Practise Privacy Policy Summary
Kildare Physiotherapy Practice aims to ensure the highest standard of care for our patients. We understand that a Practice must be governed by an ethic of privacy and confidentiality. How we deal with your information is consistent with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Patient consent is a key factor in dealing with patient health information. This leaflet is about making consent meaningful by informing you of your policies and practices for dealing with your personal information.
Managing your information
- In order to provide for your care here, we need to collect and keep information about you and your health on our records.
- We will retain your information securely.
- We will only ask for and keep information that is necessary.
- We only keep your records for as long as necessary and in accordance with legal requirements.
- We will accept to keep it as accurate and up to date as possible.
- We will explain the need for any information that is asked for if you are unsure why it is needed.
- We ask you to inform us about any relevant changes that we should know about, such as any new medical treatment or change of contact details.
- All persons in the practice (not already covered by a potential confidentiality code) sign a confidentiality agreement that explicitly makes clear their duties in relation to handling personal health information and the consequences of breaching that duty. Practice staff may have access to your records for:
- Typing referral letters to GP’s, Hospital consultants, etc.
- Opening letters from hospitals and consultants. These letters may be appended to your paper record or scanned to your electronic record.
- Scanning clinical letters, reports and any other documents not available in electronic format.
- Photocopying or printing documents to referral consultants.
- Handling, printing, photocopying and mailing or emailing medical- legal health insurance reports etc. and associated documents.
- We will only keep your records for as long as is necessary and in accordance with legal requirements.
Disclosure of Information to others.
Access to patient records is regulated to ensure they are used only to the extent that enables the practice staff to perform their tasks to the proper functioning of the practice. In this regard, we may need to pass some of your information to other health and social care professionals in order to provide you with the treatment and services you need. Only the relevant part of your record will be released. These other professionals are also legally bound to treat your information with the same quality of duty and care that we do. All of the above relate to all modes of consultation either in-person, by video-consultation and by telephone.
Updated May 18th, 2020