Freedom of Imformation

How We Use Your Health Records

This leaflet explains:

Why we collect information about you and how it is used,
Your right to see your health records,
How we keep your records confidential.

1) WHY WE COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT YOU.

The Outside Clinic keep records about your health and any treatment and care you receive from us. These records help to ensure that you receive the best possible care. They may be written down (manual records) or held on computer. These records may include:

Basic details about you, such as address, date of birth.
Contact we have had with you such as eye examinations.
Notes and reports about your health
Details and records about your treatment and care.

Some of this information will be held centrally to be used for statistical purposes. In these instances we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified.

This information will only be used with your consent, unless the law requires us to pass on the information.

2) HOW YOUR RECORDS ARE USED.

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

Your optometrist or other eyecare professional involved in your care has accurate and up-to-date information to assess your health and decide the most appropriate care for you
Your concerns can be properly investigated if a complaint is raised.

We will ensure that appropriate information is available if you see another optometrist, or are referred to a specialist, your GP or another part of the NHS.

You have a right of access to the information we hold about you on our records:

Your request must be made in writing to the Data Controller at the address below.
We are required to respond to you within 40 days
You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth etc.,) so that your identity can be verified and your records located

If you think anything is inaccurate or incorrect, please let us know.

3) HOW YOUR RECORDS MAY BE USED TO HELP OTHERS.

Your information may also be used in the following ways:

To help protect the health of the public
To help us manage our organisation by being used :

To pay your optometrist for the care you receive
To audit accounts and services
To investigate patient queries, complaints and legal claims
To make sure our services can meet patients' needs in the future
To prepare statistics on our performance
To review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standards

The following will be with your consent:

To help in health research and development
To help teach healthcare professionals

4) COPYING LETTERS TO PATIENTS.

Patients now have a right to a copy of any letter written about them from one healthcare professional to another. If you would like to receive a copy of your letter inform the optometrist during your appointment.

5) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000.

If you want any information about the organisation, which is not personal data, please ask for a senior manager when telephoning, or writing to us.

6) HOW WE KEEP YOUR RECORDS CONFIDENTIAL.

Everyone working for us has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential.

You may be receiving care from other people as well as the NHS (e.g. Social Services). We may need to share some information about you with them so we can all work together for your benefit. We will only ever pass information about you to them if:

They have a genuine need for it
We have your permission

We will not disclose your information to a third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as when the health and safety of others is at risk or if the law requires us to pass on information.

Anyone who receives information from us has a legal duty to keep it confidential.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE IS THAT WE ARE HOLDING YOUR RECORDS IN STRICT CONFIDENCE

7) WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A SIGHT TEST?

If you need glasses, we will give you (or your carer, advocate or guardian) a copy of your prescription.
If you do not need glasses, we will give you (or your carer, advocate or guardian) a statement telling you this.
If you need a report for your employer or other organisation, we will give the report to you to pass on. If the report has to be sent directly, we will only do so with your written permission.

8) WHO ARE OUR PARTNER ORGANISATIONS?

We may share information with the following main partner organisations:

Health Authorities
NHS Trusts
General Practitioners (GPs)

We may also share your information, subject to strict agreement about how it will be used, with:

Social Services
Education Services
Local Authorities
Voluntary Sector Providers
Private Sector Providers

9) NOTIFICATION.

The Data Protection Act 1998 requires organisations which store information in electronic form to lodge a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal information.

The details are publicly available from the Information Commissioner's office at:
Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625545745 Fax: 01625524510

Alternatively see the Information Commissioner's website on the internet:
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

10) WHO IS THE DATA CONTROLLER?

The Data Controller, responsible for keeping your information confidential is:

Mr Richard Gibson
The Outside Clinic
Old town Court
10-14 high street
Old town
Swindon
SN1 3EP