Patients, Families and Carers Privacy Notice
1. What personal and special category data do we collect and process about you?
The hospice keeps records about the healthcare and treatment you receive.
2. How do we collect your personal information?
Usually, we collect clinical information from the professional referring you to the hospice, which is inputted into our Electronic Paper Record (EPR) system. We make an ongoing record of the hospice care you receive, most of which is done using our EPR. We can also view your GP record through an electronic data sharing system.
3. Why do we process your personal information?
The clinical information we collect helps us deliver safe, effective and efficient healthcare.
4. What are our legal grounds for processing your personal information?
Everyone working for East Cheshire Hospice must comply with the Common Law Duty of Confidence and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018. GDPR defines personal information as information that could be used to identify you. We process your personal information using ‘legitimate interests’. In practice, this means we believe it is necessary and proportionate to do so, in order to deliver our services.
Information you provide to East Cheshire Hospice will only be used for the purposes explained to you unless there are other circumstances covered by the law.
5. What are our legal grounds for processing your special category data?
Under GDPR, health data is considered to be special category data as it is more sensitive data. GDPR allows the processing of health data in order to facilitate the provision of health care.
6. What would happen if we did not collect and process your personal information?
We would not be able to deliver effective healthcare.
7. What do we do with any personal information that is provided by third parties?
Where this relates to clinical care, this will be entered onto our EPR.
8. Who do we share your information with?
Where appropriate, we share your information for healthcare purposes with other healthcare organisations, in order to improve your ongoing care.
Examples of NHS organisations include
- GP practices
- Hospitals
- ambulance services
- other primary care agencies, such as community nursing teams
Examples of non-NHS organisations may include
- Social Services
- Education Services
- Local Authorities
- The Police
- Voluntary Sector Providers
- Private Sector Providers
We currently do not share identifiable personal information from your healthcare records with external organisations for the purposes of research or service planning. If we ever sought to do so, you would be given the opportunity to opt-out of sharing your data, in keeping with the NHS Digital National Data Opt-Out scheme.
9. How your information is used to improve our work
Your information will help us manage our services and protect the health of the public by being used to:
Review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standard and quality, e.g. through clinical audit or service improvement activities, and where practical, data will be anonymised.
Investigate patient queries, complaints and legal claims, this data would not be anonymised.
Prepare statistics on our activity and performance, using anonymised data.
Undertake health research using anonymised data. Research requiring personal data would require your specific consent.
Train and educate healthcare professionals using anonymised data unless you have given specific consent otherwise.
10. Further Information
To learn more about how we use your information, please speak to the health professionals concerned with your care or contact the Caldicott Guardian at East Cheshire Hospice.
Sarah Dale, Caldicott Guardian
East Cheshire Hospice
Millbank Drive, Macclesfield
Cheshire, SK10 3DR
