Privacy Policy

This is a privacy policy statement by Codeblue Medical Centre, authored n in April 2023.

The clinic aims to provide high-quality medical care while maintaining patient confidentiality. Their privacy practices align with the Medical Council guidelines, the privacy principles of the Data Protection Acts, and the ICGP Guide to Data Protection Legislation for Irish General Practice. Patients’ consent is crucial in dealing with their health information. This statement serves to inform patients of the clinic’s policies and practices concerning their medical information.

Information Management:
To provide patient care, the clinic collects and stores patients’ health information on its records, ensuring its security. The clinic requests and retains only necessary information, ensuring its accuracy and updating it whenever required. Patients are informed of the reason for any requested information, and any changes relevant to their health status should be reported. All employees sign a confidentiality agreement, detailing their duties in relation to personal health information and the consequences of violating the agreement. Access to patient records is restricted to employees who need them for the practice’s proper functioning.

Access to Patient Records:
Codeblue Medical Centre employees may access patient records to provide repeat prescriptions, generate social welfare certificates, type referral letters, open letters from hospitals and consultants, scan clinical letters and radiology reports, download laboratory results, photocopy and print documents for referral to consultants, check if hospital or consultant letters, laboratory, or radiology results are available, and check if a patient is due for any preventive services. Employees must ensure the confidentiality of the patient’s information and use the minimum necessary information to perform their tasks.

Disclosure of Patient Information:
The clinic is committed to safeguarding patients’ confidential information, taking into account Freedom of Information and Data Protection principles before disclosing identifiable patient information. Patients’ consent or other legal bases for disclosing their information must be obtained, and anonymised information should be used where possible. The minimum amount of patient information to the minimum number of people required should be disclosed, ensuring that the recipient is aware of the information’s confidentiality and their duty to protect it.

Disclosure with Consent:
If a patient is capable of making their own healthcare decisions, the clinic seeks their consent before disclosing confidential information to their close friends, relatives, or for research or disease registers. The clinic ensures that patients’ healthcare information is shared within the healthcare team and with support staff to provide effective and safe care. Patients who object to the transfer of their information will be informed that the clinic cannot arrange referral or treatment without disclosing the information.

Disclosure Without Consent:
The clinic may be required by law or in the public interest to disclose patient information, and patients will be informed of the intended disclosure unless it would cause them serious harm or undermine the purposes of the disclosure. For instance, patient information may be disclosed pursuant to a court order, infectious disease notification, or when a child or vulnerable person is a victim of a crime involving sexual assault or violence. In the public interest, patient information may be disclosed to protect them, other people or the community.