We offer a confidential service and all staff members have been trained on the importance of confidentiality. No information about you will be given to anyone without your permission, unless we are required by law to do so. If you wish to see your medical records, please write to the practice manager.

Confidentiality for Under 16 Year Olds

If you are under 16, you are entitled to confidentiality from your doctor or nurse. While we will try to encourage you to involve your parent/guardian, if we feel it is appropriate, the consultation will remain confidential if this is your wish.

Access to Patient Information

Confidential patient data will be shared within thepractice heath care team and with other health care professionals to whom youare referred for care.  Your data may beused by those clinical teams providing your care for the essential purpose ofclinical audit. 

Confidential patient data may also be required for thebroader purposes of public health and audit, research, the provision of healthcare services, teaching and training.  Data disclosed will be kept to the minimumrequired to serve the purpose and if possible will be anonymised beforedisclosure.

Confidential and identifiable patient information willnot be disclosed otherwise without explicit consent, unless:

1              itis a matter of life and death or serious harm to you or to another individual

2              itis overwhelmingly in the public interest to do so

3              thereis a legal obligation to do so.  

In all of these circumstances the minimum identifiableinformation that is essential to serve the purpose may be revealed to someonewith a legal entitlement to access the data for that purpose. 

All individuals with access to your data have aprofessional and/or contractual duty of confidentiality.

If you are concerned about any of the ways in whichyour confidential data may be used, please speak to the practice manager.  You are entitled to register an objection,which will be respected where ever possible.

PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)

The NHS employs over a million staff in thousands of locations. It is a large and complex organisation providing a broad range of services. It is not surprising that sometimes you or a loved one may feel bewildered or concerned when using the NHS. And this can be at times when you are feeling at your most vulnerable and anxious.

So, what should you do if you want on the spot help when using the health service? The NHS expects all members of staff to listen and respond to you to the best of their ability. But sometimes, you may wish to talk to someone employed especially to help you. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, known as PALS, has been introduced to ensure that the NHS listens to patients, their relatives, carers and friends, and answers their questions and resolves their concerns as quickly as possible.

PALS also helps the NHS to improve services by listening to what matters to patients and their loved ones and making changes, when appropriate.

What does PALS do?

In particular, PALS will:

• Provide you with information about the NHS and help you with any other health-related enquiry
• Help resolve concerns or problems when you are using the NHS
• Provide information about the NHS complaints procedure and how to get independent help if you decide you may want to make a complaint
• Provide you with information and help introduce you to agencies and support groups outside the NHS
• Inform you about how you can get more involved in your own healthcare and the NHS locally
• Improve the NHS by listening to your concerns, suggestions and experiences and ensuring that people who design and manage services are aware of the issues you raise
• Provide an early warning system for NHS Trusts and monitoring bodies by identifying problems or gaps in services and reporting them.

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Find out more

If you would like more information about PALS, the functions it is intended to provide and the standards it should strive to achieve , follow this link.