Privacy policy

Health and social care organisations across Barnsley are improving the way they work together to give you better care and support. By encouraging the sharing of information and resources we can remove the barriers to providing joined up, effective care. Schemes such as the i-HEART Barnsley 365 Service are a result of this new integrated approach.

How we use your information to support your care

This privacy notice explains why we collect information about you, and how it may be used. It is the Barnsley Healthcare Federation’s duty as data controller to let you know this and to make you aware of your rights over your information.

The health and social care professionals who provide you with your care maintain records about your health social care needs, including your previous treatment and care. These records allow them to assess your needs, decide what help or treatment is right for you and provide you with the best possible care. Your records may also include the following information:

Details about you, such as address, date of birth and next of kin.
Any contact that we have had with you, e.g. appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc.
Notes, reports and assessments about your health and social care needs.
Details about your treatment and care.
Results of investigations, such as laboratory tests, x-rays, etc.
Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you.

Different health and care professionals involved in your care may make their own notes, so you may have care records in different parts of the NHS and social care services.

We use a combination of working practices and technology to make sure that both your electronic and paper records are kept confidential and secure, this includes audit trails of who has accessed your records.

We may use your information to pay GPs; care providers, dentists or hospitals for the care you receive. We may also use it to make sure you receive quality care; to train and teach health and social care professionals; and for local auditing of NHS services and accounts.

We may also use your information to investigate incidents and complaints. If you are unhappy with your care, having a record of what has happened means your concerns can be properly investigated.

Sharing information to improve your care

We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. This may include when you need to see another doctor, be referred to a specialist or other health and social care provider.

Health and Social care organisations across Barnsley are committed to working together to provide joined-up integrated care. To make sure this happens they may create joint records on your behalf or share your information to make sure they provide safe, effective care.

You may receive care from other organisations as well as the NHS and Social Services. We may therefore need to share some information about you so we can all work together for your benefit. These partner organisations are listed in the section later called “Who are our partner organisations”.

Ways we may communicate with you

Health and Social Care organisations may need to contact you for a variety of reasons including to:

Offer you a new appointment or alter an existing one;
Send you a reminder of an existing appointment;
Arrange for transport to be provided;
Ask your opinion of our services; or
Tell you about other health and social care services (such as Flu Jabs).

Our standard way to contact you is by letter or telephone. We may also use automated telephone calls, emails, SMS text messaging and where appropriate social media. If you do not wish to be contacted by any of these other methods please let us know.

Keeping your information private

We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with the Data Protection Act, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Human Rights Act, the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality, and the NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Security.

Every member of staff who works for an NHS organisation or Social Care services has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential. Anyone who receives information from an NHS organisation or Social Care, or processes it on their behalf, has a legal and contractual duty to keep it confidential.

We will not share your information with third parties without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as when the health and safety of you or others is at risk, or where the law requires information to be passed on.

Accessing Your Own Information

The Data Protection Act allows you to access information that is held about you and you are able to either view or receive copies of records held in electronic or paper format.

This is known as the "right of subject access". It applies to all your records held by us. If you want to review your records you should make a request to your care team, or where you are being or have been treated. You are entitled to receive a copy of your information.

As of the 01st November 2022 you will be able to use the NHS App and Clinical System Online to read new entries made in your GP record by your GP practice. The entries will include:

name, age and address
allergies and adverse reactions
treatments and medications
immunisations
test results
letters
notes made in patients GP record

If you would like more information regarding the NHS App or Clinical System Online please ask at practice for further details.

In special circumstances your right to see some details in your health records may be limited to protect you and others mentioned in your records from harm and to maintain the confidentiality of others.

Your Right to Opt Out

You have the right, in law and additionally in the NHS Constitution, to request that your confidential information is not used beyond your own care and treatment and to have your objections considered and where your wishes cannot be followed, to be told the reasons including the legal basis.

The possible consequences will be fully explained to you and could include problems and delays in identifying and providing the most appropriate care.

If you wish to exercise your right to opt out, or have any questions or concerns about the information we hold on you or the use of your information, please contact the Practice Senior.

Risk Stratification

Your information from health and social care records (but with names, addresses etc. removed) is looked at by your local NHS CCG, alongside that of others patients, to identify groups of patients who would benefit from some extra help from their GP or care team. This is known as ‘Risk Stratification’.

The aim is to prevent ill health and possible future hospital stays, rather than wait for you to become sick.

The CCG, due to strict rules to maintain confidentiality, is typically limited to using NHS Numbers and postcodes for risk stratification work. Only GPs and care teams are allowed to use this information to be able to see which individuals need this extra help.

Who are our partner organisations?

Where it is in your interest to do so and to support your care, we may share your information with:

NHS Trusts;
Other General Practitioners (GPs);
Local Authorities (including Social Care and Education Services);
Ambulance Trusts;
Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs);
‘Data processors’ working on behalf of the NHS and Local Authorities;
Private Sector Providers;
Out of hours service i.e. i-HEART Barnsley 365 Service; and
Barnsley Hospice.
Voluntary Sector Providers working on behalf of or with the NHS and Local Authorities;
Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists;
Governmental Regulators;
Fire and Rescue Services; and
Police Services.

In Barnsley, a population health management programme has been introduced to use linked data from primary, secondary and community care to understand population health more effectively. This only uses pseudonymised data i.e., where information that identifies you has been removed and replaced with a pseudonym. This will only ever be re-identified if we discover that you may benefit from a particular health intervention, in which case only the relevant staff within your practice will be able to see your personal information to offer this service to you.

To carry out this data linkage, your pseudonymised data will be passed to the North of England Commissioning Support Unit, who are part of NHS England, who will link this to other local and national data sources to be able to carry out appropriate analyses. These linked datasets will also be securely shared with Optum and your Clinical Commissioning Group to carry out any further analysis needed to support improvements to the local populations health and to target health and social care resources effectively.

Only a small number of staff based within these UK based organisations will be able to access this data and as this will be pseudonymised in accordance with the ICO Anonymisation Code of Practice, no one will be able to identify you within these organisations.

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.

To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

Population Health Management Programme Barnsley

More Information on Sharing

Your anonymised information may also be used to help us:

Look after the health of the wider public;
Audit NHS accounts and services;
Investigate complaints, legal claims or untoward incidents;
Make sure our services can meet service user and carer needs in the future;
Prepare statistics on NHS performance;
Review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standard;
Teach and train health and social care professionals; and
Conduct health research and development.

Where we use your information to gather statistics we will make sure that you cannot be identified from this information and that all individuals remain anonymous.

We may give anonymous statistical information to organisations with a legitimate interest, including universities, community safety units and research institutions.

Where there is a request to use your personal confidential data, such as for research purposes this will only be approved after getting your consent.

What information will be shared?

Professionals providing your care will be able to view up-to-date, relevant health information held in your GP record such as:

Some details about you (name, address etc.);
Your recent diagnosis and test results;
What allergies you have;
What medications and treatment you currently receive;
Any current or past illnesses;
Procedures and investigations you have had;
Blood pressure measurements; and
Referrals.

Complaints/Concerns

If you are happy for your data to be extracted and used for the purposes described in this privacy notice, then you do not need to do anything. If you have any concerns about how your data is shared then please contact the Practice Senior Receptionist.

Change of Details

It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed, or if any of your details such as date of birth are incorrect in order for this to be amended. You have a responsibility to inform us of any changes so that are records are accurate and up to date for you.

Notification

The Data Protection Act 1998 requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal and sensitive information. This information is publically available on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website www.ico.org.uk

Barnsley Healthcare Federation is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

Who is the Data Controller?

The Data Controller, responsible for keeping your information secure and confidential is:

Barnsley Healthcare Federation

Who is the Data Protection Officer?

The Federation has a statutory duty to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to provide expertise, strategic oversight and advice in relation to the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. The Federation’s DPO is Danielle Cocksedge of Barnsley Healthcare Federation who can be contacted by email: danielle.cocksedge@nhs.net

Barnsley Healthcare Federations 4 GP Practices: BHF Brierley, BHF Goldthorpe, BHF Highgate and BHF Lundwood’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) to provide expertise, strategic oversight and advice in relation to the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 is Caroline Million of C M Associates who can be contacted by email:

caroline.million@nhs.net