This practice is supporting vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. For more information about this see the General Practice Transparency Notice for GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19).

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on 25th May 2018. It focuses on the privacy and protection of personal data and legal grounds for processing data.

For further information please see

New Road Surgery Patient Privacy Notice

COVID-19 Supplementary Privacy Notice

New Road Surgery Childrens GDPR Notice

National Data Opt-out Service

The national data opt-out is a new service that allows people to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for research and planning.

You can find out more and set your opt-out choice at nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

How the NHS and care services use your information

New Road Surgery is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public. 

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment.

The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:

• improving the quality and standards of care provided
• research into the development of new treatments
• preventing illness and diseases
• monitoring safety
• planning services

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.

Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed.

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.

To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.  On this web page you will:

• See what is meant by confidential patient information
• Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care
• Find out more about the benefits of sharing data
• Understand more about who uses the data
• Find out how your data is protected
• Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting
• Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone
• See the situations where the opt-out will not apply 

You can also find out more about how patient information is used at:

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/ (which covers health and care research); and

https://understandingpatientdata.org.uk/what-you-need-know (which covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards and how decisions are made)

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

Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes and data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement.

Health organisations have until 31st September 2021 to put systems and processes in place to ensure they can be compliant with the national data opt-out and apply your choice to any confidential patient information that they use or share beyond your individual care. New Road Surgery is working to ensure it will be compliant with the national data opt-out policy. 

For more information about this see the GP Practice Privacy Notice for General Practice Data for Planning and Research.

Concerned about your information being shared?  What you need to know.

Patient data from GP medical records kept by GP practices in England is used respectfully, securely and safely every day to improve health, care and services through planning and research, helping to find better treatments and improve patient care.  Data collected by the NHS is only used for health and care purposes. It is never shared with marketing or insurance companies.

The NHS is planning to introduce an improved way for GP practices to share information about patients- called the General Practice Data for Planning and Research data collection.  News of these plans has caused some concern to some of our patients, who have decided that they don’t want their data to be involved.

We have now been informed that no data will be shared in this new way until 1 September this year.  This delay is to enable the national organisation NHS digital to clearly explain their plans to the public and health professionals, as well as to thoroughly investigate any concerns that have been raised.

If you have already been in touch with the practice to ask to be ‘opted out’ of your identifiable information being shared outside of our practice for any purpose, your request will be honoured.  This will not affect your own care. However, nobody’s data will be shared in this new way before 1 September.  If you would like to find out more about why the NHS collects and uses data, please go to this website.

My Care Record

My Care Record allows health and care professionals working directly with you to access your medical and social care information.

Patient information and care records are usually made available through traditional methods such as secure post, fax or email. This can be slow and, at times, unreliable, and possibly prolong diagnosis and treatment.

My Care Record is accessed via secure but different health and care computer systems from different partner organisations. The information is requested from the original system and relayed to the health or care professional treating you.

By making your information available across the health and care system, your GP practice, hospital team or community nurse will be able to see the most up-to-date, accurate information about you.

This will lead to:

•       Better co-ordinated and seamless care
•          Quicker diagnosis and treatment
•           More time to spend on clinical care
•           Less paperwork and less repetition
•          Fewer unnecessary clinical tests
•          More accurate prescriptions
•          Safe and secure decision-making

My Care Record will only be used by professionals involved in your care. The Government or external organisations such as insurance companies will not have access to your information via My Care Record.

My Care Record has been reviewed in line with legislation, including General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Full details on how My Care Record manage your information is available on their website www.mycarerecord.org.uk

Please visit www.mycarerecord.org.uk for more information including details of where My Care Record is in operation, the organisations taking part and answers to frequently asked questions.

My Care Record enables health and care professionals to access information about you to improve your care.

Providing you with:

• Better co-ordinated and seamless care

• Quicker diagnosis and treatment

• Less paperwork and less repetition

• Fewer unnecessary clinical tests

•  More accurate prescriptions

• More time to spend on clinical care

• Better health and care planning

My Care Record is an approach to improving care by joining up health and care information in our region. Wherever possible, health and care professionals will be able to access your records from other services when it is needed for your care.

For example, a doctor treating you in hospital or a nurse working in the community could view the information they need from your GP record. Certain information – that doesn’t identify you – will also be used to help improve services and plan for the future.

More information, including answers to frequently asked questions and a list of the organisations that are taking part can be found on the My Care Record website www.mycarerecord.org.uk.

Our practice is part of the My Care Record approach which is supporting the work of health and care organisations across the East of England as they respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For example, we are working to make sure doctors, nurses and co-ordination staff at places you may receive advice or treatment can see important information from your GP record. This could include NHS 111 or treatment centres such as the London NHS Nightingale Hospital. This will make it easier and faster for them to deliver effective care.

A full privacy notice which explains how your information may be used is available here.