Your Health Record

Sharing Your Medical Record

Increasingly, patient medical data is shared e.g. between GP surgeries and District Nursing, in order to give clinicians access to the most up to date information when attending patients.

The systems we operate require that any sharing of medical information is consented to by patients beforehand. Patients must consent to sharing of the data held by a health provider out to other health providers and must also consent to which of the other providers can access their data.

e.g. it may be necessary to share data held in GP practices with district nurses but the local podiatry department would not need to see it to undertake their work. In this case, patients would allow the surgery to share their data, they would allow the district nurses to access it but they would not allow access by the podiatry department. In this way access to patient data is under patients' control and can be shared on a 'need to know' basis.

Information Governance - Caldicott Guardian

Darwen Healthcare takes the use of patient information and confidentiality very seriously. In accordance with regulations Dr Umer is the Caldicott Guardian. A Caldicott Guardian is a senior role for an organisation which processes health and social care personal data. They make sure that the personal information about those who use the organisation’s services is used legally, ethically and appropriately, and that confidentiality is maintained. Caldicott Guardians should be able to provide leadership and informed guidance on complex matters involving confidentiality and information sharing.

Please see https://www.ukcgc.uk/caldicott-guardian-role for further information

Emergency Care Summary

There is a Central NHS Computer System called the Emergency Care Summary (ECS). The Emergency Care Summary is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. It will contain information on your medications and allergies.

Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held securely on central NHS databases.   

As with all systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so.

On the other hand, you may have strong views about sharing your personal information and wish to keep your information at the level of this practice. If you don’t want an Emergency Care Summary to be made for you, tell your GP surgery. Don’t forget that if you do have an Emergency Care Summary, you will be asked if staff can look at it every time they need to. You don’t have to agree to this.

Statement of Intent - IT Services

IT/Electronic Patient Records

New contractual requirements came into force from 1st April 2014 requiring that GP practices should make available a statement of intent in relation to the following IT developments:-

  • Patient Access to records
  • Referral management
  • Electronic Appointment Booking
  • Online Requests for Repeat Prescriptions
  • Summary Care Record
  • GP2GP record transfers

Patient Access

This practice plans to offer patients facilities to view on line, export or print any summary information from their record, relating to medications, allergies, adverse reactions and any other items agreed between the practice and individual patient.

This service is now available as from 31 March 2015.

Referral Management

The practice includes the patient’s NHS number as the primary identifier in all NHS correspondence issued by the practice, apart from exceptional circumstances where it is not available, e.g. when a patient is seen urgently at home.

Electronic Appointment Booking

Patients are now able to  book, view, amend, cancel and print appointments online using the Patient Access website from 16 March 2015. The system can be accessed via a computer and by a Smartphone app.

If you would like to register for this service , please speak to a receptionist.

Online Requests for Repeat Prescriptions

Patients who wish to be registered for the service are able  to  order, view and print a list of their repeat prescriptions for drugs, medicines or appliances online using the Patient Access website. The system can be accessed via a computer and by a Smartphone app.

If you would like to register for this service , please speak to a receptionist.

GP2GP Transfers

It is very important that you are registered with a doctor at all times. If you leave your GP and register with a new GP, your medical records will be removed from your previous doctor and forwarded on to your new GP via NHS England. It can take several weeks for your paper records to reach your new surgery. 

Darwen Healthcare uses the GP2GP software on its clinical system, which enables patient records to be safely and quickly transferred electronically from one practice to the next as a patient leaves and re-registers elsewhere. This ensures continuity in the medical record and makes information available to the new GP practice much more quickly, until the full paper records arrive.

Privacy Statement

We respect your right to privacy and keep all your health information confidential and secure. It is important that the NHS keeps accurate and up-to-date records about your health and treatment so that those treating you can give you the best possible advice and care. This information is only available to those involved in your care and you should never be asked for personal medical information by anyone not involved in your care.

You have a right to know what information we hold about you. If you would like to see your records you can do this by registering on Patient Access which allows you access to view the records we hold on our computer system or please complete the form below and return to reception. 

GDPR

From 25th May 2018 the law changed with the addition of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This regulation will have an impact on how we handle your data. 

You can find out how we use your data in the privacy notices opposite.

Please get in touch with Ann Neville or Kim Cunningham if you have any questions on how your information is used. 

National Data Opt Out

The National Data opt out gives everyone the ability to stop health and social care organisations, including Darwen Healthcare, from sharing your confidential health information for research and planning purposes. To read More and make your choices on how your information is shared please see the leaflet National Data Opt Out.