Your Information Your Rights: What you need to know

Why we collect information about you

We aim to provide you with the highest quality of care. To do this, we must keep records about you and the care we provide for you.

Health Records are held on paper and electronically and we have a legal duty to keep these confidential, accurate and secure at all times in line with Data Protection Laws.

Our staff are trained to handle your information correctly and protect your privacy.

We aim to maintain high standards, adopt best practice for our record keeping and regularly check and report on how we are doing.

Your information is never collected for direct marketing purposes, and is not sold on to any third parties.

Your information is not routinely processed overseas, and if it is we undertake to inform you.

Sometimes your care may be provided by members of a care team, which may include people from other organisations such as health, social care, education, or other care organisations.

Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to keep it confidential

Information is held for specified periods of time as set out in the NHSX Records Management Code of Practice.

 

How your information is used

Information collected about you to deliver your health care is also used to assist with:

• Making sure your care is of a high standard
• Using statistical information to look after the health and wellbeing of the general public and planning services to meet the needs of the population.
• Assessing your condition against a set of risk criteria to ensure you are receiving the best possible care
• Preparing statistics on our performance for the Department of Health and other regulatory bodies.
• Helping to teach and train Healthcare Professionals
• Anonymous statistical information may be passed to  organisations with a legitimate interest, including universities, community, & research institutions.
• Reporting and investigation of complaints, claims and untoward incidents.
• Reporting events to the appropriate authorities when we are required to do so by law

 

The legal/lawful basis

The legal basis for the processing of data for these purposes is that the NHS is an official authority with a public duty to care for its patients, as guided by the Department of Health and Data Protection law says it is appropriate to do so for health and social care treatment of patients, and the management of health or social care systems and services.

If we need to use your personal information for any reason beyond those stated above, we will discuss this with you. You have the right to ask us not to use your information in this way.

However, there are exceptions to this which are listed below.

The public interest is thought to be of greater importance, for example:

• If a serious crime has been committed.
• If there are risks to the public or to our staff.
• To protect vulnerable children or adults.

 

Your Rights

We have a legal duty, for example registering births, reporting some infectious diseases, wounding by firearms and Court Orders.

We need to use the information for medical research. We have to ask permission from the Confidentiality Advisory Group (appointed by the NHS Health Research Authority).

 

Data Protection laws give individuals rights in respect of the personal information that we hold about you.

These are:

1. To be informed why, where and how we use your information.
2. To ask for access to your information
3. To ask for information to be corrected if inaccurate or incomplete.
4. To ask for your information to be deleted or removed where there is no need for us to continue processing it.
5. To ask us to restrict the use of your information.
6. To ask us to copy or transfer your information from one IT system to another in a safe and secure way, without impacting the quality of the information.
7. To object to how your information is used.
8. To challenge any decisions made without human intervention (automated decision making).

For further information please visit Your Information/Your Rights at our website  

www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk/your-information-your-rights.htm

 

Contact Details

To request copies of your personal information, please contact the Subject Access Request Team on 0151 556 3425/3426 or  wcft.sarlegalrequests@nhs.net

 

Please visit our website for further details on any information in this leaflet.

Should you have any further queries on the uses of your information, please speak to one of the following:

Your healthcare professional

The Patient Experience Team, For practical advice our Patient Experience Team provide a (PALS) service.  Contact Patient Experience Team on 0151 556 3090, or email wcft.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net

 

Our Data Protection Officer, (DPO) For Data Protection queries please contact the Information Governance team on 0151 556 3039 wcft.dpo@nhs.net

 

Information Governance Team on 0151 556 3039/3038 or wcft.information.governance@nhs.net

 

Should you wish to lodge a complaint about the use of your information, please contact our complaints team or the DPO using the information above.

If you remain unhappy with the outcome of your enquiry you can write to the

Information Commissioners Office,

Wycliffe House,

Water Lane,

Wilmslow,

Cheshire, SK9 5AF,

or

telephone them on 01625 545700.

 

 

Leaflets in other languages and formats

This leaflet can be translated into another language or produced in another format such as Braille or audio. To find out more please contact The Walton Centre on 0151 525 3611 and ask for Patient Experience

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, L9 7LJ

Tel: 0151 525 3611
Fax: 0151 529 5500
www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk