Protection and Use of Patient Information

GP's place paramount importance on service and your expectations to provide you with optimum health care and treatment.  To this end, we need accurate personal information from you, which we review regularly for changes in circumstances.  To ensure that you receive the best possible care and that we can all work together for your benefit, there may be occasions when we need to share some information about you with others.

Everyone working for NHS Grampian or collaborative organisations (e.g. social work) receiving information from us has a professional and legal duty to keep information about you confidential.

Below is the current legal situation with regards the sharing of patient records:

DISCLOSURE OF PATIENT RECORDS  

There may be circumstances in which your personal medical record or parts of it may be disclosed to other people, apart from your GP and practice staff.

Usually, your notes would be disclosed in an anonymised form.  However, there are times when the record cannot be anonymised, either because it would be impractical to do so or because the nature of the request is such that it is necessary for your name to be disclosed. 

Patients should be re-assured that any disclosure of patient information is conducted within the rules of the Data Protection Act and records will only be disclosed when the following conditions are met: 

1. The purpose of the request is to improve, manage or promote the provision of healthcare.  Examples of this may be:

• Where the relevant Health Board wishes to ensure that the GP practice is meeting its obligation to provide certain levels of care to patients or a particular group of patients under the terms of their contract.
• Where a new treatment is available, and where the Health Board wishes to inform patients who would benefit from it, the practice would provide name and contact information.

1. Any other valid exemption under the Data Protection Act applies.
2. Disclosure will only be made in response to appropriate requests made by the relevant Health Board or people acting on their behalf, provided those people are themselves bound legally to keep the information they receive confidential.

Patients’ Rights

 If you want to obtain further information on the exact nature of any disclosure in respect of your records, you should apply in writing to Margaret Mackie, Practice Manager, Old Machar Medical Practice.

1. You may insist that any disclosures are only to be made with your written consent.
2. You may inform the practice that on no account should the doctor disclose any of your patient information to anybody other than for the purposes of your care.
3. You have a right to obtain information we hold about you (for a fee) by making a Subject Access Request.  Access can be made by contacting the practice manager.

 Please note that where there are reasonable grounds for suspicion that a serious crime has been or is being committed, which would include fraud or any threat to national security, by law consent of that individual does not have to be obtained.

This statement reflects the current legal situation and not a specific policy of the practice.  The practice is posting it merely to draw attention to its legal obligations, and of the consequences of these for patients.

Send mail to ? Old Machar Medical Practice Administrator with comments about this web site.  Please do NOT sent any medical questions via email.  The practice are unable to answer any medical questions via email due to security issues.

Disclaimer: The information given in these pages is provided for information only.  Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the information is accurate, the author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions which have occurred and no responsibility will be taken by the author for events arising from use of the information provided.  Although the advice for patients is as comprehensive and accurate as possible, it is only general and should not be used as a substitute for the patient consulting their own doctor.

The Old Machar Medical Practice is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.  These links are provided as a convenience to the visitor and their inclusion does not imply our endorsement.