The Trust’s purpose is to deliver healthcare to our patients. We collect the data we need to care for you in the best way and ensure you get the right care at the right time in the right place.

We ask for your personal information such as your name, address and NHS number so we know where we can contact you. We ask for your date of birth as your age may be important to your care.

Each time you come to see us, or we speak to your patents/legal guardian on the phone or if need to stay with us overnight we will write down things on your records that you tell us and things that we tell you which forms part of your care. We will also write down any medicine or exercises we give you. That way, we can look back at what we have done for you to make sure you are receiving the best treatment.

We collect information about you such as the following:

• Identity details – your name, date of birth, NHS Number
• Contact details – your address, telephone, email address (if available for yourself or your parents)
• Your ‘Next of kin’ – the contact details of a close relative or friend
• Details of any visits you have made to A&E visits or any in-patient spells or clinic appointments
• Results of any tests and scans or any diagnosis and treatment given
• Information about any allergies you have and any health conditions such as asthma
• Relevant information about people who are involved in your care and know you
• Information sent about you to us from others such as your local doctors, health visitors, schools or nurseries

By providing us with your contact details, you are agreeing for us to use these ways to communicate with you about your care, i.e. by letter, by voicemail, telephone, text or by email.

We make sure all records are kept to the minimum retention periods stated in the NHS Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care.

Everyone working in our hospitals understands that they need to keep your information private and safe.  This is called keeping your information confidential or protecting your privacy and we train our staff every year to remind them of this.

We tell our staff that they are only allowed to look at your information if they are involved in looking after you or to help us to run our hospitals. We are not allowed to give your information to anyone who shouldn’t see it.

The personal information we collect about you is used to provide care and improve our services. We ensure safety of your information and retain it to comply with legal obligations and communicate any important information to you.

We will share the information we record about you with your family doctor or GP Surgery. That way they are kept up to date on what we are doing for you. Your parents/legal guardians should get a copy of any letters we send to your doctor about your care. We might share it with other health professionals involved in your care. We might also share it with your school if we think it is important for them to know. If you have a social worker we will share it with them too.

If you tell us something that makes us worried about your safety or the safety of someone else you know, we might have to share this with other people outside of the hospital even if you don’t want us to. This is part of our job to help keep you and others safe.

You have all the same ‘rights’ with regard to your personal information as adults do – this is a very good thing. You have the right to:

• Ask to see the personal information we hold about you (known as a Subject Access Request)
• Ask us to change information we hold about you if it is wrong
• Ask us to delete the information we hold about you if it is not relevant
• Ask us to limit the way we use your personal information
• Data portability (have your data transferred to another Authority)
• Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

You have a right to complain and details of how you can do this is written at the end of this document.

Yes!

If you are 13 years or over, you may be able to see the data we hold about you. However, you or your family/legal guardians may be contacted to speak to your doctor or nurse first as there may be things that we would need to explain to you to help you or your parents/legal guardian understand the information while the medical language can be confusing.

There may be occasions where your parent/legal guardian can also request a copy. We will check they are who they are to make sure we are not sharing your information with anyone who shouldn’t see it.

If you or your parents or guardian want to access your health records then please contact Access to Health Records team by visiting this link and below contact for further details.

Telephone Number: 01384 4561111 Ext: 1390.
Email: dgft.accessteam@nhs.net

If you have any queries or complaints regarding how we handle your data or require this notice in an alternative format or language, you may contact Trusts:

Data Protection Officer
Information Governance Department,
Trust Headquarters, South Block, 2nd  Floor,
Russells Hall Hospital, Pensnett Road,
Dudley, West Midlands
DY1 2HQ
Telephone: 01384 456 111 Ext: 1208
Email: dgft.dpo@nhs.net 

You also have the right at anytime to complain about how we have processed your data by contacting the Information Commissioner: –

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will always be available on Trust’s website.

This notice was last updated in February 2025.