How we use your information

These pages explain why information is collected about you and the ways in which this information may be used by the Trust.

Why we collect information about you

Your doctor and other health professionals caring for you keep records about your treatment and care you receive from the Trust.

These help ensure that you receive the best possible care from us. They may be written down (manual records), or held on a computer. The records may include:

• basic details about you, such as name, address, date of birth, NHS number and next of kin,
• contacts we have had with you, such as clinic visits,
• notes and reports about your health and any treatment and care you need,
• details and records about the treatment and care you receive,
• results of investigations, such as X-rays and laboratory tests,
• relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you and know you well.

How your records are used to help you

Your records are used to guide and administer the care you receive to ensure:

• your doctor, nurse or any other healthcare professionals involved in your care have accurate and up-to-date information to assess your health and decide what care you need when you visit in the future,
• allow us to contact you for further visits,
• full information is available should you see another doctor, or be referred to a specialist or another part of the NHS ,
• your concerns can be properly investigated if you need to complain.

Your information may also be used to help us:

• look after the health of the general public,
• pay your GP, dentist and hospital for the care they provide,
• audit NHS accounts and services,
• investigate complaints, legal claims or untoward incidents,
• make sure our services can meet patient needs in the future,
• prepare statistics on NHS performance,
• review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standard,
• teach and train healthcare professionals,
• conduct health research and development.

Some of this information will be held centrally, but where this is used for other purposes care is taken to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.

Anonymous information may also be passed to organisations with a legitimate interest, such as:

• universities, and 
• research institutions.

Personally identifiable information may be used for essential NHS purposes such as research and auditing services. This will only be done with your consent, unless the law requires information to be passed on to improve public health.