Confidentiality Policy

Access to Health Records

You have a legal right to apply for access to health information held about you.

A health record contains information about your mental and physical health recorded by a healthcare professional as part of your care.

If you want to see your health record please submit a written request to a member of our reception team,  a verbal request is acceptable if a written request is not possible. You will need to specify what information you require and why. You will need proof of ID.

Your GP will decide whether your request can be approved. We can refuse your request if, for example, we believe that releasing the information may cause serious harm to your physical or mental health or that of another person.

Confidentiality

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

  • To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. from district nurses and hospital services.
  • To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
  • When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at the local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.