Diabetic Education Privacy Notice

Kent and Medway Diabetes Education Referral Hub

Diabetes self-management education helps people to stay healthy and prevent costly complications, yet very few people with diabetes attend a course.  This Practice is taking part in the Kent and Medway Diabetes Referral Hub and Digital Education Trial project which aims to ensure all eligible patients with Type 2 diabetes are offered an appropriate structured education programme to suit their needs. 

Traditionally, structured education has only been offered via face-to-face group sessions, however, anecdotally there are increasing demands for flexible learning from patients, such as digital and online learning.  Our Practice is therefore supporting the trial of the Diabetes Referral Hub which will enable us to contact eligible patients to have a personalised discussion regarding the benefits of structured education and the options available (digital and face to face).  This is intended to ensure that everyone that might benefit from structured education is offered the most appropriate structured education programme based on their personal requirements and circumstances to improve uptake and completion of education programmes.

What does this mean to you?

If you have Type 2 Diabetes and are eligible for structured education we will write to you to let you know.  We will also pass relevant information to the Diabetes Referral Hub to allow them to contact you to discuss the options available and identify the most appropriate structured education programme based on your personal requirements and circumstances.   They can then make the necessary referral to digital education or book an appointment for face-to-face education sessions.  

The Diabetes Referral Hub will attempt to contact you in a variety of ways, which could include over the phone, SMS text message, and by letter.  

What if I don’t want to take part?

If you do not want to take part in structured education then you can simply let the Diabetes Referral Hub know when they contact you.

What is the Diabetes Referral Hub?

The Diabetes Referral Hub operates on behalf of the GP Practice.  Using the Diabetes Referral Hub ensures we are able to contact our patients proactively and have a personalised discussion regarding the benefits of structured education and the options available.  This is intended to ensure that everyone that might benefit from structured education is offered the most appropriate programme based on their personal requirements and circumstances to improve uptake and completion.

What do you need to do?

Please make sure the contact information that we hold for you is up to date.  This will allow us to contact you if you are eligible for structured education and enable the Diabetes Referral Hub to contact you to discuss the options available.

Data sharing, privacy, and confidentiality

Data Controller: Grovehurst Surgery

Purpose: When it has been identified by your GP that you are eligible for diabetes structured education your GP will write to you to inform you.  They will then arrange for the Diabetes Referral Hub to contact you on their behalf to discuss whether you would like to be referred for structured education and to identify the most appropriate structured education programme based on your personal requirements and circumstances.

Type of Information Used: Identifiable: Personal (such as name, address, date of birth) and Special Category (health information)

Legal basis: GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

GDPR Article 9(2)(h) – processing is necessary for the purposes of the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services.

How we collect (the source) and use the information: Information relevant to a referral for diabetes structured education will be used by the Diabetes Referral Hub to contact you on behalf of the GP Practice to discuss whether you would like to be referred for structured education and to identify the most appropriate structured education programme based on your personal requirements and circumstances.  When you agree to a referral to diabetes structured education the Diabetes Referral Hub will make the necessary referral and where possible book an appointment with the education provider.  

Referrals are carried out with your consent in order to satisfy the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality.

Data Processors: Medway Council – Diabetes Referral Hub Provider

Your Rights:

With regards to the Diabetes Referral Hub, under the GDPR you have the right:

• To be informed about the processing of your information (this notice)
• Of access to the information held about you
• To have the information corrected in the event that it is inaccurate
• To restrict processing
• To object to it being processed or used
• Not to be subject to automated decision-taking or profiling
• To be notified of data breaches

How long we will keep the information: All information will be recorded within your GP record and held in accordance with the rules outlined in the Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016.

Who we will share the information with (recipients): This information will be shared with providers of structured diabetes education.