Risk Stratification is a process that helps your family doctor (GP) help you manage your health. By using selected information from your health records, including from NHS Trusts and your GP practice, a secure NHS computer system will look at recent treatments you have had in hospital or in the surgery and any existing health conditions that you have. This will help your doctor judge if you are likely to need more support and care from time to time. The team at the surgery will use this information to help you get early care and treatment where it is needed.

Risk stratification is used in the NHS to:

• Help decide if a patient is at greater risk of suffering a particular condition.
• Prevent an emergency admission to hospital.
• Identify if a patient needs medical help to prevent a health condition from getting worse.

The information will only be seen by qualified health workers involved in your care. NHS security systems will protect your health information and maintain confidentiality at all times.

Laws exist to prevent the unlawful processing of patient data. We will only use data which does not identify individuals. Where it is not possible to use completely anonymous data, non-identifiable information such as your NHS Number will be used instead.

Our Clinical Commissioning Group carries out this work via a contract with the North East London (NHS) Commissioning Support Unit which has been granted a legal basis for processing data in this way and which operates under strict controls to prevent your information from being re-identified.

Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the surgery or if you wish to opt out, please contact the practice manager to discuss how the disclosure of your personal information can be limited.