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Privacy Notice

Information about you and how we use it

When you come into hospital, information about you, your illness and its treatment is recorded — on paper and/or on computers — to help us care for you. This information is part of your health record and will be kept in case we need to see you again.

Our clinical teams looking after you may share your personal health information with each other. These teams include doctors, nurses, therapists, support staff and students. All NHS staff are bound by law and a strict code of confidentiality, and are monitored by the Trust’s Caldicott Guardian, a senior clinician who is responsible for making sure your confidential information is respected. Your information is very important to us, and we have strict controls in place to protect it.

To understand how patient data is used by the NHS and why, you can watch this video from the Understanding Patient Data team.

You can also read more about why your data matters to you and the NHS, how it is protected, and the choices you have.

How your records are used to help you

Accurate, up-to-date information about you:

helps our staff assess your health and care for you;
will help your future treatment, in hospital or elsewhere;
allows us to review and if necessary look into the care you have received.

How your records help us

Accurate, up-to-date information about you helps us:

provide high quality care and meet all our patients’ needs;
train healthcare professionals and support research and development;
review (audit) the quality and outcome of NHS services;
investigate any incidents or issues that arise;
is necessary for the hospital to be paid for your treatment;
contribute to national NHS statistics.

Using and sharing information about you and your care

We will share information about you with staff in other organisations when it is necessary for your care. These may include your GP practice, other hospitals involved in your care, ambulance services, social services, and care homes.

We may use your data to assess how well our services are providing care to suggest improvements and ensure that is as good as it can be.

Sometimes we have to pass on personal information by law, for example:

to notify a birth;
when an infectious disease such as meningitis or measles may endanger the safety of others;
when required to by a formal court order;
when sharing information with the police may prevent a serious crime, or prevent harm to you or other people.

We also by law share summary data about every episode of care with NHS Digital. You can find out how they use this information at NHS Digital: How we look after your health and care information.

We may also share information about you and your care with other NHS organisations responsible for the organisation and funding of health and social care, for example Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and their Support Units (CSUs). If we have to share information about you, we will remove your personal details when possible.

We are developing a comprehensive list of organisations with whom we share data.

We may share data for approved research projects. In most instances the information will be made anonymous so that you cannot be identified. If this is not possible, we will ask your permission or if this is not possible, we will request approval from the Health Research Authority’s Confidentiality Advisory Group. The NHS Health Research Authority has further information on patient information and health and care research.

Should you not wish information about you to be used for research please let us know or speak to the clinical team that is treating you.

Legal aspects

We take care to ensure that we collect, use and share your information lawfully. The legal bases for doing so are described in How we use your information.

Your information rights

You have the right to know how we will use your personal information;
You have the right to see your health record (your medical notes). This is known as Subject Access: see below;
You have the right to object to us making use of your information other than than for your care;
You can ask us to change or restrict the way we use your information and we have to agree if possible;
You have the right to ask for the information we hold about you to be corrected or erased if it is incorrect.

If you object to how we are using your information, or wish us to restrict, erase or correct it, please contact our Information Governance team:
information.governance@ouh.nhs.uk. Tel: 01865 226912.

Accessing your health record (a subject access request)

While you are in hospital, you may ask to look at your health record folder. Your notes will be prepared for you and a qualified member of staff will talk you through the content. Your right to see some information may be limited – for example, if it includes details about other people.

To see your health record after you leave hospital, or if you want copies of your health record, please contact the Subject Access Team at subject.accessrequests@ouh.nhs.uk or write to:
Subject Access Manager, Legal Services, The John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU.