What you discuss in a clinical consultation will be kept confidential. This is something that patients who work in the public view in politics, media, creative arts business, sports or business, particularly worry about. The service I provide is strictly confidential and discreet. I am happy to discuss any specific requirements and will do my best to accommodate. Confidentiality is central to trust between doctors and patients. Without assurances about confidentiality, patients may be reluctant to seek medical attention or to give doctors the information they need in order to provide good care. But appropriate information sharing is essential to the efficient provision of safe, effective care, both for the individual patient and for the wider community of patients.* What you say in the consultation and what I record in your notes is subject to medical confidentiality. I will only share information about your treatment if you give me written consent/permission to do so. This means that even if a concerned relative or friend calls me or writes to me, I will not divulge anything beyond informing that I am not at liberty to talk about my clinical work. I will not even enter into a dialogue about whether you do or don’t exist. However, there are some exceptions to medical confidentiality where I would professionally be required to disclose information: if your life were at risk or you were exposed to serious harm. If I felt that the public or others were at risk I would also be required to disclose pertinent information to protect others. I would also be required to disclose information if ordered to by a judge in a criminal investigation but these situations are very rare. Please read the GMC’s guidance on Confidentiality for further information. *http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/confidentiality.asp
Confidential Pharmacy Service to your home/work
If you would like medication delivered to your home or a place of work, we can send your prescription to Pharmacierge, a private pharmacy that provided delivery of private prescription medication by courier within 4 hours or by the following days if you live outside of London. This is a confidential and discreet pharmacy service and your medication can arrive in unmarked packaging. Medication is paid for by the patient and delivery and payment is arranged by Pharmacierge. http://www.pharmacierge.com/patient/default.aspx
I am often asked by patients to liaise with their occupational health departments whilst they are unwell and also during recovery when they are planning a phased/gradual return to work. You are in control of what information we pass to them and I will ask you to review what reports I send to them before they are dispatched. It is important that before we reply to any requests from occupational health department, we consider what information any report should contain and what wording we use.