Freephone
The West Kent NHS helpline
The West Kent NHS helpline
0800 0 850 850
Protecting you and your information
Why information is collected about you
Doctors, nurses and other health professionals caring for you keep information about your health and the care you receive from the NHS.
This helps to ensure that you receive the best possible treatment because:
- Accurate and up to date information enables staff to assess your health and plan the care you need
- The type and quality of care you have received can be monitored
- Your concerns can be properly investigated if anything goes wrong
Information kept by the NHS includes:
- Basic details about you, e.g. address, next of kin
- Contact with you, e.g. clinics attended
- Notes and reports about your health, treatment and care
- Results of investigations, e.g.tests/X-ray results
Some of this information is used for statistical purposes, which is done anonymously. This helps the NHS to improve its services and plan for the future.
How your information is protected
Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep patient and staff information confidential. Information about you can be given to your relatives, carers and friends only with your consent.
It may be necessary to share information about you with other professionals, such as Social Services staff, so you can receive all the support you need. Anyone who receives such information is also under a legal duty of confidentiality.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, for example when the health and safety of others at risk, information will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent.
The NHS is legally required to report certain information to the appropriate authorities, such as:
- Births and deaths
- Infectious diseases that may endanger others, such as TB or meningitis but not HIV/AIDS
- If required to by a court order
How you can arrange to see your own information
Please ask the doctor, nurse or healthcare professional looking after you if you wish to see information held about you.
An appointment can be made to ensure a member of medical staff is available to explain any part of the record that you do not understand.
You may wish to make a formal application under The Data Protection Act 1998, to find out what information is held about you on computer and in certain written records.
To do this, please write to the Medical Records Officer of the particular organisation where you are being treated.
You have a legal right to have copies of the information, but there may be an administration charge.
However, if your doctor decides that seeing your records could put your health at risk, you may only be shown part of your records.
How you can help
Every NHS organisation you come into contact with needs to keep your personal details up to date. Please:
- Always give your full first name and last names, your full address and postcode and confirm any particular spelling.
- Advise the NHS of any changes of name, address, telephone number, and next of kin.
The NHS take confidentiality very seriously.
If you do not want certain information recorded, or want to know more about how information will be used, please speak to your doctor or the healthcare professional who is treating you.
You can also contact the Data Protection Officer of the NHS organisation - such as the hospital, clinic or GP surgery - where you are being treated.