To provide you with the care you need, we hold the details of your consultations, illnesses, tests, prescriptions and other treatments that have been recorded by everyone involved in your care. We sometimes disclose some of your personal health information with other organisations involved in your care, for example: specialists at the hospital. This practice participates in regional and national programmes such as the cervical cytology screening service and your name, address, date of birth and NHS number will be given to them in order to send an invitation.
We need to use some of your personal health information for administrative purposes. In order to receive payment for services provided to you, we have to disclose basic details about you to the Ayrshire & Arran NHS Board and to the Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service. These organisations have a role in protecting public funds and are authorised to check that payments are being properly made. We are required to co-operate with these checks and the disclosure of your data is a necessary part of our provision of healthcare services.
Sometimes we participate in studies that are designed to improve the way services are provided to you to check that our performance meets required standards and benchmarks. Whenever we take part in activities such as these, we will ensure that, as far as possible, any details that may identify you are not disclosed.
We are sometimes involved in health research and the teaching of student nurses and other health professionals. We will not use or disclose your personal health information for these purposes unless you have been informed beforehand and given your consent for us to do so.
Sometimes we are required by law to pass on information to the government, eg the notifications of births and deaths and certain diseases or crimes.
Our use of your personal health information is covered by a duty of confidentiality and is regulated by the Data Protection Act. The Act gives you a number of rights in relation to how your personal information is used, including a right to access the information we hold about you.
Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential and adheres to a Code of Practice on protecting patient confidentiality. Further information on this can be found by accessing the links below
