How we use your personal information
This fair processing notice explains why Diagnostic Ultrasound Services hold information about you and how that information may be used.
The health care professionals, who provide you with care, maintain records about your referral and treatment with Diagnostic Ultrasound Services. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.
Diagnostic Ultrasound Services also holds the following personal information about you;
- Details such as your address, DOB, your GP surgery and contact telephone number.
- Any contact Diagnostic Ultrasound services has had with you, your referral from your GP, appointments, clinic visits, consent
form and your ultrasound report. - The patient satisfaction we may ask you to complete is anonymised.
This information is kept in electronic and paper format and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure.
Some information will be used for statistical purposes and is requested by the Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified and all information is anonymised.
Other Data Sharing / Access Projects
How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records?
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:
- Data Protection Act 1998
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
- Health and Social Care Act 2012
- NHS Codes of Confidentiality and Information Security
Every member of staff who works for Diagnostic Ultrasound Services has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.
We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any 3rd party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), where the law requires information to be passed on and / or in accordance with the new information sharing principle following Dame Fiona’s Caldicott information sharing review (Information to share or not to share) where “The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.” This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out by the Caldicott principles. They should be supported by the policies of their employers, regulators and professional bodies.
Who do we share your information with?
We may also have to share your information, subject to strict agreements on how it will be used, with the following organisations;
- NHS Trusts / Foundation Trusts. Should you be referred for further care, your Consultant may request copies of the images taken at Diagnostic Ultrasound Services. This information is shared via our secure Image Exchange Portal ( IEP)
- GP’s
- NHS Commissioning Support Units
- Clinical Commissioning Groups
- Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)
Any information provided, with the exception of images which may be requested by secondary care, is in anonymised format.
Any information we hold in paper format is scanned in to our clinical system. Paper copies are then destroyed, on site, by our secure document destruction service. These companies are bound by contractual agreements to ensure information is kept confidential and secure. This agreement is held by the Operations Manager.
Access to personal information
You have a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information InsideVue holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate. This request must be made through your GP surgery.
- Your request must be made in writing to your GP – for information from the hospital you should write direct to them
- There may be a charge to have a printed copy of the information held about you
- They are required to respond to you within 30 days
- You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, NHS number and details of your request) so that your identity can be verified and your records located
Objections / Complaints
Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at Diagnostic Ultrasound Services please contact the Operations Manager. If you are still unhappy following a review by the Operations Manager, you can then complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) via their website: www.ico.org.uk
Change of Details
It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any of your details such as date of birth is incorrect in order for this to be amended. You have a responsibility to inform us of any changes so our records are accurate and up to date for you.
Notification
The Data Protection Act 1998 requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal and sensitive information.
This information is publicly available on the Information Commissioners Office website www.ico.org.uk
Diagnostic Ultrasound Services is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).
Who is the Data Controller?
The Data Controller, responsible for keeping your information secure and confidential is:
Mrs Sally Hill – Manager
Tel: 01883 734038, mobile 07955 583791, (Ultrasound bookings / queries)
Manager: Mrs Sally Hill MSc (Diagnostic ultrasound)
Secure nhs.net email: sally.hill@nhs.net – (note this is secure when emailed from another nhs.net email address)
