All staff working in the NHS has a legal duty of confidentiality towards patients. This is written into their Contracts of Employment, and they are trained in their responsibility to protect it.

If necessary, information is shared with other health care professionals, such as community nurses, health visitors, and social workers, if they are involved with your care. If you need referring to a hospital consultant, your doctor will explain this to you and obtain your consent to do so.

No information concerning a patient will be given to a third party without the consent of the patient involved.

Please note that you cannot request information about your spouse, partner or a child over 16 without their specific consent being given directly to us in advance, preferably in writing.

If your employer, insurance company, or other organisation requests information about you, you must first provide us with your written consent for the information to be disclosed.

You have a right to read any report before it is sent, provided that you have stated so in your written consent. The only exceptions to these rules are governed by law.