Cliff House Medical Practice
Last updated: August 2026
At Cliff House Medical Practice, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled securely and transparently. This notice explains how we collect, use, store and share information about you when providing NHS healthcare services.
Who We Are
Cliff House Medical Practice is the data controller for the personal information we hold about our patients.
Why We Collect Information About You
We collect and process personal information to:
- Provide safe and effective healthcare
- Assess, diagnose and treat medical conditions
- Manage appointments and patient requests
- Maintain accurate medical records
- Communicate with you regarding your care
- Meet our legal, regulatory and contractual obligations
- Improve patient safety and service quality
The information we use may include:
- Name, address and contact details
- Date of birth
- NHS number
- Medical history and clinical information
- Test results and correspondence
- Information provided by carers or representatives
- Information collected through telephone calls, online consultations and registration services
How We Use Digital Systems and Technology
To support patient care and improve access to services, Cliff House Medical Practice uses a range of secure digital healthcare systems.
SystmOne
SystmOne is our electronic patient record system. It is used to hold and manage your medical record and supports the delivery of your care.
Information recorded by clinicians and practice staff is stored within SystmOne as part of your NHS medical record.
Surgery Connect
We use Surgery Connect as our telephone system.
This system helps us:
- Manage incoming and outgoing calls
- Route calls appropriately
- Monitor service performance
- Improve patient access
Calls may be recorded for training, quality assurance, patient safety and operational purposes.
EMMA AI Receptionist (QuantumLoop)
We use EMMA, an AI-assisted receptionist provided by QuantumLoop, to support the handling of incoming telephone calls.
EMMA may:
- Answer incoming calls
- Gather information about your request
- Summarise the information you provide
- Route your request to the appropriate team
Important information:
- You will be informed when you are interacting with an automated service.
- Calls may be recorded.
- EMMA does not make clinical decisions.
- Requests are reviewed by practice staff before any action is taken.
- Clinical judgement and decisions about your care remain the responsibility of appropriately trained healthcare professionals.
To maintain safety, effectiveness and regulatory compliance, EMMA may also be subject to monitoring, audit and safety review processes.
Anima
We use Anima to support:
- Online consultations
- Patient triage
- Administrative requests
- Processing patient-submitted documents and information
Information submitted through Anima is reviewed and managed by practice staff as part of the delivery of your care.
AI Scribe
Our clinicians may use AI Scribe technology to assist with clinical documentation during consultations.
AI Scribe may help by:
- Capturing information discussed during consultations
- Producing draft clinical notes
- Supporting administrative efficiency
All records generated using AI Scribe are reviewed and approved by the clinician responsible for your care before they become part of your medical record.
AI Scribe does not make decisions about diagnosis, treatment or clinical management.
Healthtech1
We use Healthtech1 to support online patient registration and related administrative processes.
Information submitted through Healthtech1 is used to process registration requests and update practice records where appropriate.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Cliff House Medical Practice uses certain AI-assisted technologies to support patient access, administration and clinical documentation.
These tools may assist with:
- Answering and directing patient calls
- Summarising information provided by patients
- Processing administrative requests
- Supporting clinical note-taking
AI systems are used to support our staff and clinicians and do not replace human oversight.
A member of the practice team or a healthcare professional remains responsible for reviewing information and making decisions about your care.
Who We Share Your Information With
We may share information with organisations involved in your care, including:
- NHS hospitals
- Community health services
- Pharmacies
- Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
- NHS England
- Other healthcare providers involved in your treatment
We may also share information with approved digital suppliers who provide systems on our behalf, including:
- Clinical record systems
- Telephone systems
- Online consultation providers
- AI-assisted reception services
- Clinical documentation tools
- Registration and administration systems
These organisations act under strict contractual and legal requirements and must protect your information in accordance with UK data protection legislation.
Our Lawful Basis for Processing
As an NHS GP practice, we primarily process personal data under:
- Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR – performance of a task carried out in the public interest
- Article 9(2)(h) UK GDPR – provision of health or social care
Where required, we may also process information to comply with legal obligations or for other lawful purposes permitted under data protection legislation.
How Long We Keep Information
We retain patient records in accordance with:
- NHS Records Management Code of Practice
- NHS retention schedules
- Legal and regulatory requirements
Different systems may retain operational information, call recordings, audit logs and system records for different periods depending on legal, contractual and safety requirements.
Your Rights
Under data protection law, you have the right to:
- Access information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
- Object to processing in certain circumstances
- Make a complaint about how your information is handled
Some rights may be limited where information is required for the provision of healthcare or where legal obligations apply.
Complaints and Further Information
If you have concerns about how your information is used, please contact the practice in the first instance.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
Contact Us
Cliff House Medical Practice
For data protection enquiries, please contact the practice and your enquiry will be directed to the appropriate person, including our Data Protection Officer where required.
Cliff House Medical Practice has a number of designated leads responsible for ensuring information, technology and digital systems are used safely, securely and appropriately.
Data Protection Officer (DPO): Paul Couldrey
Caldicott Guardian: Nataly Birbeck
Digital & Clinical Safety Officer (DCSO): Dr Rehaan Ansari
The DCSO is responsible for overseeing the safe implementation and ongoing use of digital and clinical systems within the practice. This includes reviewing digital risks, monitoring patient safety implications of new technologies, and ensuring that systems such as EMMA, Anima and AI-supported tools are used safely and appropriately in support of patient care.
