Privacy Policy

South Tyneside Health Collaboration

Liane Cotterill

Liane.cotterill@nhs.net

Direct Care delivered to an individual patient, much of which is provided in our clinical services.  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 healthcare workers, such as specialist, therapists, technicians etc.  The information that is shared is to enable the other healthcare and social care professionals to provide the most appropriate advice, investigations, treatments, therapies and or care.  

The processing of personal data in the delivery of direct care and for providers’ administrative purposes in this surgery and in support of direct care elsewhere is supported under the following Article 6 and 9 conditions of the GDPR:   Article 6 (1) (c) – the processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller (the practice is subject) and/or   Article 6(1)(e) ‘…the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority…’.  

Health data is defined as a special kind of personal data and is also processed by STHC under 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.’  

The sharing of your personal data also takes place in accordance with the common law duty of confidentiality. Performance of this duty does not require consent from the patient where the proposed use of their data is either for individual care or in the public interest.      

According to the particular course of treatment, your data will be shared with health and care professionals and support staff in STHC services and at hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centres who contribute to your personal care. These will include:   GPs, Hospitals, Primary Care Networks, Local GP provider organisation’s Commissioning Support Units Social Care Services, Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Clinical Excellence Group Community Pharmacists, District Nurses, Independent Contractors such as dentists, opticians, pharmacists Private Sector Providers Voluntary Sector Providers Ambulance Trusts North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, Central Integrated Care systems, Clinical Commissioning Groups Local Authorities Education Services Fire and Rescue Services Police & Judicial Services The Child Health Information Service Substance Misuse, Remote Worker, Coroner’s Service, Wellbeing coaches, Care co-ordinators, Voluntary Sector, Providers Private Sector Providers, Social Prescribers.

Many organisations across the North East share an aggregated summary view of your data, held in a secure Health Information Exchange and using a Local Health Care Exemplar format known as the Great North Care patient record, in order to make quicker and better informed decisions in providing you with care.

You have the right to object to some or all of the information being processed, which is detailed under Article 21. Exercising your right to object may well prevent the referral or course of treatment from going ahead.   Please contact the Data Protection Officer on Liane.cotterill@nhs.net. 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.  

You have the right to access your data and to have any inaccuracies corrected.   There is no right to have medical records deleted except when ordered by a court of Law.  

We retain your personal data in line with both national guidance and law, which can be found here:   https://www.nhsx.nhs.uk/information-governance/guidance/records-management-code/  

If you have a question or wish to complain about the use of your data, please contact the Data Protection Officer at: Liane.cotterill@nhs.net.  The use of personal data is overseen by the Information Commissioners Office, often known as the ICO.   If you wish to complain or raise a concern with the ICO, they can be contacted via their website: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/  .   Or you can also call their helpline   Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) 01625 545 745 (national rate)   Or you can write to them at   The ICO, Wycliffe House, Water Ln, Wilmslow SK9 5AF