Data Security & Protection Policy/ Confidentiality

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The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) requires a clear direction on Policy for security of information within the Practice. The policy provides direction on security against unauthorised access, unlawful processing, and loss or destruction of personal information.

In order to provide the right level of care, we are required to hold personal information about you on our computer systems and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe-keeping. Please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.

Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with others involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record is properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.

All information about you is held securely and appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent accidental loss.

In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues. In other circumstance you may be required to give written consent before information is released – such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.

CONFIDENTIALITY

To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone unless we are sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not, leave messages with others.

You can be assured that anything you discuss with any member of the surgery staff, whether doctor, nurse or receptionist, will remain confidential. Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone, including parents, other family members, care workers or teachers, without your permission. The only reason why we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect either you or someone else from serious harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you have any worries or queries about confidentiality, please ask a member of staff.

If you would like to discuss matters of a confidential nature, either with our receptionists or a member of the dispensary team, we have a side room available in reception for this purpose.

CCTV

• ​​​CCTV images will not be retained longer than is considered necessary, and will be then be deleted.
• All images will be held securely, and all access requests, and access to images will be documented.
• Except for law enforcement bodies, images will not be provided to third parties.
• Images may record individuals and/or record incidents. Not all recordings are designed to identify persons.
• Other than in accordance with statutory rights, the release or availability of images will be at the discretion of the Data Controller(s) for the purposes of the Data Protection Act.
• Images are held to improve the personal security of patients and staff whilst on the premises, and for the prevention and detection of crime, and images may be provided to police or other bodies.
• Where access is granted in response to an application received, the image may be edited to exclude images of third parties who may be also included within the requested image. This may be necessary to protect the identity of the third parties. In these circumstances the image released as part of the application may identify the “data subject” only.
• Images will be located by the Data Controller or authorised person.
• The practice regularly reviews compliance with the ICO’s CCTV Code of Practice; continued operational effectiveness and whether the system continues to meet its purposes and remains justified.