Practice Privacy Statement

This Practice wants to ensure the highest standard of medical care for our patients. We understand that a General Practice is a trusted community governed by an ethic of privacy and confidentiality. Our approach is consistent with the Medical Council guidelines and the privacy principles of the Data Protection Regulations. It is not possible to undertake medical care without collecting and processing personal data and data concerning health. In fact, to do so would be in breach of the Medical Council’s ‘Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Doctors’. This leaflet is about advising you of our policies and practices on dealing with your medical information.

Managing Your Information

In order to provide for your care here we need to collect and keep information about you and your health on our records.

• We retain your information securely.
• We will only ask for and keep information that is necessary. We will attempt to keep it as accurate and up to-date as possible. We will explain the need for any information we ask for if you are not sure why it is needed.
• We ask you to inform us about any relevant changes that we should know about. This would include such things as any new treatments or investigations being carried out that we are not aware of. Please also inform us of change of address and phone numbers.
• All persons in the practice (not already covered by a professional confidentiality code) sign a confidentiality agreement that explicitly makes clear their duties in relation to personal health information and the consequences of breaching that duty.

Access to patient records is regulated to ensure that they are used only to the extent necessary to enable the secretary or manager to perform their tasks for the proper functioning of the practice. In this regard, patients should understand that practice staff may have access to their records for:

• Identifying and printing repeat prescriptions for patients. These are then reviewed and signed by the GP.
• Generating a sickness certificate for the patient. This is then checked and signed by the GP.
• Typing referral letters to hospital consultants or allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and dietitians.
• Opening letters from hospitals and consultants. The letters are then given to a patient’s paper file or scanned into their electronic patient record.
• Scanning clinical letters, radiology reports, and any other documents not available in electronic format.
• Downloading laboratory results and Out of Hours Coop reports and performing integration of these results into the electronic patient record.
• Photocopying or printing documents for referral to consultants, attending an antenatal clinic, or when a patient is changing GP.
• Checking for a patient if a hospital or consultant letter is back or if a laboratory or radiology result is back, in order to schedule a conversation with the GP.
• When a patient makes contact with a practice, checking if they are due for any preventative services, such as vaccination, ante natal visit, contraceptive pill check, cervical smear test, etc
• Handling, printing, photocopying and postage of medico legal and life assurance reports, and of associated documents.
• Sending and receiving information via Healthmail, secure clinical email
• And other activities related to the support of medical care appropriate for practice support staff.

Disclosures Required or Permitted Under Law

The law provides that in certain instances personal information (including health information) can be disclosed, for example, in the case of infectious diseases.

Disclosure of information to Employers, Insurance Companies and Solicitors:

• In general, work related Medical Certificates from your GP will only provide a confirmation that you are unfit for work with an indication of when you will be fit to resume work. Where it is considered necessary to provide additional information we will discuss that with you. However, Department of Social Protection sickness certs for work must include the medical reason you are unfit to work.
• In the case of disclosures to insurance companies or requests made by solicitors for your records we will only release the information with your signed consent.