GDPR – further guidance now available
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on 25 May 2018 when it replaces the UK Data Protection Act 1998. The GDPR is significant and wide-reaching in scope and it expands the rights of individuals to control how their personal information is collected and processed. The GDPR places a range of new obligations on organisations to be more accountable for data protection.
We have been keeping you up to date with guidance as it becomes available and the latest guidance is below:
- GPC – GPs as data controllers
This General Practitioners Committee guidance covers compliance, privacy notices for patients, reporting data breaches, information on financial penalties, access to patient records and the designation of Data Protection Officers (DPOs).
Read more here. - IGA – GDPR guidance
The national GDPR working group, chaired by NHS England, has produced a number of guidance documents publicised by the Information Governance Alliance (IGA), including a GDPR implementation checklist, on consent and lawfulness of processing.
Read more here. - ICO – FAQs for small health sector bodies
The Information Commissioner’s Office guidance includes updates on a wide range of issues including public authority definition under GDPR, issues relating to the appointment of a DPO, back-ups of personal data, GDPR registration, subject access requests (SARs), consent and personal data, reporting a personal data breach and how medical records are affected by the right to erasure.
Read more here. - MRC – Preparation for the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): GDPR, Consent in Research and Confidentiality
The Medical Research Council guidance includes information for practices around requests for sharing personal data for research purposes and how consent and confidentiality fit in to it under GDPR.
Read more here. - National Association of Sessional GPs (NASGP) - The guidance, aimed at sessional GPs but useful for everyone to read, covers who GDPR applies to, the main changes from current data protection law, consent and legal processing, transparency and fair processing, subject access requests, data breaches and DPIAs (Data Protection Impact Assessments).
There is also information on the role of the DPO (Data Protection Officer) and the strengthening of patients’ rights as well as the two helpful scenarios on locum GPs accessing patient records. Our thanks to NASGP (https://www.nasgp.org.uk/) for allowing us to use this information.
You can see the guidance on pages 17-21 of the guidance by clicking here.
Please remember to keep checking our website for further information.
Covid-19 antiviral pilots (16 Dec 2021)
The government announced this month that thousands of the UK’s most vulnerable people will be among the first in the world to access a new antiviral treatment for Covid-19, Molnupiravir....Registering overseas vaccinations at vaccination sites (16 Dec 2021)
On 9 December the Government updated guidance advising patients who wish to add an overseas Covid-19 vaccination to their NHS record to do so by booking a specific type of...Guidance updates December 2021 (16 Dec 2021)
The most important pieces of guidance released for general practice since our last newsletter are: Regulatory approval of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 and Regulatory approval of Spikevax...PCSE updates on contact details and pooled lists (16 Dec 2021)
Correct contact details Practices can improve communications with PCSE by ensuring that they have the most up to date practice contact details, including: The main practice contact All user...MP engagement and government consultations (16 Dec 2021)
During late November and December 2021 representatives from Londonwide LMCs have continued to meet with MPs, councillors and the police to raise issues affecting practices. We have also submitted evidence...Tips of the month December 2021 (16 Dec 2021)
We provide weekly tips based on common queries which come through to us from London GPs and practice teams. These are shared via social media and collated for...Dr Michelle Drage’s Christmas and New Year message (16 Dec 2021)
Thank you for simply still being here after the year you and all London general practices have had. With relentless pressure coming from clinically necessary activity, and the equally relentless...Annual General Meeting for Londonwide LMCs and Londonwide Enterprise Ltd (16 Dec 2021)
The Annual General Meeting for Londonwide LMCs and Londonwide Enterprise Ltd will be held on Thursday 20 January 2022 between 2:00pm and 3.15pm. The AGM is a chance to meet...Londonwide LMCs' December 2021 Newsletter (16 Dec 2021)
Guidance
We provide expert guidance for practices in our guidance section, as well as an archive of other materials you may find useful.
GP Support
Contact our GP Support team if you need help or advice.
The team provide professional and pastoral support to GPs and practice teams on a broad range of issues.