GDPR & privacy notices

Old Mill Surgery is aware of and adheres to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This webpage provides details of our compliance.

Old Mill Surgery will comply with GDPR article 30(1) and will document in writing and maintain a record of our processing activities, covering areas such as processing purposes, data sharing and retention. This information is available to patients in the following Privacy Notices:

Covid Privacy Notice April 2020

Privacy Notice June 2021

*Please note that these privacy notices are likely to be updated.

How we use your data

This practice handles medical records according to the laws on data protection and confidentiality.

We share medical records with health professionals who are involved in providing you with care and treatment. This is on a need to know basis and event by event.

Some of your medical data is automatically copied to the Shared Care Summary Record.

We may share some of your medical data with local out of hours / urgent or emergency care service

Data about you is used to manage national screening campaigns such as ‘Flu, Cervical Cytology (smear tests), Breast Cancer Screening and Diabetes Prevention.

Data about you, usually anonymised, is used to manage the NHS and make payments.

We share information when the law requires us to do, for instance when we are inspected or reporting certain illnesses or safeguarding vulnerable people.

Your data is used to check the quality of care provided by the NHS.

For more detailed information, including the lawful basis for processing your data under the General Data Protection Regulations (2016), please see the privacy notice which can be found below or by asking at reception.

Patients have the right to object to information they provide in confidence being disclosed to a third party in a form that identifies them, even if that third party is someone who might provide essential healthcare.

Patients have the right to see their medical records. Where additional copies of records are requested, a fee will be charged in accordance with the Act.

How your information is shared so that this practice can meet legal requirements

The law requires Old Mill Surgery to share information from your medical records in certain circumstances other than during the normal course of your health care. Information is shared so that the NHS or Public Health England can, for example:

• plan and manage services;
• check that the care being provided is safe;
• prevent infectious diseases from spreading.

We must also share your information if a court of law orders us to do so.

We will share information with NHS Digital, the Care Quality Commission and local health protection team (or Public Health England) when the law requires us to do so.

Please see the detailed explanations below for more information.

COVID-19research and planning

Purpose

Personal confidential and Special Category data will be extracted at source from GP systems for the use of planning and research for the Covid-19 pandemic emergency period. Requests for data will be required from NHS Digital via their secure NHSX SPOC Covid-19 request process.

Legal Basis

NHS Digital has been directed by the Secretary of State under section 254 of the 2012 Act under the COVID-19 Direction to establish and operate a system for the collection and analysis of the information specified for this service: GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19). A copy of the COVID-19 Direction is available on the NHS Digital website

Patients who have expressed an opt out preference via Type 1 objections with their GP surgery, not to have their data extracted for anything other than their direct care will not be party to this data extraction.

Processor

NHS Digital

NHS Digital

• NHS Digital is a national body which has legal responsibilities to collect information about health and social care services.
• It collects information from across the NHS in England and provides reports on how the NHS is performing. These reports help to plan and improve services to patients.
• This practice must comply with the law and will send data to NHS Digital, for example, when it is told to do so by the Secretary of State for Health or NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

View more information about NHS Digital and how it uses information

Public Health

• The law requires us to share data for public health reasons, for example to prevent the spread of infectious diseases or other diseases which threaten the health of the population.
• We will report the relevant information to local health protection team.

Freedom of information

Information about the General Practitioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the practice management.

Working with other organisations, managing your record

Our Computer System is set-up so that your electronic patient record is stored remotely on a secure server.

If you receive direct care from any of the organisations below they can gain access to this record. This helps them to provide the best care for you.

Some older paper notes are also held in secure offsite storage. We scan in any confidential printed material which arrives at the surgery. It is then disposed of using a professional service.

Community Nursing Team	The nurses and other health professionals who work in the community and visit patients at their home
Onecall & Echo	The team who coordinate Urgent Care and End of Life Care in the community
MacMillan & St Catherine's Hospice	The teams who Provide Tailored End of Life Care in the Community & at their hospices
GP Extended Access	The new Minor Injury & Minor Illness clinics providing additional GP Appointments
Other providers of health care	For example Emergency Practitioners who treat minor injuries
Storage and Disposal	EMIS Web Clinical system Confidential waste disposal

The direct care organisations owe the medical records a duty of confidentiality, and will use implied consent to access them. But they will also ask for your consent before opening your GP record.

Some patients may also have a SCR or care plan held on other forums. In a life or death situation these organisations do not need consent to access your record. In this case the legal basis for this is Article 6 1 (d) vital interests.

Important information

We are required by law to provide you with the following information about how we handle your information and our legal obligations to share data.

Data Controller contact details

Judith Butler, Executive Manager

Old Mill Surgery, Roman Way, Newtownards, County Down RH14 9QZ

Access to records, corrections, retention and complaints

Right to access and correct

• You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected. Please speak to a member of staff to find out how to see your medical record

We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention period

• GP medical records will be kept in line with the law and national guidance. See information on how long records are kept or alternatively speak to the practice.

Right to complain

• You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. If you wish to complain visit the ICO's contact page or call the helpline 0303 123 1113