Use this page to discover how your patient records are handled by health and care professionals to ensure you receive safe care.
You can also read about the type of information the Integrated Care Board holds via our Privacy Notice.
Our Privacy Notice is also available in easy-read.
Patient records
All organisations that gather information about your heath and care have a duty to manage it responsibly. A core principle of this includes ensuring that only the right people can access it – the health and care professionals looking after you. This not only safeguards your privacy, but also your safety.
Summary Care Records
All patients registered with a GP have a Summary Care Record, unless they have chosen not to have one. The information held in your Summary Care Record gives registered and regulated healthcare professionals, away from your usual GP practice, access to information to provide you with safer care, reduce the risk of prescribing errors and improve your patient experience.
Your Summary Care Record contains basic (Core) information about allergies and medications and any reactions that you have had to medication in the past.
Learn more about the information held in your Summary Care Record, including the changes made during the Covid-19 pandemic.
My Care Record
Health and care organisations in our region are working together to implement a new approach called My Care Record. Wherever possible, health and care professionals will be able to access your records from other services when it is needed for your care.
For example, a hospital doctor, community nurse or social worker involved in your care could view the information they need from your GP record.
Support for primary care
Working across the NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) is the Information Governance Team. The team is led by Paul Cook who is the Head of Information Governance and the Data Protection Officer for the ICB.
If your practice needs any support regarding information governance, please do get in touch.
Data Protection Officer Service
The ICB Information Governance team offers a Data Protection Officer Service to general practices within the ICB area. The service offers support, advice and guidance around data protection legislation to around three quarters of General Practices in Suffolk and every General Practice in North East Essex.
The team support the GPs in various different ways including:
- Complying with data protection legislation
- Sharing information correctly
- Making sure that the GP and the providers they work with look after patient data securely
- Helping them respond to requests from patients wanting to exercise their rights
The practices in Suffolk and north east Essex that the ICB are Data Protection Officer for are listed below:
- Abbey Field Medical Centre
- Ambrose Avenue Group Practice
- Angel Hill Surgery
- Ardleigh Surgery
- Bildeston Health Centre
- Birches Medical Centre
- Bluebell Surgery
- Brandon Medical Practice
- Caradoc Surgery
- Cardinal Medical Practice
- Castle Gardens Medical Centre
- Colchester Primary Care Centre
- Colne Medical Centre
- Combs Ford Surgery
- Constable Country Rural Medical Practice
- Creffield Road Surgery
- Debenham Surgery
- Derby Road Practice
- Dr Solway & Mallick Practice
- East Hill Surgery
- East Lynne Medical Centre
- Eye Health Centre
- Forest Surgery
- Fressingfield Medical Centre
- Fronks Road Surgery
- Great Bentley Surgery
- Green Elms Surgery
- Guildhall & Barrow Surgery
- Guildhall Surgery
- Hadleigh Health Centre
- Hardwicke House Practice
- Harewood Surgery
- Haven Health
- Haverhill Family Practice
- Highwoods Surgery
- Holbrook & Shotley Practice
- Howard House Surgery
- Kennedy Way Medical Centre
- Lakenheath Surgery
- Lawford Surgery
- Little St John St Surgery
- Long Melford Practice
- Market Cross Surgery
- Martlesham Surgery
- Mayflower Medical Centre
- Mersea Island Medical Practice
- Mill Road Surgery
- Mount Farm Surgery
- Nayland Surgery
- Needham Market Country Practice
- North Clacton Medical Group
- Oakfield Surgery
- Old Road Surgery
- Orchard Medical Practice
- Parsons Heath Medical Centre
- Peninsula Practice
- Ranworth Surgery
- Ravenswood Medical Practice
- Riverside Health Centre
- Rookery Medical Centre
- Rowhedge Surgery & University of Essex
- Shrub End Surgery
- Siam Surgery
- St James Surgery
- Stowhealth
- Suffolk Primary Care
- Swan Surgery
- Thorpe-le-Soken Surgery
- Tiptree Medical Centre
- Tollgate Practice
- Two Rivers Medical Centre
- Victoria Surgery
- Walton Medical Centre
- West Bergholt Surgery
- Wickham Market Medical Centre
- Wimpole Road Surgery
- Winstree Medical Centre
- Wivenhoe Surgery