Public Information Booklet

Creating a safe environment for your personal medical information

What information do we share and why?

Your health information and its confidentiality are very important. It is personal and sometimes very sensitive and you should feel confident that we keep this information safe. Patient confidentiality underpins the whole structure of the NHS and remains the highest priority, and improvements are continually being made to build upon this. The NHS is made up of teams of dedicated professionals. In order for you to have access to the wide range of expertise in these teams, your information will normally be shared with others involved in the treatment or investigation of your medical problem. The NHS uses new technology to help deliver better patient care, which means health records can now be securely stored and shared electronically. Wirral has developed an Electronic Health Record, which is a way of storing your medical information electronically. This will allow doctors and other health professionals to access your up to date information, whether it is from your GP practice or from the hospital. This will enable doctors to make the decisions about your treatment and care more effectively (this is explained in more detail on page 4).

This booklet has been produced help reassure you that we are doing everything we can to protect your confidentiality. However, it is also important that you should know that some of the information contained in your health record might also be used for reasons other than your own healthcare. These reasons are vital to the running of the NHS and may include working with other agencies to provide care, medical research, teaching, and planning. Wherever possible, the shared information will be anonymous but if you have concerns about this, you can choose not to allow the information to be used. This booklet will help explain who we may share the information with and under what circumstances. It also explains the need to share the information, and help you understand the possible problems that may arise if you refuse consent.