We will always respect your privacy, dignity and your religious and cultural beliefs particularly when intimate examinations are advisable – these will only be carried out with your express agreement and you will be offered a chaperone to attend the examination if you so wish.

You may also request a chaperone when making the appointment or on arrival at the surgery (please let the receptionist know) or at any time during the consultation.

You can be assured that anything you discuss with any member of the surgery staff, whether doctor, nurse or receptionist, will remain confidential. Even if you are under 16, nothing will be said to anyone, including parents, other family members, care workers or teachers, without your permission. The only reason why we might want to consider passing on confidential information without your permission would be to protect either you or someone else from serious harm. In this situation, we would always try to discuss this with you first.

If you have any worries or queries about confidentiality, please ask a member of staff.

If you would like to discuss matters of a confidential nature, either with our receptionists or a member of the dispensary team, we have a side room available in reception for this purpose.

We need to hold personal information about you on our computer systems and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe-keeping. Please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.

Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with others involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record is properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.

All information about you is held securely and appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent accidental loss.

In some circumstances we may be required by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues. In other circumstance you may be required to give written consent before information is released – such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.

To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone or fax unless we are sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not, leave messages with others.

You have a right to see your records if you wish. Please ask at reception if you would like further details about our patient information leaflet. An appointment may be required. In some circumstances a fee may be payable.

How does it work?

Heidi is a helpful tool that allows your clinician to focus entirely on you during your visit while still allowing them to accurately capture medical information, ensuring a comprehensive and precise record of your care.

Do I have to give consent?

Your consent is crucial. All clinicians are encouraged to obtain consent before using Heidi. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

Who has access to my medical information?

We employ robust and strict access controls meaning only your clinician has access to sensitive information. We are GDPR and NHS compliant and our information management systems are also ISO27001 accredited for data security.

Where is my data stored?

We prioritise data sovereignty by ensuring all our data is locally hosted within the UK.

This practice enhances data security while also ensuring compliance with UK data protection regulations.

How is my data used?

Our approach to data collection is threefold:

• Be Transparent: We clearly explain how we use your data in our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
• Limit Collection: We only collect data that is essential for providing you our services or enhancing Heidi’s effectiveness.
• Ensure Security: We restrict the disclosure, retention, and use of your data, ensuring it is safeguarded.

Our commitment ensures that every piece of information collected has a clear purpose, either to deliver the product you love or to improve Heidi’s performance and accuracy

Do you store recordings of my appointment?

Conversations are transcribed simultaneously while they happen, meaning no recordings are ever stored. Notes that a clinician saves from the appointment will be added to your Electronic Health Record in your clinician’s Practice Management System, as standard.

Any questions?

Get in touch at hello@heidihealth.com or visit heidihealth.com

This practice is committed to preserving, as far as is practical, the security of data used by our information systems. This means that we will take all reasonable actions to;

Maintain the Confidentiality of all data within the practice by:

• Ensuring that only authorised persons can gain access to our systems
• Not disclosing information to anyone who has no right to see it

Maintain the integrity of all data within the practice by:

• Taking care over input
• Ensuring that all changes are reported and monitored
• Checking that the correct record is on the screen before updating
• Reporting all apparent errors and ensuring that they are resolved

Maintain the availability of all data by:

• Ensuring that all equipment is protected from intruders
• Ensuring that backups are taken at regular, predetermined intervals
• Ensuring that contingency is provided for possible failure or equipment theft and that any such contingency plans are tested and kept up to date

Additionally we will take all reasonable measures to comply with our legal responsibilities under:

• The Data Protection Act (2018)
• The Health and Safety at Work Act (1992)
• The Access to Health Records Act (1990)

The following IT systems are in use at the practice:

• Referral Management (using NHS numbers in referrals)
• Electronic Appointment Booking (the facility to book routine appointments online and, similarly, to cancel appointments
• Online booking of repeat prescriptions
• Summary Care Record (uploading details of your current medication and allergies to the national “spine” so that these are available for doctors involved in your care elsewhere)
• GP to GP transfers (the electronic transfer of records from practice to practice when you re-register
• Patient Access to records (the facility to view your medical records online).

If you are not already registered for online access and would like to be please complete our online form.

If you would like access to your medical records enabled or would like to opt out of the local or national summary care record, please contact reception.

This leaflet explains why St. Johns Way Medical Centre collects information about you, how we keep it safe and private and how we may use that information. This leaflet was last updated September 2022.

Why do we collect information about you?

Doctors and nurses have to keep a record about your health and any treatment that we give you. This is called your “GP record”, and helps us to really look after you.

Your GP record is only used to help doctors and nurses keep you well and make you better when you are not so well.

What do we record?

We keep a record of every time that you see someone at the surgery, as well as times that you have been seen somewhere else, such as in the Accident and Emergency department of a hospital.

We keep a record of:

• Your name, address, and information about those looking after you (such as your mum and dad).
• Your home telephone and mobile number (if you have one), and your email address if you want us to.
• Details of the times that you saw a doctor or nurse, here at the surgery and at other places
• Any tests that you have had (such as an x-ray)

How we keep your information safe and private

Your GP record is kept on a really secure computer system. Only doctors, nurses and receptionists that we give permission can look at your information. No one else.

And it’s really, really difficult to hack into that system. We make sure of that.

If you are old enough to have a mobile phone, or an email address, then we will only use that to contact you when it’s about “medical stuff” – like reminding you about an appointment that you might have to see your doctor at the surgery. If you don’t want us to text you anything at all, then just tell us and we will make sure that doesn’t happen.

Unless you want us to, we won’t use your email address to tell you about other things happening at the surgery, like new doctors and nurses working at the surgery. Or cake sales.

All your info is very private and we won’t tell anyone else about it unless they are also looking after you, or trying to get you better. And only if they really need to know about it.

So, at the surgery, the doctors, nurses, and receptionists can look at your GP record, if they need to. And if they do, they are not allowed to tell anyone else about it.

And if the doctors and nurses at the surgery don’t know what’s wrong with you, we will ask someone at the hospital to see you – and we will give that doctor or nurse information about you and what’s making you feel unwell. But sometimes we have to tell other people about stuff in your GP record.

Sometimes, “it’s the law”, and we will get in big trouble if we don’t.

So, if a judge tells us to, then we will have to give them information about you.

If the police tell us to, then sometimes we have to tell them as well.

If you’re ill, and that illness could be spread to all your friends and classmates, then we might need to let the right people know – so that they can try to make sure that no-one else catches that illness as well.

And sometimes we have to tell other people if we are worried that you, or someone else in your family, could be in danger.

Whenever we can, we would always tell you if we were going to tell someone else about you and GP record.

Some other medical places, such as the Accident and Emergency department at our local hospital, or other doctors and nurses that you might see when the surgery is closed, can take a peek at your GP record – but they will always try to ask you (or your mum or dad) first. The information in your GP record could be very helpful to them when they are trying to make you better.

You don’t have to say yes if they ask you, and you can ask the surgery not to allow anyone else to be even able to look at your GP record like this if you want.

Other computers

The doctors and nurses at the surgery can also look at some of your hospital records – for example, when you went to Accident and Emergency with your broken arm. We can see what the x-ray showed. That information can be very useful to us when we see you in the surgery ourselves.

Any Questions?

If you have any questions then please do ask someone at the surgery.

What is this?

We are required by law to provide you with information on how we use your data. There is a highly detailed privacy notice that will be available from our website Soon, but this simplified notice is provided for clarity. This notice was last updated November 2023.

Who are we?

We are the St. Johns Way Medical Centre. We provide medical services to you as a patient as part of the NHS.

Data Protection Officer

The practice is required by law to have a Data Protection Officer. The contact details are:

Purposes of Processing, Legal Basis, Types of Data

We process data to carry out our role as your General Practitioner in providing you with healthcare.

The legal basis for this purpose is provided by the various NHS and social care acts. The Data Protection Act 2018 section 8 allows us to process data for these purposes. This provides a legal basis for processing under the UK GDPR Article 6 1(e) – task in the public interest.

For special category data, the Data Protection Act section 10 applies (health and social care purpose) and hence UK GDPR Article 9 2(h) – provision of health and social care. There are additionally some situations where other provisions are used; these are given in more detail in the full notice.

The types of data we keep relate to your health and care. These include both personal identifiers (e.g. your name, NHS number) and special category personal data (e.g. your health conditions). Further details are provided in the full notice.

Recipients of Your Data

We share data with other health and social care providers in order to provide you with care. You can opt out of this sharing, but this may affect your care. See the full privacy notice for details.

We are additionally required to supply data to other parts of the NHS for commissioning and audit purposes, as well as to provide information that’s used in the NHS App.

We share data for research purposes, and for health and care planning. You again can opt out of these purposes; this will generally not affect you individually, but will mean that research and planning may not take into account needs of people such as yourself. See the full privacy notice for details.

Transfers to Other Countries

We do not store or transmit your data outside of the UK unless this is either:

1. Required for your care and you have consented to this
2. Covered by a formal contract with a system provider to the NHS ensuring your data is not used for any purposes not in this notice and compliant with the UK GDPR; or
3. We are required to under international law

We do not sell your data.

How Long Will You Keep My Data?

This depends on a number of factors such as how long you stay with our practice and the type of data. Generally, when you leave our practice, your data is transferred to the new practice or to central records; we retain access to the data up to when you left our practice for medico-legal reasons and only access it for a complaint, clinical audit purposes or we are required to do so by law.

Full details of how long different types of data are held can be found in the NHS Records Management Code of Practice.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Receive a copy of your data (Subject Access Request)
• Have your data corrected, erased or restrict processing
• Complain to our Data Protection Officer or the supervisory authority (the Information Commissioner) about our use or handling of your data

If you wish to exercise your rights, please contact the practice in the first instance – details above. You can also contact the Data Protection Officer if you prefer – details are again given above, or you can contact the Information Commissioner (ICO) – details via their website at https://ico.org.uk.

Provision of Data

It is not generally a legal requirement for you to provide us with data – however if you do not do so we may be unable to provide you with treatment. For more detail see the full privacy notice.

Automated Decision Making

We use various tools to simplify care and ensure that you get the best care possible.

Some of these have a degree of automation, for example, where a regular test is recommended for a health condition you have, or you are in a particular age and gender range and have not had a recommended screening test, we will have an automated list that flags you to be contacted. These recalls are automated, but it’s up to you to book an appointment; no action is taken beyond contacting you.

NO decisions on your care are taken without human intervention.

Click here for the Registration Policy

St John’s Way Medical Centre recognizes and respects the right of patients to make independent decisions about their healthcare. If a patient chooses to seek medical advice or treatment from a private doctor, it is their prerogative to do so. However, it is crucial for patients to understand that St John’s Way Medical Centre will not be liable for any costs associated with private healthcare services.

This decision to consult a private doctor is a personal choice made by the patient, and as such, any financial responsibilities incurred during such consultations, treatments, or procedures will be the sole responsibility of the patient. St John’s Way Medical Centre will not cover, reimburse, or accept liability for any costs arising from private medical care.

It is recommended that patients considering private healthcare services carefully review and understand the financial implications associated with their choice. Patients are encouraged to seek transparency from private healthcare providers regarding the costs involved, and to make informed decisions based on their individual preferences and circumstances.

St John’s Way Medical Centre remains committed to providing quality care and supporting patients in their healthcare decisions. For further information or clarification regarding this policy, please contact the Practice Manager.

Your patient record is held securely and confidentially on the electronic system at your GP practice. If you require treatment in another NHS healthcare setting such as an Emergency Department or Minor Injury Unit, those treating you would be better able to give you appropriate care if some of the information from the GP practice were available to them.

This information can now be shared electronically via: The Summary Care Record, used nationally across England

The information will be used only by authorised health care professionals directly involved in your care. Your permission will be asked before the information is accessed, unless the clinician is unable to ask you and there is a clinical reason for access.

If you would like to opt out, please ask reception for our opt out form.

A parent or guardian can request to opt out children under 16 but ultimately it is the GP’s decision whether to create the records or not, because of their duty of care to the child. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 and feel that they are able to understand, then you should make this information available to them.

Who Has Access?

Across all health care settings, including urgent care, community care and outpatient departments in England.

Information Source

GP record

Content

• Your current medications
• Any allergies you have
• Any bad reactions you have had to medicines
• Additional information (upon request to your GP)

For more information visit:

www.digital.nhs.uk

GPs in Training

Our practice is approved to train fully qualified doctors who wish to specialise in general practice. Our GP registrar will have had 2-4 years of experience as a qualified hospital doctor working in various specialities. They consult patients on their own, under the mentorship of our trainer, Dr xxxxx. Occasionally we ask permission to video a consultation. You will always be asked in advance and are given the option not to take part, and this will not affect your care in any way. No recording will be taken without your consent, and the camera will be switched off on request. These videos are used only for educational purposes with the doctor doing the consultation and are destroyed after use.

Dr xxxxx is currently the GP registrar at the practice.

Medical Students

Medical students are sometimes attached to the practice for 2 – 3 weeks as part of their training. If you do not wish a student to be present during your consultation, please inform the receptionist.

The NHS operate a zero-tolerance policy with regard to violence and abuse and the practice has the right to remove violent patients from the list with immediate effect in order to safeguard practice staff, patients and other persons. Violence in this context includes actual or threatened physical violence or verbal abuse which leads to fear for a person’s safety. In this situation we will notify the patient in writing of their removal from the list and record in the patient’s medical records the fact of the removal and the circumstances leading to it.