CDPL Privacy Notice

Introduction

This privacy notice sets out how the Clinical Diagnostic Parasitology Laboratory (CDPL) as part of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine processes personal data that we receive about you.

LSTM is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected and will only process personal data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulations and any other applicable data protection legislation.

What information is being collected & what is the legal basis for collecting the data?

The data received comprises of your name, date of birth, NHS or other laboratory reference numbers, travel history and clinical data. The data will be written on hard copy test request form and on the specimen label.

Our legal basis for processing of personal data is in GDPR Article 6(1)(e) the processing is necessary for you to perform a task in the public interest or for your official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law, and for special category data is GDPR Article 9.1(h) processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services.

Who is collecting this information and why?

The CDPL unit within the Clinical Sciences department in LSTM receives your personal data.

Patient data is received for clinical diagnostic parasite testing. Data is received accompanied by the relevant samples from laboratories (NHS and other), GP surgeries and NHS Hospital Trusts around the United Kingdom.

How is the information collected?

Patient data and samples are collected within the requesting Hospital / clinic and forwarded to CDPL for testing. Test requests are received in hard copy format sent with the specimen to be tested.

How the information is being used, stored and protected?

Data is being used for clinical and medical purposes, in order to provide a diagnosis for the patient.

The CDPL suite has restricted access to authorised personnel only. Hard copy format data is never moved from the restricted access suite. A patient database is used for storage and processing of patient data. The patient database has multiple unit and individual password protected levels and is stored in a secure UK based site.

The CDPL is UKAS accredited to ISO 15189 standard and adheres to all aspects of that standard.

Who will the information be shared with?

The CDPL will share anonymised pathogen positive data for epidemiology purposes with UK Health Security Agency for monitoring and disease surveillance purposes. These include UK Health Security Agency Northwest Branch and the Malaria reference laboratory at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Results of diagnostic tests are sent back to the original requesting clinician or laboratory for clinical and medical purposes.

Retention of data and updating your information

Specimens and data are retained in accordance with the Royal College of Pathologists retention guidelines. Specimens may be retained for medical staff training and diagnostic test improvements in the future.

Your rights and how to find out what information we hold about you

The GDPR gives individuals the following rights, it should be noted that these rights are not an absolute:

  1. The right to be informed
  2. The right of access
  3. The right to rectification
  4. The right to erasure (to be forgotten)
  5. The right to restrict processing
  6. The right to data portability
  7. The right to object
  8. Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

Clinical results may not be given directly to a patient as these require clinical interpretation and may cause more harm when interpreted incorrectly. Results are issued only to the requesting health care professional or department. CDPL does not use your personal data for direct marking or automated decision making.

How to contact us

If you would like further information or to make an access request for your personal data, please contact the LSTM data protection officer:

Data Protection Officer
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Pembroke Place
Liverpool
L3 5QA
United Kingdom
Email: dataprotection@lstmed.ac.uk
Phone: 0151 702 9323

How to complain

If you are unhappy with how your information is being used, first complain to the Data Protection Officer using the contact details above. If you continue to have concerns, you can contact the Information Commissioner: