Information collected by Brighton and Hove SHAC
Whenever you visit one of our sexual health clinics, the health care practitioner will record information about your sexual history, sexual health concerns and any treatments you receive.
This is standard medical practice that allows us to provide the best quality care at that time and for future visits.
Other information we may hold about you includes:
- Your contact details
- Demographic details, such as your gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and country of birth
- The number of times you’ve visited one of our clinics
- Reports about your health and treatment or care that you’ve needed
- Assessments based on your medical and sexual history
- Results of tests or examinations in clinic and from home testing kits
Your demographic details help us to understand how different people access our service.
How your information is stored at Brighton and Hove SHAC
We keep electronic medical records which are only accessible to staff working in our clinics. These records are not visible to other departments in the NHS or your GP. Our staff are trained to handle your information correctly and protect your privacy.
How we share your information
Your confidentiality is very important to us in sexual health. We do not typically share any of your information with your GP or other hospital departments. If you need to be referred to another hospital department as part of your treatment, or your GP needs to know about your care, we will ask your permission first. The only results we routinely share with your GP are for cervical screenings.
If we think you or someone else is at risk of harm then we might need to share your information with other agencies. This is because we have a duty of care to protect the safety and wellbeing of young people and vulnerable adults. If we do need to share your information with another service we will talk to you about it first and will only share the information that’s relevant to keep you safe.
Anonymised information may also be used to help us receive payment or funding for the care that we provide, teach and train healthcare professionals and review our care to make sure we are meeting patient needs.
Collecting data
Data we collect is used by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who are responsible for protecting the nation from infectious diseases and other threats to public health. They collect information on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from all sexual health and HIV clinics and laboratories where your tests are sent.
The information is depersonalised, which means it doesn’t include any information that could be used to identify you, like your name or contact details. Please see the UKSHA website for information about this data is used and stored.
For further information please see our privacy policy.