Berkshire Grove Hospital Patient Privacy Notice
This Privacy Notice explains how Berkshire Grove Hospital and the healthcare professionals who provide your care (including their medical secretaries) collect and handle your personal information. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal data.
The notice applies to anyone who receives healthcare services at Berkshire Grove Hospital, whether in person, by email, through our website, by phone or any other way.
About Us
In this Privacy Notice, "we," "us," "our," or "Berkshire Grove Hospital" refers to the hospital and the healthcare professionals who provide your care.
Your Personal Data and Healthcare Professionals
When you receive care at Berkshire Grove Hospital, you may be treated by a medical practitioner, such as a consultant, nurse, or other clinical support professional. We refer to all such individuals as "healthcare professionals." They decide what personal data they need to collect about you and may keep their own medical records about your care. They are responsible for your personal data that they hold within those records, and they must comply with data protection laws and guidance when handling your personal data.
Most healthcare professionals are expected to use personal data as set out in this Privacy Notice. However, in some circumstances, healthcare professionals may handle personal data differently from the hospital. In those cases, the healthcare professional is responsible for ensuring that their use of your personal data is lawful, informing you about how it will be used, and providing you with their own Privacy Notice.
Healthcare professionals who work with Berkshire Grove Hospital are supported by medical secretaries who use your personal data only as instructed by your healthcare professional. This may include preparing letters about your care or contacting you about appointments. In some cases, the medical secretary may be employed by the hospital, and they will handle your personal data in accordance with this Privacy Notice. In other cases, the secretary may be employed by the consultant, by other healthcare providers (private or NHS), or be self-employed. This means that third parties may handle your personal data at their own sites. Your healthcare professional will inform you if their medical secretary is employed by a third party and how they will use your personal data. Healthcare professionals who work with Berkshire Grove Hospital (including their medical secretaries) may also handle your personal data at a non-hospital site, whether medical or non- medical.
If you have any concerns about the way your healthcare professional has handled your personal data or want to know more about how we handle your personal data, please contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO). You can find the DPO's contact details at the bottom of this page.
What personal data do we collect and use from patients at Berkshire Grove Hospital?
As a patient at Berkshire Grove Hospital, we will collect and use personal data about you, such as your name, address, and contact details, financial information (e.g. credit card details used for payment), occupation, emergency contact details (including next of kin), and background referral details. We may also collect images of you from the video security systems installed at our hospital.
We also collect more sensitive personal data (known as "special category data") about you, including information related to your physical and mental health. This data must be handled even more carefully than standard personal data. For example, we need to use personal data about your health to provide care. Your special category personal data will be managed in accordance with the law, this Privacy Notice, and applicable professional standards from the General Medical Council and British Medical Association.
The special category personal data we hold about you includes details of your current or former physical or mental health, any healthcare services you have received or need (from Berkshire Grove Hospital directly or other healthcare providers), care you have received from us (including images taken), your nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, genetic data, biometric data, and data concerning your sex life and/or sexual orientation.
We take the confidentiality of your medical information seriously and make every effort to prevent unauthorised access to and use of your personal data. We comply with UK data protection law, including the Data Protection Act 2018, and applicable medical confidentiality guidelines from professional bodies such as the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
If you provide us with personal data about another person, you must inform them about the contents of this Privacy Notice.
If you change personal data that we already hold about you, we will update our systems to reflect the changes, but our systems will also continue to hold the originally recorded personal data.
How does Berkshire Grove Hospital collect your personal data?
Directly from you
Berkshire Grove Hospital may collect personal data directly from you when you:
enter into a contract with the hospital for your care
use the care provided by the hospital
have remote consultations with a healthcare professional, including virtual or by telephone
complete enquiry forms on the hospital's website
send a question through the hospital's website, by email, or by social media
correspond with the hospital by letter, email, telephone (all incoming and outgoing calls from/to patients are recorded), or social media, including where you mention Berkshire Grove Hospital in a public social media post
attend the hospital and are recorded on the CCTV systems installed
participate in marketing activities
use our GP service
NHS Summary Care Record (SCR)
For NHS Patients: before your appointment with Berkshire Grove Hospital, your NHS Summary Care Record will be available to view by the hospital staff involved in your care, unless you have previously opted-out of having an SCR.
Your NHS Summary Care Record is an electronic record of important patient information created from your GP medical record, including medication, allergies, bad reactions to medicines, and, where available, past and present medical information. It can be seen and used by authorised staff in other areas of the health and care system involved in a patient’s direct care. Access to your SCR optimises patient safety and allows the hospital to make the most clinically informed decisions. If you do not want the hospital staff to access your SCR, or you have any queries, please contact the hospital where you will be receiving your treatment. You can find more information about your SCR here.
From other healthcare providers
To provide you with the best care possible, Berkshire Grove Hospital may collect personal data about you from other organisations. This may include medical records from:
your GP
your healthcare professional (including their medical secretaries)
your dentist
the NHS or any private healthcare organization
mental health providers
Medical records include personal data about your tests and diagnosis, clinic and hospital visits, and medicines administered.
From other third parties
Berkshire Grove Hospital may also collect personal data about you from other third parties, including:
solicitors or other third parties acting on your behalf in connection with medico-legal proceedings
your current or former employer, healthcare professional, or other healthcare services or benefit provider
your family
your insurance policy provider
experts (including medical experts) and other service providers about your care
NHS health service bodies about your care
credit reference agencies
debt collection agencies
government agencies, including the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office, and HMRC
commissioners of healthcare services
If you (or the relevant other healthcare providers and other third parties outlined above) do not provide Berkshire Grove Hospital with the personal data that is requested, the hospital may be unable to provide your care.