All patient notes are treated with the strictest confidentiality and we comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. Only the doctors, practice nurses, administrative staff and attached staff such as health visitors, district nurses and midwives have access to your records, and then only on 'a need to know' basis.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, we are obliged to use your personal information appropriately. We ask you for information about yourself so that you can receive proper care and treatment. We keep this information, together with details of your care, because it may be needed if we see you again. We may use some of this information for other reasons: for example, to help us protect public health generally and to see that the HPSS runs efficiently, plans for the future, trains its staff, pays its bills and can account for its actions. Information may also be needed to help carry out medical or other health and social services research for the benefit of everyone.
Sometimes the law requires us to pass on information, for example to notify a birth. The HPSS Central Health Index contains basic personal details of all patients registered with a practitioner. The register contains demographic rather than clinical information.