Who are the partner organisations we may share your information with?

In order to deliver the best possible service, the Practice may share your information, where required, with other NHS bodies such as other GP Practices and hospitals. The information that makes up your record is also essential to help these organisations provide you with the best possible care.

All organisations that we work with are subject to strict data sharing and/or processing agreements which set out how data will be used and forms part of their contractual obligations.

The organisations we may share your information with are:

• Health Boards and Trusts in NHS Wales and where necessary NHS Trusts/Foundation Trusts in NHS England;
• Other GPs, for example, those which form part of the Cluster Network your Practice is a member of;
• Out of Hours GP Service Providers (for when your GP Practice is closed);
• Other Primary Care Service providers such as Pharmacists, Dentists and Optometrists;
• Health Board, private sector or voluntary sector providers who deliver services on behalf of the Practice. For example, Allied Health Professionals who work directly in the GP Practice to treat patients i.e. physiotherapists who hold clinics for patients with musculoskeletal problems;
• Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST);
• Health Care Research Wales (HCRW);
• Public Health Wales (PHW);
• Healthcare Quality and Improvement Partnership (HQIP);
• Local Authorities and Social Care providers;
• Education Services;
• Fire and Rescue Services;
• Police and Judicial Services;
• Voluntary (Third) Sector Services.

We will never share your information without establishing the legal basis to do so, unless there are exceptional circumstances such as when the health or safety of others is at risk, where the law requires it.

Our guiding principle is that we are holding your records in strictest confidence; we are required by law to report certain information to the appropriate authorities. This is only provided after formal permission has been given by a qualified health professional. There are occasions when we must pass on information, such as notification of new births, where we encounter infectious diseases which may endanger the safety of others, such as meningitis or measles (but not HIV/AIDS), and where a formal court order has been issued.

Third party processors

The Practice may use carefully selected third party service providers. When we use such a service provider to process data on our behalf then we will always have an appropriate agreement in place to ensure that they keep your data secure, that they do not use or share information other than in accordance with our instructions and that they are operating appropriately. Examples of functions that may be carried out by third parties includes:

• companies that provide IT services & support, including our core clinical systems; systems which manage patient facing services (such as our website and service accessible through the same); data hosting service providers; systems which facilitate appointment bookings or document management services etc.
• delivery services, for example, if we were to arrange for delivery of any medicines to you;
• payment providers, if for example you were paying for a prescription or a service such as travel vaccinations.

Further details regarding specific third-party processors can be supplied on request by the Practice.