Find out how shared information about you is used by health and care professionals involved in your care

It is necessary for us to collect and hold information about you in order to provide the health and care services you need.

What information do we collect?

The information we collect and hold about you includes:

1. Your name and address;
2. The details of your registered practice (GP);
3. Details of visits to hospitals and clinics, your calls to out of hours and any home visits we make;
4. Test results and x-rays;
5. Information from NHS and social care professionals who support and care for you; and
6. Contact information, including your next of kin, carers or emergency contacts, should we need to contact them.

We may keep this information digitally or on paper.

How we use information about you

We will use information about you when your health and social care staff:

1. Look at your health needs and support your care and treatment;
2. Refer you to a different service;
3. Look after you while you are in a hospital;
4. Check the quality of your care; and
5. Investigate any problems with your care.

One of the ways we do this is to hold information about you in the Thames Valley and Surrey Care Records (TVS Care Records). To find out more specific details about the TVS Care Records and how we use TVS Care Records please see www.thamesvalleysurreycarerecords.net/yourinfo or contact us using the contact details below.

We have controls in place for the TVS Care Records that ensure the information about you can only be seen by the people who should see information about you.

How else could information about you be used?

We may use information about you to help us do the following (as required by law where possible we will remove information that may identify you):

1. Look after the health of the general public;
2. Check that the NHS is providing a good service;
3. Give information to authorised government organisations about our services;
4. Look into new ways of caring for people;
5. Make sure our services can meet patient needs in the future; and
6. Teach and train healthcare professionals.

Do we share identifiable information with anyone?

There are times when it is necessary for us to share identifiable information about you with other organisations.

Using the TVS Care Records we may share your identifiable information with:

1. Local doctors (GPS);
2. NHS organisations involved in your care, NHS England and the Department of Health;
3. The local Council’s Social Services and Education Services;
4. Independent health and care organisations who are involved in your care; and
5. Community organisations who are involved in your care.

We will not provide information about you that identifies you to others unless there is a legal obligation to do so.

The law says that any organisation that uses your identifiable information must keep it safe.

Your rights

The law says that:

1. You have the right to have personal information about you kept safe and secure.
2. You have the right to be told about how information about you is being used.
3. You have the right to ask for a copy of your medical records.
4. You have the right to ask that personal information about you is only used for your own care and treatment.
5. You have the right to check that information about you is correct and up to date.

Things the TVS Care Records partners must do

The TVS Care Records partners must:

1. Keep records of our interactions with you the care and treatment that we provide to you;
2. Keep your records safe and secure;
3. Give you information in a way that you can understand; and
4. Give you a copy of your records when you ask for them.

Find out more or contact us

To find out more about the above please contact Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is the lead organisation for the TVS Care Records. The Data Protection Officer for Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust can be contacted using fhft.information.governance@nhs.net and by post using The Data Protection Officer, Information Governance Department, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Heatherwood Hospital, Greenwood Offices, London Road, Ascot, SL5 8AA.

Should you require information relating specifically to one of the health and social care organisations you deal with directly, please contact the organisation concerned. You will find the contact details and process for individual organisations on their websites.

To find out more specific details about the TVS Care Records and how we use it please see www.thamesvalleysurreycarerecords.net/yourinfo or contact us using the contact details above.

If you need to contact the Information Commissioner, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) internet address is www.ico.org.uk and the ICO can be contacted here
www.ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/contact-us-public/ and here: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, or by telephone on: 0303 123 1113.