How your information is used for medical research and to measure the quality of care

Medical research

St Mary’s Surgery shares information from medical records:

• to support medical research when the law allows us to do so, for example to learn more about why people get ill and what treatments might work best;
• we will also use your medical records to carry out research within the practice.

This is important because:

• the use of information from GP medical records is very useful in developing new treatments and medicines;
• medical researchers use information from medical records to help answer important questions about illnesses and disease so that improvements can be made to the care and treatment patients receive.

We share information with the following medical research organisations with your explicit consent or when the law allows: such as the Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

You have the right to object to your identifiable information being used or shared for medical research purposes. Please speak to the practice if you wish to object.

Checking the quality of care - national clinical audits

St Mary’s Surgery contributes to national clinical audits so that healthcare can be checked and reviewed.

Information from medical records can help doctors and other healthcare workers measure and check the quality of care which is provided to you.

• The results of the checks or audits can show where hospitals are doing well and where they need to improve.
• The results of the checks or audits are used to recommend improvements to patient care.
• Data are sent to NHS Digital, a national body with legal responsibilities to collect data.

The data will include information about you, such as your NHS Number and date of birth and information about your health which is recorded in coded form - for example the code for diabetes or high blood pressure.

We will only share your information for national clinical audits or checking purposes when the law allows.

For more information about national clinical audits see the Healthcare Quality Improvements Partnership website or phone 020 7997 7370.

You have the right to object to your identifiable information being shared for national clinical audits. Please contact the practice if you wish to object.

We are required by law to provide you with the following information about how we handle your information

Data Controller contact details

St Mary’s Surgery, 1 Johnson Street, Southampton SO14 1LT

Data Protection Officer contact details

Caroline Sims

• NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit
• Contact via the surgery

Purpose of the processing

To give direct health or social care to individual patients.

For example, when a patient agrees to a referral for direct care, such as to a hospital, relevant information about the patient will be shared with the other healthcare staff to enable them to give appropriate advice, investigations, treatments and/or care.

To check and review the quality of care. (This is called audit and clinical governance).

 Lawful basis for processing

The following sections of the GDPR mean that we can use medical records for research and to check the quality of care (national clinical audits)

• Article 6(1)(e) – ‘processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller’.

For medical research: there are two possible Article 9 conditions:

• Article 9(2)(a) – ‘the data subject has given explicit consent…’
• OR Article 9(2)(j) – ‘processing is necessary for… scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) based on Union or Member States law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and interests of the data subject’.

To check the quality of care (clinical audit):

Article 9(2)(h) – ‘processing is necessary for the purpose of preventative…medicine…the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services...’

Recipient or categories of recipients of the processed data

For medical research the data will be shared with Clinical Practice Research Datalink

For national clinical audits which check the quality of care the data will be shared with NHS Digital.

Rights to object and the national data opt-out

You have a right to object under the GDPR and the right to ‘opt-out’ under the national data opt-out model. The national data opt-out model provides an easy way for you to opt-out of

•  Information that identifies you being used or shared for medical research purposes and quality checking or audit purposes

To opt-out of your identifiable information being shared for medical research or to find out more about your opt-out choices please go to NHS Digital’s website

Right to access and correct

You have the right to access your medical record and have any errors or mistakes corrected. Please speak to a member of staff or look at our Access to Medical Records policy on the practice website

We are not aware of any circumstances in which you will have the right to delete correct information from your medical record; although you are free to obtain your own legal advice if you believe there is no lawful purpose for which we hold the information and contact us if you hold a different view.

Retention period

GP medical records will be kept in line with the law and national guidance.

Information on how long records are kept can be found by speaking to the practice.

Right to complain

You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If you wish to complain please visit their website or call the helpline 0303 123 1113

Data we get from other organisations

We receive information about your health from other organisations who are involved in providing you with health and social care. For example, if you go to hospital for treatment or an operation the hospital will send us a letter to let us know what happens. This means your GP medical record is kept up-to date when you receive care from other parts of the health service.