Confidentiality

Our staff adhere to a strict confidentiality policy in respect of patient information. Other than Practice staff, no outside body will have access to medical records without prior consent of the patient.

Using Your Information Confidentially for Risk Stratification

An explanation for patients

What is risk stratification?

There are two kinds of risk stratification:

  1. The first kind is a process for identifying some patients within a Practice who might benefit from extra assessment or support with self-care because of the nature of their health problems. The process is a mixture of analysis of information by computer followed by review of the results by a clinical team at the Practice.

    The analysis can, for example, help predict the risk of an unplanned hospital Admission so that preventative measures can be taken as early as possible to try and avoid it. In the end, it is the clinical team of the GP Practice that will decide how your care is best managed.

     

  2. The second kind is a process for identifying patterns of ill health and needs across our local population. This will be done by pulling together all the information in an anonymised file (where your identity has been removed) to look at patterns and trends of illness across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland as a whole.

    This will help our Public Health Department and those in the NHS who are responsible for planning and arranging health services across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (known as commissioners) better understand the current and possible future health needs of the local population. This will help them make provision for the most appropriate health services for the people of this area. This group of staff will not be able to identify you as an individual under any circumstances.

    In both cases secure NHS systems and processes will protect your health information and patient confidentiality at all times.

     

What information about me will be analysed?

The minimum amount of information about you will be used. The information included is:
Age
Gender
GP Practice and Hospital attendances and admissions
Medications prescribed
Medical conditions (in code form) and other things that may affect your health such as height, weight for example.

How will my information be kept secure and confidential?

Information from your GP record will be sent via a secure computer connection to a special location called a ‘safe haven’ at NHS Arden and Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (NHS Arden & GEM CSU) in Leicester This safe haven carries special accreditation from the NHS. It is designed to protect the confidentiality of your information. There are strict controls in place. It enables information to be used in a way that does not identify you. The GP Practice remains in control your information at all times.

Before any analysis starts, any information that could identify you will be removed and replaced by a number. The analysis is done by computer. The results are returned to the GP Practice. Only your GP Practice can see the results in a way that identifies you.

What will my GP Practice do with the analysis?

The results can help the clinical team decide on some aspects of your future care. For example, if the clinical team at the Practice think that you might benefit from a review of your care, they can arrange this. You may then be invited in for an appointment to discuss your health and treatment. If the Practice thinks you might benefit from referral to a new service, this will be discussed with you firstly.

What should I do if I have further questions about risk stratification?

Please ask the Practice staff if you can speak to someone in more detail.

What if I want to opt out?

If you feel satisfied that you understand what risk stratification is but you do not wish to be included, you can choose to opt-out. In this case, please inform the Receptionist who can ensure that your information is not included.

Sharing Your GP Medical Record With Other Healthcare Professionals Involved In Your Care
Health services in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are introducing a new system of sharing medical records between a GP practice and other NHS organisations

The system will allow the healthcare professional who provide you with care, to view information in your GP medical record. Viewing your record will help to improve the quality of your care and potentially save lives.

Who will be able to view my medical record and what will they use it for?
A qualified healthcare professional who has obtained your consent will be able to view your GP medical record. This will only ever be done for the specific problem you are presenting with. This will allow the Clinician assessing you to have faster, easier access to relevant information about you, to help provide you with safer and better care.

Currently the following organisations are taking part, but as more organisations sign-up, this list will change. Reception can provide you with up-to-date information:

  1. University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
  2. Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
  3. Northern Doctors Urgent Care Ltd
  4. Oadby and Wigston Walk-in Medical Centre
  5. Melton Mowbray Hospital Minor Injury and Illness Service
  6. Market Harborough Minor Injury and Illness Unit
  7. Rutland Memorial Hospital Minor Injury and Illness Unit
  8. Central Nottingham Clinical Services
  9. LLR Out of Hours Service
  10. Urgent Care Centre, Loughborough
  11. Derbyshire Health United – NHS 111
  12. East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
  13. George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust – Urgent Care Centre Leicester
  14. SSAFA Walk-in Centre

What information can be viewed?

Personal information, such as name, date of birth, gender
Allergies
Medication
Attendances, hospital Admission and referral dates
Vaccinations and immunisations
Test results, including measurements such as blood pressure
Diagnoses (current and post problems)
Treatment and medical procedures

What information will be blocked from viewing?

IVF, fertility treatment and embryology
Venereal disease and sexually transmitted diseases
Gender realignment
Termination of pregnancy
However this can be overridden in a clinical emergency. For further information regarding your record please see your GP Receptionist.

What will happen when the healthcare professionals want to view my GP medical record?

You will be asked directly to give your explicit consent, at the point of contact, for your GP medical record to be viewed. You can say yes or no; the Consultant/Doctor will only view your record if you say yes.

You will be asked beforehand for permission by the assessing healthcare professional each time your medical record is viewed. Your healthcare professional is only viewing your record. They are not downloading and storing any of your data. This means that when they close your record it is no longer accessible outside of your surgery.

If you are unable to give consent, for example if you are unconscious and it is deemed to be vital for your survival, then a healthcare professional may view your GP medical record in order to be able to provide appropriate care for you.

If I give permission to view my GP medical record, how long does this permission last?

Your GP medical record will only be viewed while you are currently being treated. When you are discharged back to the care of your GP, electronic access to your medical record will stop until someone asks you again.

Can I refuse to allow my GP to share my medical record?

If you are concerned about sharing your GP medical record you can opt out of allowing it to be shared. If you do not wish for your information, or even part of it, to leave your GP practice clinical system then please ask your GP receptionist who will arrange this. This can be done at any time – now or in the future.

Can I change my mind?

Yes you can change your mind about opting-in or opting-out at any time by asking the GP Receptionist.

How will my information be kept secure and confidential?

A secure system will be used to allow access to your GP Practice System by another organisation. All organisations involved must sign an Agreement to confirm that they will adhere to the strict controls in place around the computer system itself and around any staff who are allowed to access the system. Everyone working for the NHS has a legal and contractual duty to keep information about you secure and confidential.

How can I find out who has viewed my GP medical record?

Every time your GP record is accessed by another organisation, a message is sent back to your GP Practice system and stored in an Audit log.

Is there a danger someone else could hack into my record or that my information could be lost?

The NHS has the strongest security measures available and there is strong protection to prevent any information from being accessed without permission. As the organisations are only viewing your record, it is not possible for them to delete any information or for it to be lost.

For further information

Please see our other leaflet “How we use your medical records” (also available on our website or from GP Reception). It explains how you can access your own health records, how you can get further information and what to do if you have any concerns about your information.

For further information you can discuss the sharing of your medical records with your GP or you can contact the NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland IM&T Strategic Projects Team on the following should require more detail; Tel: 0116 295 0756 Email: [email protected]