We ask you for information so that you can receive proper care and treatment. We keep this information, together with details of your care, because it may be needed if we see you again. Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information: for example, to notify a birth.
The NHS Central Register for England & Wales contains basic personal details of all patients registered with a general practitioner. The Register does not contain clinical information.
You have a right of access to your health records. To do this please make an appointment with your General Practitioner who will explain it to you.
EVERYONE WORKING FOR THE NHS HAS A LEGAL DUTY TO KEEP INFORMATION ABOUT YOU CONFIDENTIAL.
You may be receiving care from other people as well as the NHS. So that we can all work together for your benefit, we may need to share some information about you.
We only ever use or pass on information about you if people have a genuine need for it in your and everyone’s interests. The sharing of some types of very sensitive personal information is strictly controlled by law.
Patient Summary Care Records containing key medical information which will be accessible wherever patients are treated, is taking off across England over the next year as part of a national roll-out of the programme. The early adopters already show evidence of improving out-of-hours care, ensuring that doctors have reliable, relevant, up-to-date information at their fingertips in situations where time is critical.
The Summary Care Record means that clinicians no longer have to rely on patient testimony, which can often be incomplete or inaccurate. A Summary Care Record is a secure electronic summary of core information such as medications, allergies, adverse reactions and key health information derived initially from the patient’s GP record and added to as necessary by other healthcare staff treating the patient. The record will be available anywhere in England and NHS staff will ask permission before they access it.
Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential.
If you agree, your relatives, friends and carers will be kept up to date with the progress of your treatment.