Why we collect information about you
Our organisation keeps data relating to you: who you are, where you live, what you do, your family, it may also include your friends, your employers, your habits, your problems and diagnoses, the reasons you seek help, your appointments, where you are seen and when you are seen, who by, referrals to specialists and other healthcare providers, tests carried out here and in other places, investigations and scans, treatments and outcomes of treatments, your treatment history, the observations and opinions of other healthcare workers, within and without the NHS as well as comments and aide memoires reasonably made by healthcare professionals in services / practice who are appropriately involved in your health care.
When registering for NHS care, all patients who receive NHS care are registered on a national database, the database is held by NHS Digital, a national organisation which has legal responsibilities to collect NHS data.
GPs have always delegated tasks and responsibilities to others that work with them in their surgeries / services, on average an NHS GP has between 1,500 to 2,500 patients for whom he or she is accountable. It is not possible for the GP to provide hands on personal care for each and every one of those patients in those circumstances, for this reason GPs share your care with others, predominantly within the surgery / service but occasionally with outside organisations.
If your health needs require care from others elsewhere outside the organisation, we will exchange with them whatever information about you that is necessary for them to provide that care. When you make contact with healthcare providers outside the organisation but within the NHS it is usual for them to send us information relating to that encounter. We will retain part or all of those reports. Normally we will receive equivalent reports of contacts you have with non-NHS services but this is not always the case.
Your consent to this sharing of data, within the organisation and with those others outside the organisation is allowed by the Law.
People who have access to your information will only normally have access to that which they need to fulfil their roles, for instance admin staff will normally only see your name, address, contact details, appointment history and registration details in order to book appointments, the practice nurses will normally have access to your immunisation, treatment, significant active and important past histories, your allergies and relevant recent contacts whilst the GP you see or speak to will normally have access to everything in your record.
What we hold about you:
We hold the following types of information about you:
- Basic details about you, such as your name, date of birth, NHS Number
- Contact details such as your address, telephone numbers, email address
- Contact details of your ‘Next of Kin’, a close relative, friend or advocate
- Contacts we have had with you; scheduled and unscheduled appointments
- Details about your care; treatment and advice given and referrals made
- Details about non-clinical health and social care interventions
- Results of investigations, e.g. blood tests
- Relevant information from people who care for you and know you well
We are required by Articles in the General Data Protection Regulations to provide you with the information in the following 9 subsections.
| 1) Data Controller | Sunderland GP Alliance |
| 2) Data Protection Officer |
James Carroll Do not contact the DPO to request medical records. |
| 3) Purpose of the processing |
Direct Care is care delivered to the individual alone, most of which is provided in the surgery, and some is provided by other Federated Services of the Alliance such as the Extended Access Service or the Social Prescribing Service. After a patient agrees to a referral for direct care elsewhere, such as a referral to a specialist in a hospital, necessary and relevant information about the patient, their circumstances and their problem will need to be shared with the other social or healthcare workers, such as specialist, therapists, health coaches, social prescribers or technicians etc. The information that is shared is to enable the other healthcare workers to provide the most appropriate advice, investigations, treatments, therapies, referrals and care. Sunderland GP Alliance will process information to carry out non-clinical health and social care interventions of patients receiving care from General Practice Sunderland or an NHS Trust. |
| 4) Lawful basis for processing |
The processing of personal data in the delivery of direct care and for providers’ administrative purposes in the Alliance and in support of direct care elsewhere is supported under the following Article 6 and 9 conditions of the GDPR: Article 6(1) (e) ‘…necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’ Article 9(2) (h) ‘…necessary for the purposes of preventative or occupational medicine for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services…’ We will also recognise your rights established under UK case law collectively known as the “Common Law Duty of Confidentiality” |
| 5) Recipient or categories of recipients of the processed data |
The data will be shared with Health and Social care professionals and support staff in this surgery and at hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centres who contribute to your personal care and with Social Care Providers For example:
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| 6) Rights to object | You have the right to object to some or all the information being processed under Article 21. Please contact the Data Controller or the practice. You should be aware that this is a right to raise an objection; that is not the same as having an absolute right to have your wishes granted in every circumstance. |
| 7) Right to access and correct | You have the right to access the data that is being shared and have any inaccuracies corrected. There is no right to have accurate medical records deleted except when ordered by a court of Law. |
| 8) Retention period | The data will be retained in line with the law and national guidance. https://digital.nhs.uk/article/1202/Records-Management-Code-of-Practicefor-Health-and-Social-Care-2016 or speak to the Practice. |
| 9) Right to Complain |
You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, you can use this link https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ or calling their helpline Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate) There are National Offices for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, (see ICO website) |
* “Common Law Duty of Confidentiality”, common law is not written out in one document like an Act of
Parliament. It is a form of law based on previous court cases decided by judges; hence, it is also referred to as ‘judge-made’ or case law. The law is applied by reference to those previous cases, so common law is also said to be based on precedent.
The general position is that if information is given in circumstances where it is expected that a duty of confidence applies, that information cannot normally be disclosed without the information provider’s consent.
In practice, this means that all patient information, whether held on paper, computer, visually or audio recorded, or held in the memory of the professional, must not normally be disclosed without the consent of the patient. It is irrelevant how old the patient is or what the state of their mental health is; the duty still applies.
Three circumstances making disclosure of confidential information lawful are:
- where the individual to whom the information relates has consented.
- where disclosure is in the public interest; and
- where there is a legal duty to do so, for example a court order.
How you can access your records
The General Data Protection Regulation 2018 gives you a right to access the information we hold about you (unless an exemption applies). Requests can be made verbally or in writing and no fees will be chargeable. We will process your request within one month. Requests which are manifestly unfounded or excessive could be refused or a reasonable fee charged. If a request is refused, we will inform you as to reasons why within one month and you have the right to complain to the supervisory authority.
- Sunderland GP Alliance
- Northeast Business Innovation Centre
- Sunderland
- SR5 2TA
- Tel: 0191 5166076
GP Connect
In some services we use a facility called GP Connect to support your direct care. GP Connect makes patient information available to all appropriate clinicians when and where they need it, to support direct patients care, leading to improvements in both care and outcomes.
GP Connect is not used for any purpose other than direct care.
Authorised Clinicians such as GPs, NHS 111 Clinicians, Care Home Nurses (if you are in a Care Home), Secondary Care Trusts, Social Care Clinicians are able to access the GP records of the patients they are treating via a secure NHS Digital service called GP connect.
The NHS 111 service (and other services determined locally e.g. Other GP practices in a Primary Care Network) will be able to book appointments for patients at GP practices and other local services.
Summary Care Record
During the height of the pandemic changes were made to the Summary Care Record (SCR) to make additional patient information available to all appropriate clinicians when and where they needed it, to support direct patients care, leading to improvements in both care and outcomes.
These changes to the SCR will remain in place unless you decide otherwise.
Regardless of your past decisions about your Summary Care Record preferences, you will still have the same options that you currently have in place to opt out of having a Summary Care Record, including the opportunity to opt-back in to having a Summary Care Record or opt back in to allow sharing of Additional Information.
You can exercise these choices by doing the following:
- Choose to have a Summary Care Record with all information shared. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see a detailed Summary Care Record, including Core and Additional Information, if they need to provide you with direct care.
- Choose to have a Summary Care Record with Core information only. This means that any authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see limited information about allergies and medications in your Summary Care Record if they need to provide you with direct care.
- Choose to opt-out of having a Summary Care Record altogether. This means that you do not want any information shared with other authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals involved in your direct care. You will not be able to change this preference at the time if you require direct care away from your GP practice. This means that no authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals will be able to see information held in your GP records if they need to provide you with direct care, including in an emergency.
To make these changes, please complete this form and return it to your registered GP practice.
Klinik – AllianceCare
Klinik is an online total triage and patient flow management software tool that directs patients to the right point of care in a timely way, via the AllianceCare website.
AllianceCare simplifies access to healthcare for patients; providing triage information given by the patient to ascertain which healthcare professional is most appropriate for their needs, by order of priority.
AllianceCare enables a more efficient allocation of resources, making it possible to provide a better patient service, and is expected to reduce waiting times for appointments, and waiting times on the phone system if patients still wish to call.
Use of Heidi AI Scribe in Patient Consultations
Sunderland GP Alliance Medical Group are committed to delivering the best possible care to our patients. To enhance the quality and efficiency of our consultations, clinicians (your GP or a member of the multidisciplinary team within practice) may use Heidi Health AI Scribe during your appointment. This section provides information about what Heidi Health AI Scribe is and how your consent is managed.
What is Heidi Health AI Scribe?
Heidi Health AI Scribe is an advanced, secure digital assistant designed to support clinicians during consultations. It uses artificial intelligence to document medical notes, ensuring your clinician can focus on actively listening to your concerns and delivering personalised care, rather than spending time manually recording the notes. Clinicians review and approve the notes that have been captured prior to adding to the patient record.
- Improved Interaction: Allows clinicians to focus solely on the patient during the consultation.
- Accurate Documentation: Helps create precise, clear, and detailed medical notes for the patient record.
- Time Efficiency: Streamlines administrative tasks, giving clinicians more time to spend with their patients.
Patient Consent
Your privacy and comfort are our top priorities. Heidi Health AI Scribe only processes information discussed during your appointment and operates within strict privacy and data protection regulations. No patient identifiable data is saved to the transcript and transcription details are deleted immediately after your consultation. Posters are displayed in the consulting rooms of all clinicians using Heidi Health AI Scribe. If you have any questions or do not wish for the product to be used, please inform the clinician at the start of your appointment. You have the right to decline its use at any time.
- Data Security: Heidi Health AI Scribe complies with UK data protection laws, including GDPR, ensuring that your information is handled securely and confidentially.
- Data Protection Officer: The Heidi Health Data Protection Impact Assessment has been reviewed and approved by the Data Protection Officer for Sunderland and South Tyneside NHS Trust, on behalf of your GP Practice.
- Your Control: If you prefer not to have Heidi Health AI Scribe involved, please do let your clinician know. This will not affect the quality of care you receive.
Our use of the Great North Care Record
As a partner in the Great North Care Record (GNCR), we are required to request and share your information from and with other relevant parties who are part of your care provision and ongoing support. This includes NHS Providers (such as General Practitioners, Acute Health Providers, Ambulance Services and Mental Health Care Providers) as well as local authorities who provide social care.
Full details of the member organisations of the GNCR, what data may be viewed across the GNCR network, and what are the benefits to being part of the GNCR are available from the GNCR website – https://www.greatnorthcarerecord.org.uk/
If you wish to opt-out of your data being shared via the GNCR, or you wish to speak to someone about this use of your data you can contact Sunderland GP Alliance. Please note that this will only prevent your information being shared via the GNCR and will not opt you out of sharing with those organisations who are currently providing you with your care, or may provide it in the future. Your consent is not required to do this as it is necessary to ensure you receive the safest and highest quality of care and treatment.
Exclusion from the GNCR may have a detrimental effect on the service we can provide to you. We will always seek to comply with your request, but in some circumstances, there may be additional reasons where the sharing of your information may be necessary, for example a Court Order or where information is required to be shared should there be a concern that yourself or others are at risk of harm.
General Practice Data for Planning and Research
Sunderland GP Alliance is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public.
Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending the Practice, Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected to help ensure you get the best possible care and treatment and to ensure that the standards of service provided are of the highest quality. Your data may be used to contact you about your experiences of using such services via surveys and questionnaires.
The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:
- improving the quality and standards of care provided
- Monitor the long-term safety and effectiveness of care
- research into the development of new treatments
- preventing illness and diseases
- monitoring safety
- plan how to deliver better health and care services
- prevent the spread of infectious diseases
- identify new treatments and medicines through health research
This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.
The data is collected about any living patient registered at a GP practice in England when the collection of data started and any patient who dies after the collection of data started.
Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed.
Data that directly identifies you as an individual patient, including your NHS number, General Practice Local Patient Number, full postcode, date of birth and if relevant date of death, is replaced with unique codes produced by de-identification software before it leaves the practice. In some circumstances and where allowed by legislation organisations such as NHS Digital will be able to convert the unique codes back to identifiable information.
Further information can be found on the NHS Digital Website by clicking this link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-practicedata-for-planning-and-research/transparency-notice
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.
If you do not want your identifiable patient data to be shared outside of the practice for purposes other than the provision of care please ask the practice for a form to register your Type 1 Opt-out preference.
For further information on the National Opt-Out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters. On this web page you will:
- See what is meant by confidential patient information
- Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care
- Find out more about the benefits of sharing data
- Understand more about who uses the data
- Find out how your data is protected
- Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting
- Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone
- See the situations where the opt-out will not apply
You can also find out more about how patient information is used at: https://www.hra.nhs.uk/information-about-patients/ (which covers health and care research); and
https://understandingpatientdata.org.uk/what-you-need-know (which covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards and how decisions are made)
You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes and data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement.
Health and care organisations have until 2022 to put systems and processes in place so they can be compliant with the national data opt-out and apply your choice to any confidential patient information they use or share for purposes beyond your individual care. Our organisation ‘is currently’ compliant with the national data opt-out policy.
You have the right to object to our sharing your data in these circumstances, but we have an overriding responsibility to do what is in your best interests.
Screening Programs
As a healthcare organisation, we may be sent your information via other healthcare organisations to carry out screening checks such as Smears, National Health Checks, COPD respiratory Checks via our enhanced access service that offer more flexible appointments to attend rather than the standard GP offerings.
Sunderland Health and Wellness Hub
Sunderland GP Alliance control and maintain a patient self help portal that allows you the patient to self-refer into specific services bypassing the need in certain circumstances having to see a clinician saving time to receiving health support.
As part of the process, you will be required to enter personal contact details that may be shared with the relevant 3rd party health organisations.
This information will be retained and disposed of in line with NHS standard retention periods.
On-line Access to Your Records
From October 2023, patients with online accounts such as through the NHS App will have the option to ‘opt in’ to read new entries in their health record. Patients that ‘opt in’ via their GP practice will have access to their future, or prospective, health information via the NHS app and NHS website (for those who have a suitable NHS login). Similarly, new online users set up after this date will also receive ‘opt in’ access by default. General practice will be able to customise or remove access for individuals if having access to future, or perspective, GP health information is inappropriate.
Information on how to ‘opt in’ is available on the Sunderland GP Alliance website
Further information is available at: Access to patient records through the NHS App – NHS Digital
Your records and research
Sunderland GP Alliance are research active and there is the possibility that your records may be looked at by a member of staff at some point, who is not involved in your direct care. This is so that we can see if you are eligible to be invited to participate in approved research projects being run by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) that may be relevant to you.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research fund, enable and deliver world-leading health and social care research that improves people’s health and wellbeing, and promotes economic growth.
Sunderland GP Alliance do benefit financially for participation in research.
If you are eligible to take part in research, we may use your contact details to invite you to receive further information about such research opportunities.
Shared PCN Clinical Services
As a partner practice in Washington and Sunderland Central Primary Care Networks (PCN) we will share your information with other shared services within the PCN who are part of your care provision and ongoing support. Where you engage with these services, your healthcare information will be held within a common system that can be accessed by all practices within the PCN.
All individuals who will have access to your records via PCN shared services are bound be the same requirements to maintain the confidentiality of your information as the staff within your practice.
The information held about you is used to provide health and social care, for the management of the services that the PCN provide, the management of the NHS, and also for public health reasons. It may also be used to contact you regarding the provision of these services.
Where you are receiving care from PCN shared services, information relating to the care provided will be added to your practice clinical record.
Information about you held within the PCN Clinical system will be accessed by authorised individuals who are involved in providing direct care to you or who support the provision of direct care or the management of these services. This will include:
- Doctors and nurses who provide you with treatment
- Other clinical staff such as Pharmacists and Radiologists
- Clinical Managers
The Sunderland Central PCN consists of the following practices.
- Village Surgery
- The Broadway Medical Practice
- Springwell Medical Group
- New Silksworth Medical Practice
- Happy House Surgery
- South Hylton Surgery
The Washington PCN consists of the following practices.
- Dr Stephenson & Partners
- Galleries Medical Practice
- Concord Medical Practice
- Monument Surgeries
- New Washington Medical Group
- Rickleton Medical Centre
- IJ Healthcare (Harraton Surgery) *
To access any of your healthcare information held within the PCN Shared services, please contact the practice manager.
Further information and useful contacts
If you have any queries or concerns about how we use your information, please contact:
Sunderland GP Alliance – Telephone (0191) 5166076
For further information please contact our team.
T | 0191 516 6076