Barnsley Hospital explains how it uses and protects your health information

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has published a clear guide for patients on how their personal and health information is collected, used and shared.

The trust says it holds basic details such as your name, address, date of birth, next of kin and GP practice, along with records of appointments and clinic visits, notes and reports about your treatment and care, and the results of x-rays, scans and laboratory tests.

That information is needed so staff can treat you properly, and it is processed under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, mainly for providing direct care and treatment.

The hospital may share information to give you the best care, to improve future health services, to handle complaints and concerns properly, and to help teach future doctors and nurses. It may also share details where there is a belief that someone is at risk of serious harm, or where it is needed to help investigate a serious crime.

Any sharing, the trust says, is done lawfully, securely and on a need-to-know basis in line with UK GDPR.

Patients have a legal right to see the medical records held about them. Requests can be made to the Medical Records Co-Coordinator at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Gawber Road, Barnsley S75 2EP, by calling 01226 432545 or emailing bdg-tr.subjectaccess@nhs.net.

There is also a subject access requests page on the hospital website, and fuller detail on how personal data is used can be found in the trust's privacy notice. Anyone with further questions can contact the Information Governance Team by email at information.governance@nhs.net.