THE HOVE PRACTICE
Data Security
We take the safety of your personal information seriously. Whether in writing or in person, via video consultation or telephone, our strict protocols ensure your data is handled with care, keeping your details secure and confidential at all times.
Emailing Us
If you would like to share confidential information with us, please send this as a password protected word or pdf document to our email address: reception@thehovepractice.co.uk.
Click here for information on how to do this. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/protect-a-document-with-a-password-05084cc3-300d-4c1a-8416-38d3e37d6826
Please use your date of birth (DDMMYYYY) as the document password. If you are writing about another patient, please use their date of birth.
Please name the file as the patient’s full name and today’s date [ie if you are Joe Bloggs and today is the 23 December 2022, please save the file as JoeBloggs23122022].
Emailing You
Non-confidential information may be included within a standard email body.
We email results and potentially sensitive information from our main email address reception@thehovepractice.co.uk in one of two ways:
Via our secure Electronic Healthcare Record, Semble, using a mechanism known as "sharing" the document. You will be sent a "magic link" that enables you to access the document using a form of 2 Factor Authentication.
Via email using Egress (https://www.egress.com). This will require you to create an Egress account to access the email +/- any attached document(s), if you have not already made one.
Video Consulting with You
Video consultations are performed securely within our Electronic Healthcare Record system, "Semble".
You will receive a link via email upon booking. Click this link to initiate the video consultation at the time of your appointment. Please find a quiet and private area, where you are comfortable discussing your health, for the consultation.
You will need to allow the link to access your camera and microphone.
Writing to Us
We are able to receive letters from our patients, but advise you exercise caution when using the post to deliver confidential information.
Post may be mishandled by the carrier.
We are available to receive recorded or secure deliveries during our usual opening hours. Please contact us in advance to expect this if doing so.
Hand delivered mail can be received by our team during usual opening hours without an appointment.
Our digital note-taking assistant.
Heidi AI medical scribe
At The Hove Practice, some of our doctors use a secure digital assistant called Heidi to help write notes and letters during your appointment. Heidi is an AI medical scribe developed by Heidi Health, used by clinicians internationally to reduce paperwork and support high-quality clinical documentation.
What Heidi does
With your permission, Heidi listens to the conversation during your consultation via the clinician’s computer or tablet.
It turns what is said into a draft written summary of the consultation and, where appropriate, a draft letter or report.
Your doctor then checks, edits and approves this draft before it becomes part of your medical record or is sent as a letter.
Heidi is a documentation tool only, it doesn’t make diagnoses or decisions about your care.
Why we use Heidi
So we can spend more time looking at you and listening, and less time looking at the screen.
To enable us to produce clearer, more detailed notes of your consultation.
To prepare referral letters and reports more quickly, which can speed up follow-up and communication.
Your choices
Your doctor will explain Heidi at the start of any consultation, where they plan to use it.
You can say no, or ask us to turn Heidi off at any time.
Saying no will not affect your care, your doctor will simply type or dictate notes in the usual way.
If you would prefer that Heidi is never used for you, please tell us and we can add a note to your record.
Privacy and security
Heidi is used only as part of your direct care.
The audio from your consultation is processed in real time and is not stored as an audio recording in Heidi.
Your usual written notes remain in our clinical system.
Final notes and letters are stored securely in our electronic health record system, under our control.
Heidi Health states that it complies with relevant privacy and security frameworks, including GDPR
and NHS requirements, and has completed the NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC).
When we might not use Heidi
We may choose not to use Heidi if your doctor feels it is inappropriate or unreliable, for example when discussing extremely sensitive issues, if a strong accent or speech difficulty causes inaccurate transcription, or if audio quality is poor. In these situations, we will switch Heidi off (or not start it) and make notes and prepare any letters in the usual way.
Find out more about Heidi
If you’d like to read more about Heidi itself, you can visit the official Heidi website and their resources:
Ambient Scribe: Technology Guide for Clinicians
Patient Information Leaflet on Digital Note-taking