My Care Record

The people caring for you need access to your health and care record in order to make the best decisions about your diagnosis and treatment. For this to happen more quickly and to improve the care you receive, a new process has been put in place. With your permission, will provide health and care professionals directly involved in your care, access to the most up-to-date information about you. To find out more please go to www.mycarerecord.org.uk.

Fair Processing Notice

How we use your information

What is My Care Record?

In west Essex and Hertfordshire, providers of health and social care services are working more closely together to better coordinate the delivery of care to people supported by local commissioners.

My Care Record is a programme which allows people to give health and care professionals their permission to access their medical records during their treatment.

The people caring for you need to access about your health and care record in order to make the best decisions about your diagnosis and treatment. This could include GPs, hospital-based clinicians, nurses, health visitors and social workers.

To enable this to happen more quickly and to improve the care you receive, a new process has been put in place. This will allow your information to be accessed by different health and care organisations, using existing computer systems.

Your record will only be accessed by health and care professionals involved in your care.

Information will only be accessed with your permission – where applicable – and while you are receiving direct treatment by a health and care professional.

Information accessed through My Care Record is treated to the same security standards as all confidential information.

What information will be made available?

The record accessed is your health and care record. Examples of information that will be available include:

Name, address, NHS Number and phone number
Medications
Test results and investigations
Correspondence
Clinical history
Emergency department treatment
Future and past appointments
Health plans and alerts
Mental health alerts and diagnoses
Social care lead coordinator and your care plan.

How is this information used?

The information available in the record from your care provider is in a chronological order so that your care provider can see a relevant history of your care. They will always update their own care record with any new information. This helps them to make better decisions about your care. Access is only with your explicit permission.

The organisations that could be involved in the service are:

GP practices in west Essex and Hertfordshire
Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust
Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (EPUT)
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
East of England Ambulance
IC24 (111 provider)
Out of hours providers (such as PELC, HUC)
Essex County Council and their care providers (such as Essex Cares)
Hertfordshire County Council
Other local hospitals (such as Addenbrooke’s, Whipps Cross, Broomfield, East and North Hertfordshire and West Hertfordshire Trusts)

You can tell your care provider if you don’t want them to make your information available by completing a form available on www.mycarerecord.org.uk or by asking your care provider for one. Your record will be edited and no information will be available to access.

Access to your information

My Care Record is simply a reflection of your individual records held by the organisations above and therefore you should contact them directly if you wish to have a copy of the information held about you. The contact details for each organisation’s Data Protection Officer or Team is below.

Contact Details for Data Protection Officers

West Essex CCG on behalf of My Care Record
Building 3, Spencer Close, St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping, CM16 6TN
Tel: 01992 566140
Email: weccg.comms@nhs.net
Princess Alexandra Hospital
Medical Records Manager, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Hamstel Road, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QX
Tel: 01279 827341
Email: health.records@pah.nhs.uk
Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (EPUT)
Access to Records team, Mental Health Unit, Basildon Hospital, Nethermayne, Basildon, Essex, SS15 6NL
Tel: 01268 246873 / 246889
Essex Social Care
Transparency Team, Essex County Council, PO Box 11, County Hall, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
Access to records, Hertfordshire community NHS Trust, Unit 1a, Howard Court, 14 Tewin Road, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1BW
Hertfordshire Social Care
Data Protection Team, Hertfordshire County Council, CHO150, County Hall, Pegs Lane,
Hertford, SG13 8DF
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Records and Access to Information Team, Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust,
99 Waverley Road, St Albans, AL3 5TL
Tel: 01727 804707 / 804228

Please contact your own General Practice directly for a copy of your GP record.

For further information on My Care Record please visit www.mycarerecord.org.uk.

Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act creates a right of access to recorded information and obliges a public authority to:

Have a publication scheme in place
Allow public access to information held by public authorities.

The Act covers any recorded organisational information such as reports, policies or strategies, that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland, however it does not cover personal information such as patient records which are covered by the Data Protection Act.

Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces.

The Act is enforced by the Information Commissioner who regulates both the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act.

The Surgery publication scheme

A publication scheme requires an authority to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The scheme lists information under seven broad classes, which are:

who we are and what we do
what we spend and how we spend it
what our priorities are and how we are doing it
how we make decisions
our policies and procedures
lists and registers
the services we offer

You can request our publication scheme leaflet at the surgery.

Who can Request Information?

Under the Act, any individual, anywhere in the world, is able to make a request to a practice for information. An applicant is entitled to be informed in writing, by the practice, whether the practice holds information of the description specified in the request and if that is the case, have the information communicated to him. An individual can request information, regardless of whether he/she is the subject of the information or affected by its use.

How Should Requests be Made?

Requests must:

be made in writing (this can be electronically e.g. email)
state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence
describe the information requested.

What Cannot be Requested?

Personal data about staff and patients covered under Data Protection Act.

For more information see these websites:

Chaperones

The Surgery prides itself in maintaining professional standards. For certain examinations during consultations an impartial observer (a “Chaperone”).

This impartial observer will be familiar with the procedure and be available to reassure and raise any concerns on your behalf. If unavailable at the time of your consultation then your examination may be re-scheduled for another time.

You are free to decline any examination or chose an alternative examiner or chaperone. You may also request a chaperone for any examination or consultation if one is not offered to you. The GP may not undertake an examination if a chaperone is declined.

The role of a Chaperone:

Maintains professional boundaries during intimate examinations.
Acknowledges a patient’s vulnerability.
Provides emotional comfort and reassurance.
Assists in the examination.
Assists with undressing patients, if required.

​Fair Processing Notice