Confidentiality

We respect the privacy of the individual. Any information disclosed to medical, nursing or administrative staff is treated in confidence at all times. We do respect that it is your right to request a second opinion at anytime and you should speak to our chief nurse if you feel this is necessary.

No information will be given to a third party without your permission. Complies with the Data Protection Act 1998.

What information we collect about you

Your doctor and other healthcare professionals keep records about your health and any treatment and care you receive at the hospital. These help ensure that you receive the best possible care from us. They may be written down (hard copy) or held on a computer.

The records may include:

• Basic details about you, such as address and next of kin.
• Contacts we have had with you, such as clinic visits.
• Details and reports about the treatment and care you need or have received.
• Results of investigations, such as X-rays and laboratory tests.
• Relevant information from other healthcare professionals, relatives or those who care for you and know you well.

How your records are used to help you

Your records are used to guide and administer the care you receive to ensure:

• Your doctor, nurse or other healthcare professionals have accurate and up to date information to assess your health and decide what care you need when you visit in the future.
• Full information is available should you see another doctor or specialist.
• There is a good basis for assessing the type and quality of care you have received.
• Any concerns you might have, can be properly investigated.

How your records are used to help us

Your information may also be used to help us:

• Review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standard.
• Make sure our services can meet patient needs in the future.
• Prepare statistics on performance.
• Audit accounts and services.
• Investigate adverse incidents or complaints.
• Ensure you receive the correct bill.

Some of this information will be held centrally but, where this is used for statistical purposes, stringent measures are taken to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.

Where it is not possible to use anonymised information, personally identifiable information may be used for essential purposes and will comply with the Data Protection Act 1998.

How we keep your records confidential

Everyone working at the hospital has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if:

• Others involved in your care have a genuine need for it.
• There are exceptional circumstances, such as when the health or safety of others is at risk or where the law requires information to be passed on.
• We are required by law to report certain information to the appropriate authorities. This is only provided after formal permission has been given by a qualified healthcare professional. An example is notifying the government of certain infectious diseases, such as TB and meningitis (but not HIV/ AIDS).

Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions regarding your privacy. We are more than happy to help in any way,