Skip to content

Privacy Policy

Privacy-Keyboard

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The GDPR replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC and was designed to harmonise data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens’ data privacy and to reshape the way in which organisations across the region approach data privacy. The GPDR comes into effect on 25 May 2018.

You can download this Privacy Notice below:

Privacy Notice
The latest Information Governance and Data Protection legislation requires us to ensure that a patient’s personal data must:
  • Be collected only for a legitimate purpose and processed only in a way that is compatible with that purpose.
  • Be limited to what is required in relation to the purpose for which it is used.
  • Be accurate and kept up to date.
  • Not be kept for longer than is necessary.
  • Be processed and stored in a safe and secure manner.
  • Collected and processed lawfully, fairly and transparently.

We want to reassure our patients that we have systems in place that allow us to record, process, share and store their personal data in accordance with the requirements of current regulations.

As a patient you have the right to:

  • Be informed about the data we collect and the reasons why it is collected
  • Know how we will use your data and the way we store and archive it
  • Access your data
  • Have any errors in your data rectified
  • Have your records erased in certain circumstances
  • Restrict processing of your data
  • Transfer your data to another health care provider
  • Object to us processing certain data

We have to obtain your explicit consent to use your data in certain circumstances and you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Our organisation is also compliant with the National Data Opt-out Policy. Please ask a member of staff if you have any queries about how we use your data.

Our Privacy Notices are regularly reviewed and any updates will be published on our website and on posters to reflect the changes.

NHS App

If you’re a patient at our practice you can now use the NHS App, a simple and secure way to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP health record, update your contact details and more. The NHS App gives you more control over your health and care and enables you to access your GP medical record securely. This means you can see it when speaking to a health and care professional, for example. Owned and run by the NHS the app is designed and operated by the NHS in England to give you access to a range of services. We will carefully check your identity when you register for the app, which is secure and easy to use. The NHS App will not replace existing services. You can still contact the GP surgery in the usual ways if you prefer.

Call Recording

All incoming and outgoing calls are recorded at the Practice for training and monitoring purposes. This helps us to protect patients, staff and other health workers from potential abuse.

NHS England

NHS England has been directed by the government to establish and operate the OpenSAFELY COVID-19 Service and the OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service. These services provide a secure environment that supports research, clinical audit, service evaluation and health surveillance for COVID-19 and other purposes.

Each GP practice remains the controller of its own GP patient data but is required to let approved users run queries on pseudonymised patient data. This means identifiers are removed and replaced with a pseudonym.

Only approved users are allowed to run these queries, and they will not be able to access information that directly or indirectly identifies individuals.

Patients who do not wish for their data to be used as part of this process can register type 1 opt out with their GP, click below:

Type '1' Opt Out

Click below for additional information about OpenSAFELY:

OpenSAFELY

What to do if you have questions

Should you have any questions about our privacy policy or the information we hold about you, you can:

Contact the practice’s data controller via email at: [email protected] GP practices are data controllers for the data they hold about their patients

Write to the data controller at:

Horden Group Practice
Health Centre
Bede Way
Peterlee
Co Durham
SR8 1AD

Ask to speak to the Practice Manager Karen Neary.

The Data Protection Officer (DPO) for Horden Group Practice is Andrew Dowson or a member of the team if Andrew is ever on leave.

If you would like to contact the Data Protection Officer, please use the following Email: [email protected]

To contact via telephone: Tel: 01388 665 910

Or you can write to the DPO at:

Data Protection Officer
Durham Dales Health Federation
Innovation House
27 Longfield Road
South Church
Bishop Auckland
DL14 6XB