Patient Record
How We Process & Share Your Data
What GDPR will mean for patients
The GDPR sets out the key principles about processing personal data, for staff or patients;
- Data must be processed lawfully, fairly and transparently
- It must be collected for specific, explicit and legitimate purposes
- It must be limited to what is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed
- Information must be accurate and kept up to date
- Data must be held securely
- It can only be retained for as long as is necessary for the reasons it was collected
There are also stronger rights for patients regarding the information that practices hold about them. These include;
- Being informed about how their data is used
- Patient to have access to their own data
- Patients can ask to have incorrect information changed
- Restrict how their data is used
- Move their patient data from one health organisation to another
- The right to object to their patient information being processed (in certain circumstances)
What is GDPR?
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulations and is a new piece of legislation that will supersede the Data Protection Act. It will not only apply to the UK and EU; it covers anywhere in the world in which data about EU citizens is processed.
The GDPR is similar to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 (which the practice already complies with), but strengthens many of the DPA's principles. The main changes are:
- Practice must comply with subject access requests
- Where we need your consent to process data, this consent must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous
- There are new, special protections for patient data
- The Information Commissioner's Office must be notified within 72 hours of a data breach
- Higher fines for data breaches - up to 20 million euros
What is 'patient data'?
Patient data is information that relates to a single person, such as his/her diagnosis, name, age, earlier medical history etc.
What is consent?
Consent is permission from a patient - an individual's consent is defined as "any freely given specific and informed indication of his wishes by which the data subject signifies his agreement to personal data relating to him being processed."
The changes in GDPR mean that we must get explicit permission from patients when using their data. This is to protect your right to privacy, and we ask you to provide consent to do certain things, like contact you or record certain information about you for your clinical records.
Individuals also have the right to withdraw their consent at any time.
Practice Policies
- Wallingbrook Health Group Patient Privacy Notice
- Data Protection Privacy Notice easy Read Information May 2020
- Subject Access Request Policy
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Children Policy
- Covid 19 Supplementary Privacy Notice June 2020
Confidentiality & Medical Records
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 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.
Data Protection Act - Patient Information
All patient information is considered to be confidential and we fully comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and Caldicott principles. All employees in the practice have access to this information in relation to their role, have confidentiality clauses in their contracts of employment and have signed a confidentiality agreement. All staff members adhere to the confidentiality NHS Code of Practice 2003.
We need to hold personal information about you on our computer system and in paper records to help us to look after your health needs, and your doctor is responsible for their accuracy and safe-keeping. please help to keep your record up to date by informing us of any changes to your circumstances.
All information about you is held securely and appropriate safeguards are in place to prevent accidental loss.
Doctors and staff in the practice have access to your medical records to enable them to do their jobs. From time to time information may be shared with others involved in your care if it is necessary. Anyone with access to your record is properly trained in confidentiality issues and is governed by both a legal and contractual duty to keep your details private.
Where a patient wishes information not to be shared within the team providing direct care then they must discuss this with their GP or Executive Partner.
Patient information will not be shared outside of the direct care team without consent being sought. An individual has the right to refuse to have their information disclosed although this may have an impact on their care, and wishes will be complied with.
In some circumstances we may be require by law to release your details to statutory or other official bodies, for example if a court order is presented, or in the case of public health issues. In other circumstances you may be required to give written consent before information is released - such as for medical reports for insurance, solicitors etc.
To view the Data Protection Policy click here
To view the practice Information Commissioner's Office Certificate click here
Telephone
Please note that it is the Practice's policy to record all telephone calls for the purposes of patient and staff care, security, and dispute resolution. Recordings and their use will be at the Partners' discretion and will also comply with the Practice's Data Protection registration.
To ensure your privacy, we will not disclose information over the telephone unless we are sure that we are talking to you. Information will not be disclosed to family, friends, or spouses unless we have prior written consent, and we do not leave messages with others.
The Practice's Responsibilities
The Practice will ensure that employees fully understand all their responsibilities with regard to confidential data by ensuring employees undertake Information Governance training and sign a written statement of the responsibilities they are undertaking towards the security of the data. Competency will be assessed as an on-going process and as part of the appraisal process.
Freedom of Information
Information about the General Practitioners and the practice required for disclosure under this act can be made available to the public. All requests for such information should be made to the Practice Manager.
Complaints
We make every effort to give the best service possible to 
everyone who attends our practice.
However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.
For further information please download a copy of the complaints leaflet.
To submit a complaint by post, please download the complaints form and post to:
Wallingbrook Health Centre, Back Lane, Chulmleigh, Devon, EX18 7DL
Third Party Consent
If you are complaining on behalf of a patient or your complaint involves the medical care of a patient then the consent of the patient will be required. Please obtain the patients signed declaration. For further details please refer to the complaints leaflet.
To submit a complaint by post, please download the complaints form and the third party complaint form, and post to:
Wallingbrook Health Centre, Back Lane, Chulmleigh, Devon, EX18 7DL.
Zero Tolerance
The Practice takes it very seriously if a member of staff or one of the doctors or nursing team is treated in an abusive or violent way.
The Practice supports the government's 'Zero Tolerance' campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. To successfully provide these services a mutual respect between all the staff and patients has to be in place.
All our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients' individual needs and circumstances. They would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time. The staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.
However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the Practice list and, in extreme cases, the Police being contacted.
In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients the practice would like to ask all its patients to read and take note of the occasional types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable:
- Using bad language or swearing at practice staff.
- Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, such as pushing or shoving.
- Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting the staff.
- Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice.
- Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted.
- Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot
- Causing damage/stealing from the Practice's premises, staff or patients.
- Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently.
We ask you to treat your GPs and their staff courteously at all times.
Non Attendance Policy
On average 110 appointments a month are classified as 'Did Not Attend' i.e. the patient did not attend their appointment and did not contact the surgery in advance to cancel/change their appointment. The effects of these are:
A potential risk to the health of the patient
An increase in waiting time for appointments for other patients
Frustration for both staff and patients where the wasted appointment could have been given to another patient who is waiting
A waste of resource
It is important that any patient non-attendance policy is agreed as a practice and that patients are made aware of the policy and the reason for implementing. Whilst it is important to be consistent, there will be exceptions on an individual case-by-case basis. The policy is conveyed by posters displayed in the waiting room and by advertising the policy on this website. This policy is discussed with the Patient Participation Group.