FAQs
Please see answers to commonly asked questions below.
Who can see my information through the Coventry and Warwickshire Population Health Management (PHM) database?
Health and social care professionals from the following organisations in Coventry and Warwickshire:
- South Warwickshire Foundation NHS Trust
- Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
- George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire
- GP Practices in Coventry and Warwickshire
The following organisations are Beneficiaries of the information and will act as Individual Controllers of the information they receive: Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board
Who is responsible for the Coventry and Warwickshire PHM?
The Coventry and Warwickshire PHM system is managed and governed by the NHS and local authorities of Coventry and Warwickshire.
What are the benefits of allowing my record to be available for PHM?
By sharing and analysing this information, we expect that everyone in Coventry and Warwickshire will have equal opportunities to live and enjoy the best, healthiest life possible.
We are already seeing many examples of clinicians and commissioners across the country taking a population health approach and thinking differently about how to plan and design care in an integrated way.
PHM allows us to:
- understand patient needs that might have been overlooked
- design better health services
- make better use of public resources
- prevent diseases
- predict future health issues
Doesn’t everyone involved in my health and social care already have access to this information?
No, each organisation will keep its own record. For example, everyone who is registered at a GP practice will have a record kept at that practice.
If you attend a local hospital, they will create their own record, and the same for social care services. Many of these records are now held electronically, which means that we can now bring all the information together in one place for a fuller picture to support your care needs.
How will you prevent the information being used inappropriately?
For health and social care organisations to be able to keep records about you, by law they must comply with data protection legislation. All staff members within these organisations receive training on their responsibilities under the legislation.
Use of your information is governed by existing rules and regulations to protect patient/client confidentiality. The NHS and local authorities take data management and security of confidential information very seriously.
Information that is available for health and care professionals to view through the Population Health Management database will never be made public, used for advertising, or sold. Professionals accessing your information are subject to the existing codes of conduct for NHS and local authority staff, which means they must respect patient/client privacy and keep all information about you safe.
For more information about how the NHS handles your health records visit NHS Choices. You can do the same for social care records by visiting the Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council websites.
Can I see my information, or could someone ask to see it on my behalf?
Yes. You have the right, under data protection legislation, to request access to any information that organisations like the NHS hold about you.
This includes copies of paper, electronic and hybrid patient/client health and care records. For more information about how to view your health or social care records, please visit the relevant organisation’s website.
What if I don't want my information to be available through PHM?
You have the right to object at any time if you are 16 years of age or older.
If you are aged 16 or above, we will process your ‘right to object’ form by carrying out our normal checks on the details you have given us.
From the age of 13 to 16, we will consider your right to object if your form has been signed on your behalf by someone with parental responsibility.
If it has not, we will ask a recognised health or care professional if they consider you to be competent to make such a decision.
If you are under the age of 13, we will only consider your right to object if your form has been signed on your behalf by someone with parental responsibility.
We’ll always respect your choice and restrict access to your health and social care information by professionals in our partner organisations where you’ve made use of your right to object. However, to carry out your wishes, we may need to keep some information such as your name, date of birth and NHS number.
This will ensure all partner organisations know about your decision to object so you don’t have to notify all the different organisations across Coventry and Warwickshire who might be involved in your care.
How do I object?
If you want to object, you can do so by visiting our Right to Object page.