A leaflet about your rights and what you can expect from us

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Sexual Health Service aims to provide you with high-quality care and services. To do this, we must keep records about you, and where applicable, the care we provide for you.

From April 2024, Sexual Health Services in Kent and Medway will start using a new electronic health record system called Inform. It allows NHS colleagues to record patient information securely. This information can then be shared with other clinicians so that everyone caring for you is fully informed about your medical history, including medication and allergies. INFORM is used in many sexual health services across the country. You should not notice any difference in how we provide your care.

This leaflet answers some of the questions you may have about the introduction of our new electronic health record and the storing of your sexual health records. If you have any other questions or concerns, please speak to the team caring for you.

Confidentiality

Everyone working in the NHS is bound by a legal duty of confidentiality to protect your personal information. This is not just a requirement of their employment contract but also a requirement within the common law duty of confidence and data protection law.

We recognise that information collected in sexual health services is sensitive and personal and we only collect and store information that is needed to ensure that you have the correct tests, investigations, treatment and care. We will only share information with other healthcare professionals (for example, your GP or other healthcare professionals in the hospital) if it is necessary for your care. We will only do that with your consent.

What information do you keep about me?

The information we hold about you is called your health record. It includes general personal information (such as your name, address, date of birth, and GP), your upcoming appointments and sensitive information (such as your medical details, test results and prescriptions).

These records are kept in an electronic form. Your records in sexual health are stored on an electronic system which has no link with any other medical health records such as those kept within main hospital records or your GP records.

Will other health care professionals be able to see my sexual health notes?

Although doctors or nurses working in other parts of the Trust cannot see your sexual health notes, your sexual health doctor or nurse will be able to read your medical notes from other hospital departments (such as the Emergency Department or other outpatient departments). Your sexual health doctor or nurse will also be able to see any tests results from other departments or upcoming appointments you may have elsewhere in the hospital.