Patient care often involves health and social services, so you may be receiving care from others as well as NHS staff. So that we can all work together for your benefit, we may need to share some information about you. We only use or pass on information about you if people have a genuine need to know and it is in your interest or in the public interest.
In certain circumstances, the law requires us to pass on information, for example: statutory notification of births and deaths; registration of a notifiable, communicable disease.
Anyone who receives information from us also has a duty to keep it confidential. Where required, and if you agree, information about you me shared with relatives, friends or others helping to provide care. Whenever possible, we use information from which an individual patient cannot be identified.