Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice explains why Dr Milne collects information about you and how that information may be used. Health care professionals who provide you with care, maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you may have received previously (e.g. NHS Trust, GP Surgery, Walk-in Clinic, private health episodes etc.) These records are used to help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.
 
Private health care records may 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. Records that Dr Milne holds about you may include the following information;

  • Details about you, such as your name, address, carers, legal representatives and emergency contact details
  • Any contact the doctor has had with you, such as clinic visits, surgical episodes, emergency appointments, etc
  • Notes and reports about your health
  • 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

To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information may be used by your Doctor for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided.
 
Some of this information may be used for audit and statistical purposes. Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified. Sometimes your information may be requested to be used for research purposes – your Doctor will always gain your consent before releasing the information for this purpose.

How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records?

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:
Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulation 2016
Human Rights Act 1998
Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
Health and Social Care Act 2012
NHS Codes of Confidentiality, Information Security and Records Management
Information: To share or not to share review

Every member of staff who works for Dr Milne has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.
 
We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), where the law requires information to be passed on and / or in accordance with the new information sharing principle following Dame Fiona Caldicott’s information sharing review (information to share to not to share) where” The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality”. This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out be the Caldicott principles. They should be supported by the polices of their employers, regulators and professional bodies.

Who are the organisations that we may share your information with?

We may have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations;

  • NHS Trusts / Foundation Trusts
  • GP’s
  • Independent Contractors such as doctors, dentists, opticians, pharmacists
  • Private Sector Providers
  • Social Care Services
  • Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)
  • Police and Judicial Services
  • Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of

You will be informed who your data will be shared with and in some cases asked for explicit consent for this to happen when this is required.

Access to personal information

You have the right under the Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulation 2016 to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information the Doctor holds about you and have it amended should it be inaccurate. In order to request this, you need to do the following: 

  • Your request must be made in writing to the Doctor caring for you (for information from the hospital you should write direct to them)
  • There will be no charge for the copy of the information held about you, although the information will be given to you in a digital format whenever possible.
  • We are required to respond to you within 30 days
  • You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, and details of your request) so that your identity can be verified, and your records located

Objections / Complaints

Should you have concerns about how your information is managed please contact Doctor Milne. If you are still unhappy following a review, you can then complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) via their website (www.ico.gov.uk).
 
If you are happy for your data to be extracted and used for the purposes described in this privacy notice, then you do not need to do anything. If you have any concerns about how your data is shared, then please contact your Doctor’s PA.

Change of details

It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any of your details such as date of birth is incorrect in order for this to be amended. You have a responsibility to inform us of any changes so our records are accurate and up to date for you.

Notification

The Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulation 2016 requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purpose for which they process personal and sensitive information.
 
This information is publicly available on the information commissioner’s office website www.ico.org.uk
 
Dr  Milne  is registered with the information commissioner’s office (ICO).


Who is the Data Controller?

 The Data Controller, responsible for keeping your information secure and confidential is your Doctor but first point of contact will be : Sue Morris, his PA.

Complaints

Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed please contact your Doctor at: enquires@entrustent.co.uk

Privacy Policy