Information Governance

• Why we collect information about you
• How your records are used
• How we keep your records confidential
• Your rights
• Who we may share information with

These records may include:

• Basic details about you, such as address, date of birth, next of kin
• Contact we have had with you such as  appointments and home visits
• Notes and reports about your health
• Details and records about your treatment and care
• Results of x-rays, laboratory tests etc.
• Relevant information from people who care for you and know you well, such as health professionals and relatives

We follow NHS good practice and will:

• Discuss and agree with you what we are going to record about you
• Give you a copy of letters we are writing about you; and
• Show you what we have recorded about you, if you ask

• Provide a good basis for any treatment or advisory services we provide to you
• Allow you to work with us when we provide treatment or advice
• Make sure your treatment is safe and effective, and the advice we provide is appropriate and relevant to you
• Work effectively with others providing you with treatment or advice
• Provide financial and operational information to the organisations who are paying for your care

• Maintain full and accurate records of the care we provide to you
• Keep records about you confidential, secure and accurate
• Provide information in a format that is accessible to you (e.g. in large type if you are partially sighted).

We will not share information that identifies you for any reason, unless:

• You ask us to do so;
• We ask and you give us specific permission;
• We have to do this by law;
• We have special permission because we believe that the reasons for sharing are so important that they override our obligation of confidentiality (eg to prevent someone from being seriously harmed)

Our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strict confidence.

You have the right to apply for access to the information we hold about you. Access covers:

• The right to obtain a copy of your record in permanent form;
• The right to have the information provided to you in a way you can understand (and explained where necessary, e.g. abbreviations).

Where you agree, the access right may be met by enabling you to view the record without obtaining a copy.

Obtaining a copy of your record :

• Send your request in writing to the Chief Executive.
• Your request will need to include sufficient information to enable us to correctly identify your records (e.g. full name, address, date of birth, NHS number (if known))
• We charge £10 to provide you with a printed copy of the information we hold about you
• We will respond to you within 40 days of receiving your request
• You will be required to provide a form of ID before any information is released to you.

Once you receive your records, if you believe any information is inaccurate or incorrect, please inform us.

• NHS commissioners of care – in particular the organisation that referred you to us for treatment, assistance or advice
• Insurance companies like BUPA that fund any treatment, assistance or advice
• Other providers involved in your care – such as a hospital or your GP

• Social Services
• Education Services
• Local Authorities
• Voluntary Sector Providers
• Private Sector

• Check the quality of treatment or advice we have given you
• Protect the health of the general public
• Manage the health service
• Help investigate any concerns or complaints you or your family have about your health care

Some information we have to share is used for statistical purposes, and in these instances we take strict measures to ensure that individual service users cannot be identified.

Anyone who receives information from us also has a legal duty to keep it confidential.

If you do not wish personal data that we hold about you to be used or shared in the way that is described in this leaflet, please discuss the matter with us. You have the right to object, but this may affect our ability to provide you with care or advice.