Confidentiality, Health Records and Data Protection

Confidentiality

All healthcare professionals have a duty to protect your privacy and confidentiality.  No unauthorised personnel will have access to your records.  We comply fully with the provisions and obligations of the Data Protection Act 1998 in storing and processing your information.  The following booklets give you more information: 

Confidentiality - it's your right
Confidentiality, your rights - for children and young people under 16
Keeping your health information private (easy read)

As well as NHS staff, you might receive care from a social worker or others employed by different organisations.  They might need to know relevant information about your health.  No information about your medical condition, in which you can be identified, will, without your express consent, be provided to any person or organisation outwith the NHS.

Health records

When you attend hospital, information about you is recorded in manual files and on computer.  Patients' health records are an important source of information.  Some use may be made of this information for audit and management studies to help improve how we deliver services, to improve the way we treat people or to help improve the health of the general public. We may be undertaking studies to assess the frequency or behaviour of certain diseases. Wherever possible, your personal details will be removed.  We take great care to ensure that no patient can be identified. You may also be approached, and asked to be involved in teaching sessions to help train student doctors, or to take part in research studies. Staff should ask you for your agreement to this.

We hope you will accept that such work is very important for advancing medical knowledge.  We therefore ask you to accept that your health records may be used in this way.

If you do not agree to this, it will not affect the healthcare you receive. 

If you are concerned about your information being shared, you can object by writing to the Health Records Manager:

Health Records Manager
Medical Records Department
Foresterhill
Aberdeen
AB25 2ZN

Tel: 01224 553542
Fax: 01224 554848
E-mail: aberdeenmedicalrecords@nhs.net

If you do so, your record will be marked and it will not be made available for audit, research or other studies without your express consent.  Before reaching such a decision, you may find it helpful to discuss the matter with those responsible for your hospital care.

Sometimes the law allows the NHS to share your information without your permission, for example to notify of an infectious disease.

Data Protection Act 1998 - Your rights under the Act

The leaflets entitled How to see your Health Records and Your health records (easy read) give information about your rights under the above Act and how you can get access to your health record.  The leaflets tell you about:

• The information that is collected in the NHS about you 
• How that information can be used
• How you can find out more about the information held about you

You can find out more about this and also ask to see your health records, by contacting:

Information Governance Team
Department of eHealth
Westburn House - Foresterhill Site
Westburn Road
Aberdeen
AB25 2XH

Tel:  01224 551549
Fax:  01224 550701
E-mail:  nhsg.infogovernance@nhs.net

available in other formats and languages from Health Rights Information Scotland