How we use and share your information
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We use information about you to provide your care and to help run NHS services. This page explains how, why, who else sees your information, and the choices you have.
How we use your information for your care
To look after you safely, we need to keep a record of:
- your name, date of birth, address, contact details and NHS number
- your medical history, diagnoses, medications, allergies and test results
- notes from your consultations, treatments and referrals
- information from other healthcare providers involved in your care
- family and social history relevant to your care
Your record is held electronically on SystmOne, our clinical system, which is provided by TPP (The Phoenix Partnership) and hosted in the UK.
Sharing for your direct care
We share information with other parts of the NHS where they need it to look after you. This includes:
- NHS hospitals and community services
- NHS 111 and out-of-hours services
- ambulance services
- pathology, imaging and other diagnostic services
- your nominated pharmacy (for prescriptions and medication advice)
- community pharmacy services and the NHS Community Pharmacy Consultation Service
- shared care records, where authorised clinicians can see relevant parts of your GP record when treating you
If you live in a care home, we share information with care home staff to support your day-to-day care.
What this means for you
If you are referred to a hospital, the hospital can see what they need from your GP record to look after you. If you call NHS 111 in the evening, the 111 clinician can see key information through your Summary Care Record. We do not need your specific permission for this kind of sharing because you are receiving care from the NHS.
Sharing for other NHS purposes
Some of your information is also used for wider purposes that help the NHS work well, such as:
- planning and commissioning local NHS services
- checking the quality of care (clinical audit and quality improvement)
- identifying patients who may benefit from extra support, through risk stratification
- public health screening programmes (for example, cervical, bowel and breast screening)
- vaccination and immunisation programmes
- national clinical audits, like the cardiovascular prevention audit
- approved research, including through the OpenSAFELY research platform
For most of these uses, your information is either pseudonymised (your direct identifiers are replaced with codes) or aggregated (combined with information from other patients) before it leaves the practice. You have choices about some of this sharing, see Your choices.
Sharing required by law
There are some situations where we are legally required to share information, and we cannot ask for your permission first. This includes:
- Safeguarding, where a child or adult is at risk of harm, abuse or neglect
- Notifiable diseases reported to the UK Health Security Agency
- Court orders and formal Police requests under the Data Protection Act 2018
- Information for the Coroner when investigating a death
- Information for the Medical Examiner, who reviews non-coronial deaths
- Fitness to drive reports to the DVLA where required
- Regulatory bodies like the Care Quality Commission and the General Medical Council
We always share the minimum information needed and keep a record of every disclosure.
Your choices
You have several choices about how your information is shared.
Type 1 opt-out
The Type 1 opt-out stops your identifiable GP record being shared outside the practice for purposes other than your direct care. For example, it stops your data flowing to NHS England for research and planning through services such as OpenSAFELY.
To register a Type 1 opt-out, please contact the practice. We will record this on your medical record.
National Data Opt-out
The National Data Opt-out stops NHS England sharing your identifiable data for purposes beyond your individual care, such as research and planning.
You can register at nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters or by calling 0300 303 5678.
The Type 1 opt-out and the National Data Opt-out work in different ways. You can register one or both. Neither stops information being shared for your direct care or for purposes the law requires.
Summary Care Record
The Summary Care Record (SCR) is a national electronic record holding key information from your GP record: your medications, allergies and adverse reactions. With your permission, additional information can be added.
The SCR helps clinicians treat you safely in an emergency or when you need unplanned care, like at NHS 111, A&E or out-of-hours. You can opt out of the SCR by contacting the practice. Please note that opting out may delay care in an emergency.
GP Connect
GP Connect lets authorised NHS clinicians see parts of your GP record when they are treating you. Access is logged and only used for your direct care. If you would like to opt out of GP Connect, please contact the practice.
How long we keep your information
We keep your medical records in line with the NHS Records Management Code of Practice. GP records are generally kept for 10 years after death or after you have permanently left the country. Different rules may apply to specific types of record.
Read the full detail
The full list of every system we use, every organisation we share information with, and the legal basis for each activity is in Appendix A of our Patient Privacy Notice.
This page was last updated in May 2026.
