To provide you with the care you need, we hold details of your consultations, illnesses, tests/results, prescriptions, etc. which have been recorded by everyone involved in your care and treatment. This information may be stored on paper or electronically on computer files.
Sometimes, we have to share some of your personal health information with other healthcare professionals directly involved in your care. For example, when you are referred to the hospital, we send relevant details about you in the referral letter and receive information about you from the hospital.
Limited information is also shared with health authorities to help them organise national programmes for public health such as childhood immunisations, cervical smear tests, and breast and bowel cancer screening.
We are also sometimes required by law to notify the Government of certain infectious diseases (e.g. meningitis, measles (but not AIDS)) for public health reasons.
Please note that reception and administration staff sometimes require access to your medical records in order to do their jobs effectively (e.g. to chase up a referral). These members of staff are bound by the same rules of confidentiality as the medical staff.
Further details can be found in our General Practice Privacy Notice.