Confidentiality

[jacjacjac]

Can anybody get information from a gp in uk without consent of the patient?

My Sister went to her gp while suffering from a mental health condition, gp told her it was confidential, now another gp has said there are certain people that can request medical information from gp without consent. This has distressed her more as she was speaking about very personal things that had happened to her.
she is happy for people to know her diagnosis and medication but not the entire contents of her conversations with gp
any advice greatfully received

[sandyRoe]

I think the number who could legally get such information would be very limited. They'd be people who had a professional interest in the patient.

[jake-the-peg]

I think the circumstances are in the forms here:

http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/confidentiality.asp

[bednobs]

also, the GP's don't usually write detailled notes

[joko]

GPs aren't interested in the ins and outs of a situation, and they don't write it all down.

they are just assessing whats being and how rather than noting details to discover if the person is delusional, depressed, insane, frantic, etc etc.

they are concerned for health, not gossip.

[jacjacjac]

That is what she also thought, but when she went back to the gp, there was very much information on the screen.
Thanks for answers so far x

[pixie373]

That won't all be passed on. It's on a need-to-know basis, so they might give her diagnosis to another Health Professional.

[Peter Pedant]

She could always go back to the GP (1) and insist that no details are passed on.

The link Jake has given is very good.
Doctors may be forced to give up information - reporting stab and gunshot wounds springs to mind.

Actually the information is almost always just the name of the patient and the address he gave.

I was gonna say psych reports are hardly ever traded BUY
here is the leading legal case: since you posted under law.

W v Edgell [1990] 1 ALL ER 835

The patient was a prisoner in a secure hospital following convictions for killing five people and wounding several others. He made an application to a mental health tribunal to be transferred to a regional unit. An independent psychiatrist, Dr Edgell, was asked by W’s legal advisors to provide a confidential expert opinion that they hoped would show that W was no longer a danger to the public. However Dr Edgell was of the opinion that in fact W was still dangerous. W’s application was withdrawn. Dr Edgell, knowing that his opinion would not be included in the patient’s notes, sent a copy to the medical director of the hospital and to the Home Office.

The patient brought an action for breach of confidence.

The Court of Appeal held that the breach was justified in the public interest, on grounds of protection of the public from dangerous criminal acts. However, the Court said the risk must be ‘real, immediate and serious’.

[jacjacjac]

Peter, is it ok to ask for information to not be disclosed?

[jackthehat]

Who does she worry might get to see the information?

[jacjacjac]

I dont know, she wont even tell me what it is, she just keeps saying its her most personal worries.

[Peter Pedant]

She certainly has the power to ask/ order her details not to be disclosed.

I did that when the crap+py NHS computer spiney thing was on the horizon.
ALong with others my name forbidding disclosure was then released to the Min of Health (yes really) and there was a stink about that.
] he wrote to all us non disclosers and we alleged breach of confidentiality[