ICO: Private doctors must carefully handle patient data
Date posted: 21 Aug 2009
Doctors who offer private treatment to patients should ensure they carefully comply with the UK's Data Protection Act, according to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
The organisation believes that doctors working privately must check they have notified it if they are handling individual health records containing personal details.
Private doctors are not always covered to process personal data by their local NHS trust or the hospital where they practice, according to the ICO.
Doctors who offer private treatment to patients should ensure they carefully comply with the UK's Data Protection Act, according to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
The organisation believes that doctors working privately must check they have notified it if they are handling individual health records containing personal details.
Private doctors are not always covered to process personal data by their local NHS trust or the hospital where they practice, according to the ICO.
Mick Gorrill, the body's assistant information commissioner, said that processing sensitive health records should be considered a high priority.
He added: "The notification process ensures that doctors have alerted us about how personal information is being processed.
"We take a robust view that private doctors are data controllers for the purposes of the Data Protection Act and therefore notification is a legal requirement."
The ICO has also published new guidance this week on how students receiving exam results can find out more about their exam records.
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