The Haven Practice - Surgery policies on confidentiality, comments and suggestions, data protection etc

INFORMATION COMMISSIONERS OFFICE PROMISE
On behalf of its patients promise that we will:

value the personal information entrusted to us and make sure we respect that trust;
go further than just the letter of the law when it comes to handling personal information, and adopt good practice standards;
consider and address the privacy risks first when we are planning to use or hold personal information in new ways, such as when introducing new systems;
be open with individuals about how we use their information and
who we give it to;
make it easy for individuals to access and correct their personal information;
keep personal information to the minimum necessary and delete it when we no longer need it;
have effective safeguards in place to make sure personal information is kept securely and does not fall into the wrong hands;
provide training to staff who handle personal information and treat it as a disciplinary matter if they misuse or don’t look after personal information properly;
put appropriate financial and human resources into looking after personal information to make sure we can live up to our promises;
regularly check that we are living up to our promises and report on how we are doing.

We are constantly seeking to improve our services and welcome feedback, both positive and negative. Please complete a feedback form and place it in the suggestion box in reception or send into the Practice.

How to Make a Complaint

Should you have any reason to make a complaint about an administrative or a clinical issue, you can ask to speak to the Practice Manager, Sue Doyle who is available to meet and discuss any concerns patients may have regarding the care they received. You can contact her either on the phone or in person, or you can put your concern in writing via letter or email to BHCCG.TheHaven@nhs.net. Your complaint will be treated with complete confidentiality. A Patient Information Leaflet is available for your reference.

If you feel uncomfortable about speaking directly with the Practice Manager, you can contact Healthwatch. This is a new consumer champion for both health and social care. It exists in two distinct forms – local Healthwatch, at local level, and Healthwatch England, at national level. They can support and advise you and with your consent will investigate your complaint.

They work with charities community and voluntary organisations that support people who use health and care services. They can help patients and local residents with difficulties they may be facing with health services. Their contact details locally are:

Healthwatch Brighton and Hove
Freepost RTGY-CZLY-ATCR
Healthwatch Brighton and Hove
Brighton

BN1 3XG

Data Protection

Patient information is stored on computer and under the Data Protection Act 1998 we are obliged to inform you of this and that details are held confidentially and only divulged in connection with a medical necessity. Our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strict confidence.

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

The principal partner organisations with which information may be shared are: Hospital, Community and Mental Health Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG's). General Practitioners (GPs), Ambulance Services and Social Services (if involved in care). Your information is subject to strict agreements describing how it will be used and, only if necessary for your care, may also be shared with: Local Authorities, NHS Common Service Agencies, Voluntary Organisations and other care providers. Your records are managed in accordance with this Act and under this information you have a right of access to your records.

Data Protection Policy