Practice Statement

At CMC we endeavour to provide the medical care of high standard to all our patients. Our procedures and policies are transparent & consistent with the Medical Council’s Guidelines on Ethical conduct and Behaviour, and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018

Patient Consent

Patient’s consent as being the key factor in dealing with their health information and making the consent more meaningful, by explaining our policies while dealing with your medical information provided.

Managing your information

Upon contacting the practice, information provided about your health is collected in order to advise and treat you, filed securely on computer, and is accessible to other staff employed in the practice on a need to know basis. Everyone employed within the practice is aware & bond to keep the confidentiality that is attached to health information, and of the serious breach of trust represented by unauthorised access or disclosure to anyone outside of the practice.

Disclosing Information to persons Outside of the Practice

In the circumstances, where your health condition may require to be referred to the hospital, or seeing another health specialists, only the relevant part of your record is released, so that you may be treated as required. Where this happens, the hospitals and the other health staff /professionals involved are bound legally and ethically to treat your information with the same duty of care and confidence as we do.

Disclosures Required or Permitted Under Law

The law provides that in certain instances personal information (including health information) can be disclosed, for example, in the case of the court order, infectious diseases etc.

Disclosures to Employers, Insurance Companies and Solicitors

In most instances, work related medical certificates will only provide a confirmation that you are unfit for work, together with an indication of when you may be able to return. When it is considered necessary to provide additional information, we will discuss this matter with you. In the case of disclosures to insurance companies, the insurance company will inform you that they are sending us out a medical form to be completed on yourself. In most cases you do not need to be present for this medical form to be completed. If you do need to attend the surgery for a full medical examination, your insurance company will let you know in advance and you will be required to make an appointment for the same.
In the case of disclosure of your full medical records, or in the case of an injuries claim, a written letter from your solicitor must be provided, as well as your signed consent. By receiving such a request we presume that you have fully understood the implications of such a disclosure.

For the Training, Teaching, Research and Quality Assurance purposes within the practice.

It is usual for general practitioners to discuss patient histories as part of their continuing medical education or for the purpose of training young GP’s and/or medical students, the identity of the patient concerned is not revealed. However, it may be beneficial for other doctors within the practice to be aware of patients with particular conditions, and in such cases this practice would only communicate the information necessary to provide the highest level of care to the patient. The use of patient information for the purpose of quality assurance and research will only occur following removal of identifying information.
Most importantly, you have the right to opt out of this use of your medical records. To do so, simply let your GP or the Practice Manager know. But we would ask you to remember that the quality of patient services provided by general practitioners can only be maintained and enhanced by training, teaching and research.

Transferring to another Practice

If you decide, at any time and for some reason, your medical record to be transferred to another practice, this will be facilitated according to your choice subject to your written consent for releasing directly or through the other practice involved in writing. Followed by the onward care of your record by the new doctor. It is the policy of this practice to send your medical notes directly to your new doctor. All we need are your new doctors details, such as name and address, and the names of all the patients that are wishing to transfer. For medico-legal and other professional requirements, we will retain a copy also for an appropriate period which may exceed 8 years.