficiently; to plan for the future; to train staff and account for actions taken. Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information: for example, to notify birth.

Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.

You may be receiving care from other people as well as the NHS. So that we can all work together for your benefit, we may need to share some information about you. We only ever use or pass on information about you if people have a genuine need for it, in your and everyone’s interest. Whenever we can, we shall remove details that identify you.

The sharing of some types of very sensitive personal information is strictly controlled by law. Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.