NHS Southport and Formby CCG Privacy Notice

 

Flu vaccines and the COVID-19 response - Updated 6 April 2021

Data is being used to help ensure that those who are entitled to a flu vaccine receive one. This includes data relating to both health and care staff and patients.

I’m a patient/service user – what do I need to know?

I work in a health and care organisation – what do I need to know?

 

COVID-19 and your information - Updated 22 September 2020

This notice describes how we may use your information to protect you and others during the Covid-19 outbreak. It supplements our main Privacy Notice which is available below this notice.

The health and social care system is facing significant pressures due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Health and care information is essential to deliver care to individuals, to support health and social care services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the outbreak. In the current emergency it has become even more important to share health and care information across relevant organisations.

Existing law which allows confidential patient information to be used and shared appropriately and lawfully in a public health emergency is being used during this outbreak. Using this law the Secretary of State has required NHS Digital; NHS England and Improvement; Arms Length Bodies (such as Public Health England); local authorities; health organisations and GPs to share confidential patient information to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. Any information used or shared during the Covid-19 outbreak will be limited to the period of the outbreak unless there is another legal basis to use the data.  Further information is available on gov.uk here and some FAQs on this law are available here.

During this period of emergency, opt-outs will not generally apply to the data used to support the Covid-19 outbreak, due to the public interest in sharing information.  This includes National Data Opt-outs.  However in relation to the Summary Care Record, existing choices will be respected. Where data is used and shared under these laws your right to have personal data erased will also not apply.  It may also take us longer to respond to Subject Access requests, Freedom of Information requests and new opt-out requests whilst we focus our efforts on responding to the outbreak.

In order to look after your health and care needs we may share your confidential patient information including health and care records with clinical and non clinical staff in other health and care providers, for example neighbouring GP practices, hospitals and NHS 111. We may also use the details we have to send public health messages to you, either by phone, text or email.

During this period of emergency we may offer you a consultation via telephone or video-conferencing. By accepting the invitation and entering the consultation you are consenting to this. Your personal/confidential patient information will be safeguarded in the same way it would with any other consultation.

We will also be required to share personal/confidential patient information with health and care organisations and other bodies engaged in disease surveillance for the purposes of protecting public health, providing healthcare services to the public and monitoring and managing the outbreak.  Further information about how health and care data is being used and shared by other NHS and social care organisations in a variety of ways to support the Covid-19 response is here. 

NHS England and Improvement and NHSX have developed a single, secure store to gather data from across the health and care system to inform the Covid-19 response. This includes data already collected by NHS England, NHS Improvement, Public Health England and NHS Digital. New data will include 999 call data, data about hospital occupancy and A&E capacity data as well as data provided by patients themselves.  All the data held in the platform is subject to strict controls that meet the requirements of data protection legislation.  

In such circumstances where you tell us you’re experiencing Covid-19 symptoms we may need to collect specific health data about you.  Where we need to do so, we will not collect more information than we require and we will ensure that any information collected is treated with the appropriate safeguards.

We may amend this privacy notice at any time so please review it frequently. The date at the top of this page will be amended each time this notice is updated.

Update 22 September 2020

The Secretary of State for Health & Social Care has given Notice under Regulation 3(4) of the Health Service Control of Patient Information Regulations 2002 that the CCG is required to process and share necessary health and social care data. This is for the purposes set out in Regulation 3 (1) Health Service Control of Patient Information Regulations 2002 and also a ‘Covid-19 Purpose’ as set out in the Secretary of States Notice. The ‘Covid-19 Purpose’ is set out below :

  • Understanding Covid-19 and risks to public health, trends in Covid-19 and such risks, and controlling and preventing the spread of Covid-19 and such risks;
  • Identifying and understanding information about patients or potential patients with or at risk of Covid-19, information about incidents of patient exposure to Covid-19 and the management of patients with or at risk of Covid-19 including: locating, contacting, screening, flagging and monitoring such patients and collecting information about and providing services in relation to testing, diagnosis, self-isolation, fitness to work, treatment, medical and social interventions and recovery from Covid-19;
  • Understanding information about patient access to health services and adult social care services and the need for wider care of patients and vulnerable groups as a direct or indirect result of Covid-19 and the availability and capacity of those services or that care;
  • Monitoring and managing the response to Covid-19 by health and social care bodies and the Government including providing information to the public about Covid-19 and its effectiveness and information about capacity, medicines, equipment, supplies, services and the workforce within the health services and adult social care services;
  • Delivering services to patients, clinicians, the health services and adult social care services workforce and the public about and in connection with Covid-19, including the provision of information, fit notes and the provision of health care and adult social care services; and
  • Research and planning in relation to Covid-19

The Notice, by allowing the CCG to process confidential patient information, allows for the dissemination of information to a person or organisation permitted to process confidential patient information under Regulation 3(3) of COPI. This is for a purpose set out in Regulation 3(1)  Health Service Control of Patient Information Regulations 2002 and also a Covid-19 Purpose.

The period to which the Notice applies initially ran from 20 March 2020 until 30 September 2020. However, this has now been extended until 30 June 2022.

A record will be kept by the CCG of all data processed under this Notice.

 

NHS Southport and Formby CCG Privacy Notice

At Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group we’re committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has various roles and responsibilities, but a major part of our work involves making sure that:

  • Contracts are in place with local health service providers;
  • routine and emergency NHS services are available to patients; 
  • those services provide high quality care and value for money; and 
  • paying those services for the care and treatment they have provided. 

This is called “commissioning” and is explained in more detail on our website “about us” page.

Accurate, timely and relevant information is essential for our work to help us to design and plan current and future health and care services, evidence and review our decisions and manage budgets.

As a commissioning organisation, our purpose is not to provide direct care and so we do not routinely hold or receive information about patients and service users in relation to your care. We do however sometimes hold information from which people can be identified to enable us to fulfill our responsibilities as outlined above and this is explained in this notice.

What is a privacy notice?

We respect your right with regards to data privacy and data protection when you communicate (online or offline) with us through our various websites, offline programs and events. For more information visit our 'what is a privacy notice?' page.

What information do we collect?

Find out what information we collect about you, what types of personal data we handle and what we do with that information. For more information visit our 'what information do we collect?' page.

Your rights

UK data protection laws give you several rights in relation to the information that NHS South Sefton CCG holds about you. For more information visit our 'Your rights' page.

Download/print privacy notice

You can view, download and print a copy of the full privacy notice here.

Opt out

The NHS Constitution states, “You have the right to request that your confidential information is not used beyond your own care and treatment and to have your objections considered”. There may be occasions when it is not possible to exercise your right to object or “Opt Out”, such as when we have an obligation by law or for the purposes of safeguarding adults and children.  

The right to object or opt-out includes information not directly collected by the CCG, but collected by organisations that provide NHS services:  

Type 1 opt-out  

If you do not want personal confidential data that identifies you to be shared outside your GP practice, for purposes beyond your individual care, you can register a ‘Type 1 opt-out’ with your GP practice. This prevents your personal confidential information from being used for anything except your care, except when it is required by law, such as a public health emergency like an outbreak of a pandemic disease.  

Patients are only able to register this opt-out at their GP practice. If you would like to opt-out or discuss further, then please talk to your GP or the healthcare professional supporting you.  

The national data opt-out  

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident and 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 Your NHS Data Matters  

 

Tags: Privacy Notice, Privacy Policy, Privacy Statement, Fair Processing, Data Protection Notice