Data Protection and Your InformationIn this section

Data Protection and Your Information

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Luton & Dunstable University Hospital NHS FT is an acute hospital committed to providing a high quality of care and treatment. To do this, we must collect and process information about you.

We have a legal duty to keep it confidential, accurate and secure at all times in line with EU & UK Data Protection Laws.

We are legally permitted to process information for health and social care treatment of patients and the management of health or social care systems and services. This is because we are an official authority with a legal public duty to care for its patients. We would not be able to provide you with our services without your information.

Information we collect about you:

Personal details about you such as your name, address, date of birth, next of kin, etc.
Special Category (sensitive) information, including your ethnicity, religious beliefs, details about your physical and mental health and communication support needs.

All information will be kept and destroyed in line with NHS Retention and Destruction Guidance.

For information about Cookies, please view our website Privacy Notice.

How we collect your information:
The information we hold about you will be information you have given us. Other information will have come from other health and social care providers e.g. your GP (in referral letters), from your relatives or other representative who may have accompanied you to the hospital or the Ambulance Service who may have transported you into our A&E.

How we protect your information:
Our staff are trained to protect your information and to uphold your right to confidentiality and we have policies & procedures which staff and third parties working for the Trust are required to follow. We also have measures in place to keep our IT Network safe.

What we use your information for:
Information collected about you will be used for the following purposes:

To deliver you with the most appropriate care and treatment.
To send you appointment reminders (these may be voice telephone calls or a text message, or both).
Making sure your care is of a high standard.
Using statistical information to look after the health and wellbeing of the general public and planning services to meet the needs of the population.
Assessing your condition against a set of risk criteria to ensure you are receiving the best possible care.
Preparing performance information for the Department of Health & other regulatory bodies.
Helping train staff and support research.
Reporting and investigation of complaints, claims and untoward incidents.
Reporting events to the appropriate authorities when we are required to do so by law.

Who we share your information with:
We will share information (including any communication support needs that we have recorded) with the following main partner organisations:

Other NHS organisations that are directly involved in your care.
Non-NHS organisations who are directly involved in your care e.g. Social Care, voluntary and private sector providers working with the NHS.

We may need to disclose your information if the public interest is thought to be of greater importance than your right to confidentiality, for example, if a serious crime has been committed, if there are risks to the public or our staff, to protect vulnerable children or adults, to comply with a Court Oder etc.

Sometimes special permission is given to enable us to use or share your information for other reasons. This may be for medical research, checking quality of care or keeping registers of patients with particular conditions, illnesses or needs e.g. cancer registers. This permission is given by the Secretary of State for Health.

Everyone who we share patient information with has a legal duty to keep the information confidential and to comply with EU & UK Data Protection Laws.

You have the right to the information we hold about you:
Yes. EU and UK Data Protection Laws give you the right to request and be provided with a copy of information we hold about you. For more information and to download a request form please click here or contact Patient Services Team by calling 01582 497288, or by email patientservicesteam@ldh.nhs.uk

You may also have the right to:

Ask for information to be corrected if inaccurate or incomplete
Ask us to restrict the use of your information
Object to how we use your information.
These rights will be applied in line with relevant legislation and official national guidance.

Who to Contact

If you would like more information about your rights, about how we process your information or if you feel your confidentiality has been breached, please contact:
The Data Protection Officer (Gaynor Flynn)
Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS FT, Lewsey Road, Luton LU4 0DZ
01582 497928
patientservicesteam@ldh.nhs.uk (Please mark your email ‘For The Attention of the DPO’)

If you feel that we are not processing your information lawfully have the right to complain to:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113