Confidentiality

All patient records, including paper and computer-based records are confidential. They are protected by the Data Protection Act 1998 which lays down legal requirements for computer users such as ourselves.

We will pass on specific information only if there is a genuine clinical need for it. Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.

Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information e.g. to notify a birth or when we encounter infectious diseases that may endanger the safety of others.  Data may be gathered for audit purposes and in development of medical care or other NHS services.

All NHS members who access your data are legally bound to keep this confidential.

By law you have the right to request access to your health records. Please contact us if you wish to apply for this access.

Patient privacy during consultations
North and North East Lincolnshire Dermatlogy takes the privacy of patients very seriously and all appointments are carried out in a private consultation room.

Rights and responsibilities

We provide high quality health services designed around patient need.

You can help us by

• Arriving promptly for your appointment
• Cancelling any appointment you do not need so that someone else can take your place
• Acting in a polite and non-abusive manner
• Providing us with any change of address, telephone number or name so that our records are kept up to data

Patient privacy notice

We want you to be confident that your information is kept safe and secure and understand how and why we use it to support your care. This privacy policy explains:

• Who we are
• Why we collect information about you
• How your information will be used
• How we keep it safe and confidential

1. Definitions

GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation

Personal data: any information relating to an identifiable individual such as your name, NHS number, contact details. It can also be location data or online identifier.

Special categories of personal data are defined as: racial or ethnic origin, politics, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetics, biometrics (where used for identification) information concerning your health, sex life or sexual orientation.

2. Who are we?

Dermatology services are provided by HCRG Care Group. We are the data controller for any personal information we hold about you.

HRCG Care Groupis a limited company who are registered in England and Wales, number 07557877. Registered office: HCRG Care Group, 6600, Daresbury Business Park, Daresbury WA4 4GE, part of the HCRG Care Group of companies.

3. The information we collect and use

We will collect basic ‘personal data’ about you such as your name, date of birth (d.o.b), address and contact details. We may also ask you for more sensitive data, called ‘special category data’ such as your ethnicity and information about your health and outcomes of needs assessments. This information is held in written form and/or in digital form.

Health care professionals who provide you with care are required by law to maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received within any NHS organisation (eg information from Hospitals, GP surgeries etc). These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare and help us to protect your safety.

In carrying out this role we will collect information about you which helps us respond to your queries or secure specialist services. We may collect the information from you or other trusted parties involved in your care.

This may include:

• Details about you, such as your address, NHS number, next of kin and/or carer information
• Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc.
• Notes and reports about your health and safeguarding
• Details about your treatment and care
• Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.
• Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you

4. How we use your information

Your records are used to:

• Provide information to make health decisions made by care professional with and for you
• Make sure your care is safe and effective
• Support working with other providing your care

We may also use, or share, your information for the following purposes:

• Looking after the health of the general public
• Making sure that our services can meet patient needs in the future
• Preparing statistics on NHS performance and activity
• Investigating concerns, complaints or legal claims
• Helping colleagues review the care they provide to make sure it is of the highest standards
• Training and educating staff
• For research purposes (we will always ask your consent for this)

5. Services we provide
   • North and North East Lincolnshire Dermatology

• Bassetlaw Dermatology Service
• Lincolnshire East and West Dermatology Service
  • Oldham Total Skin Service

6. Who we share your information with

We may also share your information for the provision of your care or for another legal obligation with the following organisations and partners:

• NHS Trusts/Foundations
• GP’s
• Community Services such as district nurses and rehabilitation services,
• Urgent care organisations, minor injury units or out of hours services
• Community and palliative care hospitals
• Care Home
• Mental Health Trusts
• Dentists, opticians, pharmacists
• Private Sector Providers
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Ambulance Trusts
• Clinical Commissioning Groups
• NHS England (NHSE) and NHS Digital (NHSD)
• Local Authorities
• Education Services
• Police and Judicial Services
• Support teams
• Acculabs
• Uralensis
• Clinical Collective Limited
• Spire Healthcare
  • British Association of Dermatologists Biologic Interventions Register (BadBIR)
• Lloyds Healthcare at Home
• Healthnet at Home
• Net Doctor
• Patient UK
• Barton – The Odyssey Centre
• Lymphoedema Service
• Spiritual Care Services
• Age UK
• The Carers Support Centre
• Changing Faces
• MacMillan Cancer Support
• Maggie’s Centre’s
• Marie Curie
• Skin Cancer Hub
• Skin Cancer Foundation

When we share your information:

We may share information about you for the following purposes;

• To support your health and care arrangements including referrals, pathology and other results
• If it is in your best interests
• Recommendations for special arrangements at home
• To manage incidents that you have been involved in
• To deal with complaints and investigations
• Requests for information from official authorities or your representatives
• Your records if the service is transferring to us under contract or if you are moving out of area
• The prevention and detection of crime
• Funding requests or payments
• Integrated care initiatives
• Legal advice or proceedings
• Responding to legal requests and court orders
• Public health notifications

Our partners and other recipients:

• We work in partnership with commissioners, other health and care providers such as primary care services, local authorities, NHS trusts, pathology providers etc.
• Prison service relating to prison healthcare
• Local Safeguarding Boards
• Regulators
• We may use trusted providers to host our IT, archiving, email and texting services and surveys
• We may use corporate teams within the HCRG Care Group provide ‘back office’ support on behalf of services within our group such as communications and marketing, information governance, clinical governance and IMT.

Our legal basis for processing your personal information:

• Providing and managing health and social cares services to our patients service users and clients
• Legitimate interests for statistical and scientific analysis purposes – (BADBIR) – for the provision of treatment monitoring rates of untoward medical events. The results will then be used to provide patients with a better picture of any increased risk of the new therapies.
• Performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority
• Necessary for a legal obligation such as responding to a request from a coroner
• Necessary for reasons in the area of public health such as in the event of an outbreak of a disease

Our legal basis for processing special categories “sensitive” personal information:

• We need to use the data in order to provide medical diagnosis, health and social care treatment services to you
• Social protection law for safeguarding purposes
• Where it is necessary to protect your vital interests

7. How long do we keep your information

We will keep your healthcare record in accordance with the national guidance: Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016, after which records and confidential information are securely destroyed in line with this code of practice.

8. How we keep your information safe

Everyone working for our organisation is subject to the Common Law Duty of Confidence. Information provided in confidence will only be used for the purposes advised with consent given by the patient, unless there are other circumstances covered by the law.

The NHS Digital Code of Practice on Confidential Information applies to all NHS staff and they are required to protect your information, inform you of how your information will be used, and allow you to decide if and how your information can be shared. All our staff are expected to make sure information is kept confidential and receive regular training on how to do this.

The health records we use will be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Your records are backed up securely in line with NHS standard procedures. We ensure that the information we hold is kept in secure locations, is protected by appropriate security and access is restricted to authorised personnel.

We also make sure external data processors that support us are legally and contractually bound to operate and prove security arrangements are in place where data that could or does identify a person are processed.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:

• Data Protection Act 2018
• General Data Protection Regulation
• Human Rights Act
• Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
• NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Information Security
• Health and Social Care Act 2015
• And all applicable legislation

We maintain our duty of confidentiality to you at all times. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if we reasonably believe that others involved in your care have a genuine need for it.

We will not disclose your information to any third party without an appropriate legal basis and there are exceptional circumstances (such as a risk of serious harm to yourself or others) or where the law requires information to be passed on.

9. How the NHS and care services use your information

Dermatology Services is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public.

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service.

Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment. The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:

• improving the quality and standards of care provided
• research into the development of new treatments
• preventing illness and diseases
• monitoring safety
• planning services

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.

Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed.

10. Access to your information, your rights and corrections

Keeping us updated of any changes

Please let us know if you change your address or contact details etc. so that we can keep your information up to date. If you have a concern about some of the information held on your record, you can contact us about it or request a copy of your record.

 

How to request a copy of your record

You can request a copy of your records via our Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) portal.

Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) portal – North and North East Lincolnshire Dermatology

Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) portal – Oldham Total Skin Service

Our portal supports the management of requests with regards to records and/or alterations/concerns. Your request will be directed to our Privacy Team which will ensure that the correct service receives your request promptly.

To progress the request you will need proof of identity as follows:

• Driving licence or Passport or Work ID badge or Bus Pass or a witness to your signature by someone who is over 18 and is not a relative, (preferably by your doctor/solicitor on their headed business paper) as proof of identity
• and

• Bank statement or Pay slip or Utility bill or a Letter on headed paper from a local authority or similar as proof of residence.If you are a Representative acting on a data subject’s behalf you will need proof of your identity as well as proof that the data subject is freely giving consent to the request, or you have the appropriate legal authority.
• If you would like more information about your records, please ask at reception, speak to the person proving your care or contact our Data Protection Officer: Sarah Murray, Head of Information Governance, HCRG Care Group. Email: information.governance@hcrgcaregroup.com

Your rights

Data Protection laws provides you with the following rights:

The right to be informed	As a data controller, we are obliged to provide understandable and transparent information about the way we process your data (this is provided by our privacy policy).
The right of access	You are entitled to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification	You are entitled to request changes to information if it is inaccurate or incomplete
The right to erasure	Where no overriding legal basis or legitimate reason continues to exist for processing personal data, you may request that we delete the personal data.
The right to restrict processing	Under certain circumstances, you may ask us to stop processing your personal data. We will still hold the data, but will not process it any further.
The right to data portability	Subject to certain conditions, you may request a copy of your personal data to be transferred to another organisation.
The right to object to processing	You have the right to object to our processing of your data where ·         Processing is based on legitimate interest; ·         Processing is for the purpose of direct marketing; ·         Processing is for the purposes of scientific or historic research; ·         Processing involves automated decision-making and profiling.

Please note that the above rights may not apply in all circumstances but we will respond within a month of any requests. If you have any questions or concerns about the information we hold on you, please contact our Data Protection Officer by one of the following options:

Via our secure Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) portal

Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) portal – North and North East Lincolnshire Dermatology

Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) portal – Oldham Total Skin Service

Email the central IG Team:   information.governance@hcrgcaregroup.com

Tel:       01928 242942

Post:    FAO Sarah Murray Head of Information Governance & Data Protection Officer

HCRG Care Group

6600 Daresbury Business Park

Warrington

WA4 4GE

If you are not happy about the way your information is handled, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.  In the UK, this is the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

Changes to our privacy notice

We will update this privacy notice from time to time to reflect any changes to our ways of working. Please contact our data protection officer if you would like more information.