Patient Information and Medical Records

Please note: all incoming and outgoing phone calls are recorded for training and quality purposes.

The practice complies with data protection and access to medical records legislation. Identifiable information about you will be shared with others in the following circumstances:

• To provide further medical treatment for you e.g. District Nurses and hospital services
• To help you get other services e.g. from the social work department. This requires your consent.
• When we have a duty to others e.g. in child protection cases anonymised patient information will also be used at local and national level to help the Health Board and Government plan services e.g. for diabetic care.

If you do not wish anonymous information about you to be used in such a way, please let us know.

Information will only be given out to solicitors, schools, insurance companies, etc. if we receive written consent from the patient or their representative.

Reception and administration staff require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs. These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.

Data Privacy and the Law

Balmoral Surgery

Privacy Notice

Your information, privacy and the Law - How we use your medical records

The use and sharing of personal information forms an essential part of the provision of health and care, benefiting individual patients, often necessary for the effective functioning of health and social services and sometimes necessary in the public interest.  Nevertheless your doctor has a strong legal and ethical duty to protect patient information and all information you share with your doctor is kept confidential.

• This practice is committed to observing the laws on data protection and confidentiality concerning your medical record and all uses and sharing of your information.
• We share information about you with health professionals who are involved in providing you with care and treatment. This is on a need to know basis and, normally, event by event.
• Some of your health information (including your name, address, allergies and medications) is automatically copied to the Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record.
• Some information about you is shared with national screening campaigns such as Flu and Diabetes eye screening.
• Information about you in non-identifiable form is used to manage the NHS and make payments.
• Information about you in non-identifiable form is used to check the quality of care provided by the NHS.
• Information about you in non-identifiable form may be used for medical research. Where identifiable information may be required we will first seek you consent.
• We will share information when the law requires us to do, for instance when we are inspected or reporting certain illnesses or safeguarding vulnerable people.

Freedom of Information

The Practice complies with the following Acts:

• Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Data Protection Act 1998
• General Data Protection 2016 (GDPR)

Comments, Suggestions & Complaints

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice. If you have any comments or suggestions we would be happy to hear from you.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

To pursue a complaint please contact the Practice Manager and they will deal with your concerns appropriately.  Further written information is available on the complaints procedure from reception on request.

Complaining to your Health and Social Care Board

We hope that, if you have a problem, you will make use of our practice complaints procedure as we believe this will provide the best opportunity of putting right whatever has gone wrong. This however, does not affect your right to approach your Health and Social Services Board, if you feel you cannot raise your complaint with us or are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation. You may contact the Board’s Complaints Officer or the Ombudsman:

If your complaint is regarding a service(s) received from your Trust, you should contact them first. Some of the Trust Services are hospitals, district nursing, mental health services, occupational therapy, maternity services and residential homes.

Belfast Area

Write to:
Complaints Department
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
6th Floor, McKinney House
Musgrave Park Hospital
Belfast
BT9 7JB

Telephone:
028 9063 0023

Email:
complaints@belfasttrust.hscni.net

Rights & Responsibilities

We operate a Zero Tolerance Policy. Abusive or violent behaviour to any member of staff will not be tolerated.

Such behaviour will result in an official warning letter or asked to leave the practice with immediate effect.