The Harefield Practice

Regrettably, we have been advised by NHS England to suspend online appointment booking.  This is to ensure that patients who may have been exposed to Coronavirus do not come into the Surgery without being triaged by our front line staff. You will still be able to request medication. I apologise in advance for the inconvenience this will cause you and hope that we will be able to re-instate this service again soon.  Thank you for your understanding.

What types of personal data do we handle?

We process personal information to enable us to support the provision of healthcare services to patients, maintain our own accounts and records, promote our services, and to support and manage our employees. We also process personal information about health care professionals who deliver services throughout the NHS.

We also use information to support and monitor the health services commissioned in England to enable the delivery of high quality healthcare. This type of information will usually be provided to NHS England in an aggregate or anonymised form, so that we do not identify an individual.

Sharing your information

There are a number of reasons why we share information. This can be due to:

• Our obligations to comply with current legislation
• Our duty to comply with a Court Order
• The patient has consented to disclosure

Security of your information

We take our duty to protect your personal information and confidentiality seriously. We are committed to taking all reasonable measures to ensure the confidentiality and security of personal data for which we are responsible, whether computerised or on paper.

All staff are required to undertake regular information governance training. The training ensures that staff are aware of their information governance responsibilities and follow best practice guidelines ensuring the necessary safeguards and appropriate use of person-identifiable and confidential information.

Under the NHS Confidentiality Code of Conduct, all our staff are also required to protect your information, and inform you of how your information will be used. This includes, in most circumstances, allowing you to decide if and how your information can be shared.

Everyone working for the NHS is subject to the common law duty of confidentiality.  Information provided in confidence will only be used for the purposes advised and consented to by the service user, unless it is required or permitted by the law.

North West London DPO Service: infogovernance@nhs.net                                                               North West London DPC: Mohital Haque

Information Governance Lead: Valerie Beard, Practice Manager                                                         Caldicott Guardian: Dr G Dale

 Your data matters

You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used for research and planning. To find out more visit: nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters or click to download the data information sheet below.