Risk profiling: how your NHS records are used Privacy notice
This practice is taking part in a new NHS service that helps your family doctor (GP) to spot whether you need more help to manage your health.
The service is called “risk profiling”.
Using information from your health records, a secure NHS computer system will look at any recent treatments you have had in hospital or at this surgery, and any existing health conditions that you have, and alert your doctor to the likelihood of a possible future hospital admission.
The clinical Risk Stratification in General Practice team at the surgery will use the information to help you get early care and treatment where it is needed.
Keeping your confidence
This leaflet explains why information is collected about you and the ways in which this information may be used.
Why we collect information about you |
The professionals caring for you keep records about your care and treatment. These help ensure that you receive the best possible care from us. They may be written (manual records), or held on a computer (electronic records). The information can include:
- basic details about you, such as address and next of kin
- details of contacts we have had with you, such as clinic visits
- notes and reports about your care and treatment
How your records are used to help you |
Your records are used to guide and administer the care you receive. They ensure that:
- the professionals involved have accurate and up-to-date information on your needs and future care requirements
- relevant information is available, should you need to see another care professional, or be referred to specialist NHS services
- there is a good basis for assessing the quality of the care you receive
- your concerns can be properly investigated, should you need to complain
How your records are used to help the NHS |
Your information may also be used to help us:
- make sure that our services can meet everyone’s needs in the future
- prevent fraud
- review and monitor the overall quality of care we provide, to make sure it is of the highest standard
- train and educate our staff
Some of this information will be held centrally, but where it is used for statistical purposes, stringent measures are taken to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified. Anonymous statistical information may also be passed to organisations with a legitimate interest, including universities and research institutions.
In some situations, person identifiable information may be used for important or essential NHS purposes, such as research. This will normally only ever be done with your specific consent, unless the law requires information to be passed on to protect public health eg: if you have suffered from serious food poisoning, information may be passed to the local Environmental Health Officer.
How we keep your records confidential |
Sometimes the law requires us to pass information on to other organisations, such as when a baby is born or to report certain infectious diseases. We may need to share some information about you with other organisations so that we can all work together for your benefit. However, we only ever use or pass on your information to others if there is a genuine need for it. The sharing of some types of very sensitive personal information is strictly controlled by law. With your agreement, your relatives, friends and carers can also be given information about you to keep them up-to-date regarding your care.
Who are our partner organisations? |
Your information may also, subject to strict agreements describing how it will be used, be shared with:
- other NHS organisations eg: hospitals, PCTs etc
- Local Authority Departments, including Social Services and Education
- Voluntary and other private sector care providers
How you can get access to your own health records |
You have a legal right to see your own health and social care records. The Data Protection Act 1998 allows you to find out what information about you is held on computer systems, and in certain manual records. For further information please ask any member of staff.
If at any time you would like to know more about how we use your information you can ask the person in charge of your care. If you do not feel comfortable doing this you can also find out more by writing to:
L Grimshaw Oakworth Medical Practice
Alternatively, you can speak to someone by phoning:
Tel: 01535 643306
If you require a copy of this document in large print or other alternative formats please contact: TEL 01535 643306