Privacy Policy

 

How we look after and safeguard information about you

Our optical practices and their staff are members of your local healthcare team.

They aim to provide you with the highest quality of healthcare. To do this they need to keep records about you, your health and the care we have provided or plan to provide to you.

We know that you value your privacy and the security of personal information held about you.

 

Information recorded

Information recorded may include:

  • basic details about you, such as address, date of birth, next of kin;
  • details of your spectacle or contact lens prescription;
  • details of glasses or contact lenses supplied to you;
  • other details and notes about your health and medical treatment;
  • records of medicines you have been prescribed by your doctor;
  • information relevant to your continued care from other people who care for you and know you well, such as other health professionals and relatives.

 

As part of providing a professional, safe and efficient service, there is certain information that we record. This includes details about your ocular health, your general health, advice given and referrals made to other health professionals. This information won’t be shared with anyone else except under the circumstances described below in ‘Sharing Information’.

 

Sharing Information

The information held about you will not be shared for any reason, unless:

  • you ask us to do so;
  • we ask and you give us specific permission;
  • we are permitted by law, for example where public interest overrides the need to keep the information confidential.

 

The types of people we may ask you for permission to share information with include your doctors (GP and hospital) and other health professionals.

Anyone who receives information from us also has a legal duty to keep this information confidential, subject to recognised exceptions of the types listed above.

 

Your Rights

You have the right to confidentiality under the Data Protection Act 2018, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the common law duty of confidence (the Disability Discrimination and the Race Relations Acts may also apply).

We also comply with the NHS Code of Practice on Confidentiality and optical practices have a requirement under their professional Code of Ethics to keep records about you confidential, secure and accurate.

All of our staff contracts of employment contain a requirement to keep patient information confidential.

 

Our guiding principle is that we hold your records in strict confidence.

 

Your right to view your health record

You have the right to ask for a copy of all our records about you.

There may be a charge to have a printed copy of the information held about you. Your request must be made in writing to the optical practice holding your information. We are required to respond to your request within 1 month.

You will need to give adequate information in order for optical staff to identify you (for example, full name, address and date of birth).

If you think any information we hold on you is inaccurate or incorrect, please let us know.


How the NHS and care services use your information 

Lindfield Eyecare is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public.   

Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment. 

The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with: 

 

  • improving the quality and standards of care provided
  • research into the development of new treatments 
  • preventing illness and diseases
  • monitoring safety 
  • planning services

 

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.  

 

Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed. 

 

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care. 

To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.  On this web page you will: 

  • See what is meant by confidential patient information 
  • Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care 
  • Find out more about the benefits of sharing data 
  • Understand more about who uses the data 
  • Find out how your data is protected 
  • Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting 
  • Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone  
  • See the situations where the opt-out will not apply 

 

You can also find out more about how patient information is used at: 

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/information-about-patients/ (which covers health and care research); and 

https://understandingpatientdata.org.uk/what-you-need-know (which covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards and how decisions are made) 

 

You can change your mind about your choice at any time. 

 

Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes and data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement. 

 

Health and care organisations have until 2020 to put systems and processes in place so they can be compliant with the national data opt-out and apply your choice to any confidential patient information they use or share for purposes beyond your individual care. Our organisation ‘is / is not currently’ compliant with the national data opt-out policy.2 “