GDPR: Patients, Family / Next of Kin

Patients, Family and Next of Kin Data:

Wirral Hospice St John’s has always and will continue to take data protection and security extremely seriously.

We need to record information about those who receive Wirral Hospice’s care and support.

We have to protect the personal and medical information you share with us.

Your confidential patient data is looked after in accordance with good practice and the law which includes the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

For more information about your data protection and information rights, see the Information Commissioner’s website

How do we use your personal information (Patients):

• What information do we collect about you?
• How do we collect and record information about you?
• How do we record information about you?
• How do we use your information?
• Who do we share your information with?
• Legal requirements to share your information
• How can you opt out of data sharing?
  
• How do we keep your information safe?
  
• How long do we keep your information for?
  
• What are your personal data rights?
  

What information do we collect about you?

Your name, address, contact details and date of birth – we need this to send you letters or telephone you about your care, and to identify you when you visit us.

It also helps us to receive your information from other hospitals if needed.

Your health information including any scans and test results.

Information about your family or carers or next of kin. This lets us know who to contact in an emergency. Your next of kin does not have a legal right to view your medical records or access any confidential information about you.

Information about your religion, to provide patients with a chaplaincy service and meet your spiritual needs.

What language you speak, to make sure we can provide an interpreter if needed.

If you have a disability, so we can make sure we can meet any needs you have.

Your GP details, to let them know what care and treatment you receive from us.

How do we collect and record information about you?

How do we collect information about you?

Whether you receive our support at home or at the hospice we collect information from you and NHS organisations involved in your care.

We have access to your electronic health care records.

We might also receive information from anyone else involved in your care, like a care home or social services.

How do we record information about you?

We record information on your electronic health care record on SystmOne this can be seen by the hospice team and community NHS health care teams.

How do we use your information?

• Direct care: We use your information to provide you with care and treatment. This might include sharing your information with the NHS and any other organisations that provide care to you.
• Clinical audits: We have to monitor the services and treatment we provide. This means our clinical staff have to use patient information to look at the quality of care we provide.
•  Health service planning and management: Information is collected about how our patients are cared for, such as appointment waiting times, and is used to monitor the services we are providing to help us make sure our services continue to meet patients’ needs.
• Research: We might use anonymised information for research – this means you cannot be identified from the information. If identifiable information is needed, you will be asked for consent first.

The data collected about you by Wirral Hospice may be provided to other organisations; for instance to help with research into the development of new treatments and preventing illness and diseases.

All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations.

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information.

Click here to find out more about your choices relating to sharing your data for research and planning information.

• Complaints, feedback, legal claims and incidents: If you have made a complaint, staff investigating the complaints may need to access your health records and might need to share information with third parties such as solicitors.

The same applies if you have made a legal claim against Wirral Hospice St John’s. If you have provided feedback on a service, we may need to share your information about your care with us with relevant staff, in order to look into your feedback.

If you have been involved in a patient safety incident, staff investigating the incident will need to access your health records.

• CCTV: We have CCTV on the hospice site in order to protect patients, staff and visitors, and to prevent crime. CCTV is also used to monitor safety incidents. We do not have CCTV in any areas where patients receive treatment or that would be considered private.

Who do we share your information with?

Wirral Hospice St John’s works closely with other organisations to support patient care.

This means that information will be shared between the hospice and other organisations who may be caring for you or involved in your care.

This may include: –

• Your GP
• Community Health Care Trusts
• Hospital Health Care Trusts
• Ambulance Services
• Local Authorities such as social services
• Other care providers such as care agencies and nursing homes
• Continuing Health Care

We may also share information with organisations who have responsibility for the management of the NHS.

This may include:-

• NHS England
• NHS Digital
• NHS Business Services Authority
• NHS Counter Fraud Authority
• UK Health Security Agency and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities

Legal requirements to share your information:

By law, we have to share some information; for example with the Police to prevent a crime or with regulatory organisations to notify of things like infectious diseases or health and safety incidents.

We will share information for these purposes securely and in line with the law.

How can you opt out of data sharing?

You have a choice about whether or not you want your confidential patient information to be used for healthcare planning and research purposes.

If you’re happy for us to use your information, you do not need to do anything. You can change your choice at any time.

If you choose to opt out, your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care and your decision will not affect the care you receive from us in any way.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Service (ICS) have produced a leaflet for patients “How we use your data in Cheshire and Merseyside” explaining how your data may be used in the local digital platform known as the Cheshire and Merseyside Secure Data Environment, for research and planning purposes.

Please click here for a leaflet explaining why this is important and the options you have around how your data is used.

There are now a number of different data sharing opt-outs you can choose which include:-

• Stop your GP surgery from sharing your data (Type 1 Opt-Out)
• Stop NHS England and other health and care organisations from sharing your data (National Data Opt Out) 
• Stop NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICS from sharing your data: By phone: 0151 351 8888 or by email: dataintoaction@cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk

You can change your mind about your choice at any time.

How do we keep your information safe?

All staff at Wirral Hospice St John’s must abide by the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality and have a confidentiality clause in their contracts of employment.

All staff at Wirral Hospice St John’s undertake annual training (Data and Cyber Security Awareness) on keeping your information safe, secure and confidential.

Every year we must meet certain standards (NHS England’s Data Security and Protection Toolkit) to make sure we are keeping information secure and to make sure our computer security meets high standards.

We only collect, use and share the minimum information necessary about you.

How long do we keep your information for?

We only keep your data for as long as is necessary.

This is required by law.

We follow the NHS Records Management Code of Practice:

What are your personal data rights?

We must tell you what information we collect about you, why we collect it and how we use it.

You can request a copy of the information we hold about you. This is free of charge (unless repeated copies are asked for).

You can let us know if your information needs updating or if it is incorrect.

You can ask for your information to be deleted or removed (this does not apply to your individual health or care record, or for public health or scientific research reasons).

You can ask us to restrict how we use your information.

You can ask us to securely send a copy of your information to another organisation.

If you are not happy with how we use your information, you can let us know.

If any decision is made about you without human intervention – this does not routinely happen at Wirral Hospice St John’s – you can challenge the decision.