What is happening and how is my data being used?

Scotstown Medical Group (Scotstown & Udny Practices) are back scanning all GP paper records including the Lloyd George Wallets (LGW) to store them in a digital format.

Personal data and Special categories of personal data

All paper records and LGWs will be scanned which contain your personal data and health data which is recorded in your GP records.

This will include but not limited to your full name, DOB, CHI, address, previous addresses and names, contact details such as telephone numbers and email addresses, NOK & emergency contact name(s) and contact details, details of your family along with potentially family history, social history, health information, imaging and photography, any other data received from other organisations such as NHS Boards, private healthcare, local authority, other health organisations or voluntary organisations.

Data controller         

Peter Reynolds, Group Business Manager, is the data controller for the data to be digitised.

The scanning of your paper health records will be undertaken by a company called NEC Software Solutions UK Limited (NEC).

NEC are providing a complete end-to-end solution with records being digitised and automatically filed within the GP Practice’s Docman application by suppliers Microtech.

NEC are also supported by other organisations they have contracted with to deliver the end-to-end solution. They use Freight-port as their couriers for transportation of the records from the GP practice to NEC, and they use Shred-it for the secure destruction of the patient records after they have been scanned and instruction provided to NEC by the Practice to destroy the physical records.

The Practice have a signed an Agreement with NEC setting out instructions and standards on how your information is processed by them and their sub-processors.

Personal data which the Practice is data controller for, is retained in the same way as the other medical information we hold about you. Please see our full privacy notice for more information – GDPR and Privacy - Scotstown Medical Group

NHS Inform also provides information how NHS Scotland uses and retains your data; please see the link below:

https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/health-rights/confidentiality-and-data-protection/how-the-nhs-handles-your-personal-health-information

A specific Information Sharing Agreement has been put in place to document the sharing of personal data by the participating health organisations, including GP Practices. This is supported by a high level Agreement known as the Intra NHS Scotland Information Sharing Accord (2020) which enables participating health organisations share your personal data for specific purposes.

Lawful processing

We assert that it is lawful for us to process your personal data in this way as:

• processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;
• processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person;

We assert that it is lawful for us to process special categories of your personal data in this way as:

• processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services on the basis of Union or Member State law or pursuant to contract with a health professional and subject to the conditions and safeguards … ;

AND

DPA 2018 Schedule 1 Condition:

2(1) Health & Social Care Purposes

• processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person where the data subject is physically or legally incapable of giving consent;
• processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
• processing is necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, such as protecting against serious cross-border threats to health or ensuring high standards of quality and safety of health care and of medicinal products or medical devices, on the basis of Union or Member State law which provides for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the rights and freedoms of the data subject, in particular professional secrecy;

Your rights

We respect your rights and preferences in relation to your data. If you wish to update, access, erase, limit, or complain about the use of your information, please let us know by emailing: gram.scotstownadministrator@nhs.scot in the first instance and we will consider your questions. You may also wish to contact the Health Board under which your care is being delivered or the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Please see the link below for information on the reduction of opening hours at our Udny practice:

Reduction in Opening Hours Notice July 2024

Due to the increasing pressure from several challenges, including staff shortages, dispensing practice requirements, patient safety and ongoing sustainability concerns, we regretfully have had to make the decision to reduce our opening hours.

GP and dispensing provisions have already previously been reduced at the branch with no significant impacts.

As a result of that reduction, the surgery and dispensary opening hours in Udny Station Surgery will be restricted to the days that a GP is available in the practice, which is currently a Tuesday and a Thursday only. The surgery will be closed out-with these days and patients will still have full-access to medical services through Scotstown Medical Practice in Bridge of Don, including medical advice and prescribing services as per below.

If you need medical attention out-with the hours of 08:30 – 14:30, Tuesday and Thursday, you can telephone 0345 189 7070 to speak to a receptionist at Scotstown Medical Practice, or dial 111 after surgery hours.

This will come into effect from Monday 26 August 2024.

The revised opening hours for attending appointments and the collection of prescriptions and dispensed medication shall be:

Tuesday 08:30 - 14:30

Thursday 08:30 - 14:30

Urgent medical advice can be obtained by contacting NHS24 on 111.

If you need prescription advice, you can telephone 0345 189 7070 to speak to a receptionist at Scotstown, or telephone your local pharmacy.

The prescription request mailbox for Udny Station surgery is 01224 551435. Please leave the following information on our answer machine:

· your name, address, date of birth, telephone number

· the name of the medication you require

· where you would like to collect the prescription from e.g. your nominated pharmacy.

Therefore, with effect from Monday 26 August 2024 there will be a Doctor consulting at Udny Station on Tuesday and Thursday mornings only. In addition, the practice will from then on only be open to patients from 8.30am until 2.30pm on a Tuesday and a Thursday for the collection of prescriptions.

There are several pharmacies in the local area that provide dispensing services for local collection, and some also offer a home delivery service which you can nominate your prescriptions to be sent to and they will deliver Monday through to Friday, which we are in-equipped to provide. We shall of course continue to provide a prescribing service to ensure that patients have access to medication both acute and repeat as mentioned.

It is disappointing that we have been forced into this position, but we will do our very best to support our patients during this transitional period despite this reduction in our available resources.

Please see below link regarding the Grampian LMC  (Local Medical Committee) statement on GP workload from 18/07/2024: 

GP Workload

Brain Health Service Officially Opens!

An innovative new brain health service has been officially opened in Aberdeen today by Maree Todd, MSP, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport.

This is the first example in the UK of a brain health service that offers a drop-in, self-referral system. 

The service will be based in the Alzheimer Scotland Brain Health and Dementia Resource Centre on King Street in Aberdeen and will provide people who are worried about their brain health with support and an initial assessment. The service team can then provide a personal brain health plan to support people to take steps to improve their brain health. 

The service is for anyone, regardless of age, who might have concerns about their brain health and can drop-in to the Brain Health and Dementia Resource Centre on King Street, Aberdeen. 

Open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday
13-19 King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 5AA

Further information is available here: 
https://www.nhsgrampian.org/news/2023/december/ministerial-opening-of-innovative-new-brain-health-service/

https://www.alzscot.org/living-with-dementia/getting-support/find-support-near-you/aberdeen-dementia-resource-centre