Privacy Policy

This  Privacy Notice outlines the commitment of Northwood Hospital to uphold the privacy, dignity, and individuality of all patients. It ensures that the hospital environment promotes respect, protects confidentiality, and meets legal and ethical obligations.

Northwood Hospital recognises that privacy and dignity are fundamental human rights. We are committed to embedding a culture of respect, compassion, and personalised care.

This Privacy Notice outlines:

• what personal data Northwood collects about you;
• why Northwood collects that personal data;
• who Northwood shares your personal data with;
• why Northwood might contact you and how you can change that;
• how long Northwood retains your personal data;
• how Northwood keeps your personal data secure; and
• what rights you have in relation to your personal data.

When we talk about “personal data” in this notice, we mean any information which could be used to identify you, either directly or indirectly when combined with any other information we may hold about you.

Northwood Hospital (registered as Severn Hospital limited) is the data controller under the Information Commissioner’s Office registration number ZB797979

If you need to contact us about this privacy policy or further details on how your personal information is used please contact the Data Protection Officer using the following details:

By Post:

Data Protection Officer
Northwood Hospital
Unit 1400 Bristol Parkway North
Stoke Gifford
Bristol BS34 8YU

By email:
Data Protection Officer
dataprotection@northwoodhospital.co.uk

This Privacy Notice does not cover the links within our websites linking to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.

The  team of healthcare professionals caring for you keep records about your health and any treatment and care you receive from us.

They may be written down in paper records or held on a computer. These records may include:

• basic details about you such as name, address, date of birth, next of kin, etc.;
• contact we have had with you such as appointments or clinic visits;
• notes and reports about your health, treatment and care;
• results of x-rays, scans and laboratory tests; and
• relevant information from people who care for you and know you well such as health professionals and relatives.

It is essential that your details which we hold are accurate and up to date. Always check that your personal details are correct when you visit us and please inform us of any changes as soon as possible.

Your records are used to direct, manage and deliver the care you receive to ensure that:

• healthcare professionals involved in your care have accurate and up to date information to assess your health and decide on the most appropriate care for you;
• healthcare professionals have the information they need to be able to assess and improve the quality and type of care you receive;
• your concerns can be properly investigated if a complaint or any concerns are raised; and
  appropriate information is available if you see another doctor, or are referred to a specialist or another part of the healthcare system to ensure you receive continuity of care

Your information will also be used to help us manage and protect the health of future patients by being used to:

• review the care we provide to ensure it is of the highest standard and quality;
• ensure our services can meet patient needs in the future;
• investigate patient queries, incidents, complaints and legal claims;
• ensure the hospital receives payment for the care you receive;
• prepare statistics on our performance;
  audit our accounts and services; and
• undertaking health research and development (with your explicit consent – you may choose whether or not to be involved).

We have a number of lawful bases for using this information under data protection legislation:

• in some cases it will be necessary for us to use information in order to fulfil our contract with you to provide you with healthcare services, such as using your health data for the purposes of diagnosis and assessment by a healthcare professional;
• in exceptional circumstances, we may be required to use your information in order to protect your vital interests or those of another person for example, in the case of an epidemic or extreme event; and
• we may also need to use your information for the purposes of establishing, exercising or defending our legal rights, for example in the event of a complaint.

Where we do not have a contractual or legal obligation to handle your data in a particular way or your explicit consent to use your information for a specific purpose, we have a legitimate interest to conduct general business processes and improve our services. When relying on our legitimate interests we conduct an assessment  (using valid LIA documentation ) to ensure that this use of your data is fair, proportionate and in no way detrimental.

Everyone working within healthcare has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. Similarly, anyone who receives information from us has a legal duty to keep it confidential.

We will share information with your private consultant(s) and the following main partner organisations:

• your General Practitioner (GP);
• private insurers that are involved in your care if relevant;
• NHS Trusts and hospitals that are involved in your care;
• ambulance services that are involved in your care; and
• PHIN (Private Healthcare Information Network) who are the government’s recognised body for processing private patient’s data.

You may be receiving care from other people as well as us, for example Social Care Services or District Nursing Services. We may need to share some information about you with them so we can all work together for your benefit if they have a genuine need for it or we have your permission. Therefore, we may also share your information, subject to strict agreement about how it will be used, with:

• Social Care Services;
• Local Authorities; and
• voluntary and other private sector providers working with us.

We will not disclose your information to any other third parties without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as if the health and safety of others is at risk or if the law requires us to pass on information.

You have the right to restrict how and with whom we share the personal information in your records that identifies you. This must be noted explicitly within your records in order that all healthcare professionals and staff treating and involved with you are aware of your decision. By choosing this option, you should be mindful that it may make the provision of treatment or care more difficult or unavailable. You can also change your mind at any time about a disclosure decision.

Activities that may result in collection of personal information

• visits to our websites;
• enquiries about our products or services;
• information contained in enquiry or booking forms, including through our ‘make an enquiry’ section of our website;
• information you provide in surveys or in feedback;
• transactions you carry out on our websites;
• online payments; and
• referrals from GPs.

Personal identifiers from your browsing activity

• requests by your web browser to our servers for web pages and other content on our website are recorded;
  we record information such as your geographical location, your Internet service provider and your IP address.
• We also record information about the software you are using to browse our website, such as the type of computer or device and the screen resolution;
• we use this information in aggregate to assess the popularity of the webpages on our website and how we perform in providing content to you; and
• if combined with other information we know about you from previous visits, the data possibly could be used to identify you personally, even if you are not signed in to our website.

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer’s hard drive by your web browser when you visit any website if you give permission. They allow information gathered on one web page to be stored until it is needed for use on another, allowing a website to provide you with a personalised experience and the website owner with statistics about how you use the website so that it can be improved.

Some cookies may last for a defined period of time, such as one day or until you close your browser. Others last indefinitely. Your web browser should allow you to delete any you choose. It also should allow you to prevent or limit their use.

Our website uses cookies. They are placed by software that operates on our servers, and by software operated by third parties whose services we use.

When you first visit our website, we ask you whether you wish us to use cookies. If you choose not to accept them, we shall not use them for your visit except to record that you have not consented to their use for any other purpose.

If you choose not to use cookies or you prevent their use through your browser settings, you will not be able to use all the functionality of our website.

We use cookies in the following ways:

• to track how you use our website;
• to record whether you have seen specific messages we display on our website;
• to keep you signed in our site; and
• to record your answers to surveys and questionnaires on our site while you complete them.

When attending our facilities for an outpatient appointment or a procedure you may be asked to confirm that we have an accurate email address, contact number and/or mobile telephone number for you. This can be used to provide appointment details via email, SMS text messages and telephone calls to advise you of appointment times, with your consent.

We may also contact you about goods and services which we think may be of interest to you where you have consented to us using your information in this way.

You can update your communications preferences at any time by informing a member of staff.

We will only send you marketing information where you opt in to receiving such messages.  Where we have your consent to do so we may send you information by email about existing and new services from us, or send you information by email about related products or services that may be of interest to you.

If you do not wish to continue to receive any marketing information you can tell us in person, email us, or use the unsubscribe facility.

We retain personal data for no longer than required and in line with Northwood Hospital’s Data Protection policy retention schedule. This is based on statutory requirements and legal obligations, as well as our business requirements.

We take our duty to protect your personal information and confidentiality very seriously and we are committed to taking all reasonable measures to ensure the confidentiality and security of personal data for which we are responsible, whether computerised or on paper. Where we have a need to transfer data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) we do so with appropriate safeguards in place.

Data protection legislation gives you the right to:

• correct any data we hold about you that is not correct (Rectification);
• request that we delete your personal data (Erasure);
• block or suppress the further processing of your personal data in certain circumstances (Restriction);
• request access to personal data that we hold about you (Subject Access);
• in some circumstances, receive the personal data which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and have this transmitted to another data controller (Data Portability);
• withdraw consent where this is the legal basis for us processing your information; and
• not be subject to automatic decisions (i.e. decisions that are made about you by computer alone) that have a legal or other significant effect on you.

Please contact the Data Protection Officer  if you wish to exercise your rights in relation to personal data using the contact information below. Our policy is to verify the authenticity of all requests made, and requests may be refused if we are unable to verify the identity of the requester.

If you have concerns about the way we have handled your personal data please contact the Data Protection Officer in the first instance.

By Post:

Data Protection Officer
Northwood Hospital
1400 Bristol Parkway North
Bristol BS34 8YU

By email:  

Data Protection Officer 

dataprotection@northwoodhospital.co.uk

If you remain unsatisfied you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on 0303 123 1113, by emailing casework@ico.org.uk  or by post at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF