Privacy policy
You have provided The Capsule Clinic with some personal data relating to you.
Under the European Union known as the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) which is due to be incorporated into UK law by the Data Protection Act 2018 we, as the data controller in respect to that personal information, are required to provide you with a set of specific information about how we will use, hold and retain the data as well as making you aware of various rights you have under the related legislation. We have set this information out below in this note.
Should you have any queries about the manner in which we process your personal data please contact The Capsule Clinic Data Controller:
Mrs Sarah Campbell as follows:
E-mail: [email protected]
Post: Postal address available on request
How we use your personal information
Health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. NHS trusts, GP surgery, Walk-in clinics, etc). These records are used to help provide you with the best possible healthcare.
The Capsule Clinic medical records are stored electronically on an encrypted practice management system. The information The Capsule Clinic hold on record about you may include the following information:
- – Details about you, such as your name, address, contact details, date of birth, next of kin details
- – Any contact The Capsule Clinic has had with such as clinic appointments, endoscopy visits
- – Notes and reports about your health
- – Details about your treatment and care
- – Results of your investigations such as laboratory tests, scan reports, etc.
- – Relevant information from other healthcare professionals, relatives or those who care for you
To ensure you receive the best possible care, your records are used to facilitate the care you receive. Information held about you may be used to protect the health of the public.
How do we maintain the confidentiality of your records
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance to:
- – Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulation 2016
- – Human Rights Act 1998
- – Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
- – Health and Social Care Act 2012
- – Information: To Share or Not to Share Review
The team at The Capsule Clinic has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.
We will only pass on information about you if others involved in your care have a genuine need for it. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), where the law requires information to be passed on and /or in accordance with the new information sharing principle following Dame Fiona Caldicott’s information sharing review (Information to share or not to share) where “The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality”. This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out by the Caldicott principles. They should be supported by the policies of their employers, regulators and professional bodies.
All patient data is stored electronically on a secure and encrypted management system. Once scanned in to patient records, all paper notes and results are stored securely in a locked room before secure disposal by a regulated confidential waste disposal company. No patient information is stored on computers and a clear desk policy is carried out at the end of every day. In addition, The Capsule Clinic offices are both locked and alarmed.
Access to personal information
You have a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information The Capsule Clinic holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate. In order to request this, you need to do the following:
- – Your request must be made in writing to The Capsule Clinic
- – We are required to respond to you within 40 days
- – You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth and details of your request) so that you identity can be verified.
Your Data Protection Rights
As a “data subject” under the DPA and GDPR you have a set of specific rights. We are required to make you aware of the existence of these rights. They are in outline:
- – The right to request from us, the Data Controller, access to your personal data
- – The right to request rectification of your personal data
- – The right to request a restriction on the processing of your personal data
- – The right data portability
Objections / Complaints
Should you have any concerns how your information is managed by The Capsule Clinic, please contact the practice manager, Mrs Sarah Campbell. If you are still unhappy following a review by The Capsule Clinic, you can then complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) via their website (www.ico.gov.uk).
If you are happy for your data to be extracted and used for purposes in this privacy notice then you do not need to do anything. If you have any concerns about how your data is shared then please contact the practice to discuss.
Change of Details
It is important that you inform us if any of your details such as a name, address or GP details have changed of if any of your details such as date of birth is incorrect in order to this to be amended. You have a responsibility to inform us of any changes so our records are accurate and up to date for you.
Notification
The Data Protection Act 1998 requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioner to describe the purposes for which they process personal and sensitive information.
This information is publicly available on the Information Commissioners Office website (www.ico.gov.uk)
The practice is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).
Complaints Policy
Health Screening Solutions Ltd trading as The Capsule Clinic recognises that there will be times when patients, their families or carers, team members and others are dissatisfied with aspects of the care and services provided. The Capsule Clinic is committed to dealing with any issues that may arise as quickly and effectively as possible.
All concerns and complaints will be treated seriously and investigated promptly in accordance with the procedures outlined in this policy. Team members will receive training in dealing with concerns and complaints and will ensure that all persons have access to guidance on the procedures for raising a concern or making a complaint. The Capsule Clinic is committed to ensuring that no-one is prevented from highlighting concerns or complaints.
The Capsule Clinic recognises its legal responsibility to respond appropriately and effectively to complaints (e.g., through the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014).
When handling complaints, the team must:
- Be ACCESSIBLE: Patients can contact the team to check on the progress of their complaint.
- Be IMPARTIAL: Every complaint will be treated fairly.
- Be RESPONSIVE: Reply to complaints as soon as possible and let patients know if there will be a delay.
- Be RESPECTFUL of patients’ confidentiality.
Complaints Management Process
Once a complaint has been received, it should be recorded on the incident management system and formally acknowledged within 3 working days of receipt. The acknowledgement should normally be in writing but can be given verbally if appropriate.
The Registered Manager will then either investigate the complaint fully themselves or nominate a ‘Lead Investigator’. If a ‘Lead Investigator’ has been nominated, the complainant must be informed with the name and contact details of the nominated person.
The person investigating the complaint will ensure that it is handled in a way to ensure that it is resolved without undue delay. Complainants should ordinarily receive a written response within 28 working days from the date of receipt. It is important that the right balance is struck between a timely response and one that is informed by comprehensive local action, as this will provide the best response to the complainant and the best opportunities for learning within the business.
The complainant should be sent regular updates on the progress of the investigation and likely timescales for receiving the formal response. If agreed timescales cannot be met, it is essential that the lead investigator informs the complainant of the reason for the delay and that new timescales are mutually agreed. In conducting the investigation, the lead investigator may undertake any of the following:
- contact the complainant to identify the outcome that they are seeking
- provide the complainant the opportunity to give their account and views of what took place
- review the relevant documentation, checking for evidence regarding issues raised
- interview any Team members involved in the incident
- develop a timeline of what happened
- identify any shortfalls in level(s) of care provided
- when appropriate, using a Root Cause Analysis, identify the causes/contributory factors/validity of the concerns that have been raised
- identify clear and assigned actions to prevent recurrence and to improve care quality.
The lead investigator will then:
- decide whether the complaint should be upheld in full, upheld in part or not upheld
- make a record of the details of the investigation, outcomes and actions to be taken on the incident management system.
Independent Review
Once a complaint has been fully dealt with by The Capsule Clinic, if the complainant remains unsatisfied with the outcome of the internal appeal, they can refer the complaint to the Independent Sector Complaints Adjudication Service (ISCAS).
Details are available at Complaints process – ISCAS (cedr.com)
Our service is registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The CQC cannot get involved in individual complaints about providers but is happy to receive information about our services at any time. The CQC can be contacted at:
Care Quality Commission,
National Correspondence,
Citygate,
Gallowgate,
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4PA,
Tel: 0300 0616161