Privacy Notice – Recording Telephone Calls

Privacy Notice – Recording Telephone Calls

At College Road Surgery, the surgery has the ability to record telephone calls to protect patients, staff and other healthcare professionals.

Patients are protected by the practice having an accurate record of conversations with staff, and staff and other healthcare professionals are protected from potential abuse.

The surgery does not record all conversations. If a decision is made in the future to record all calls, patients will be informed when contacting the practice.

Recordings may occasionally be used for staff training and quality monitoring purposes.

Retention of Recordings

Calls that contain administrative information only, such as enquiries about appointments, are retained for up to four weeks and are then routinely deleted.

Calls, transcripts of calls, or audio recordings that contain clinical information or discussions with clinicians may be retained for longer periods where necessary, for example during complaint investigations. These recordings will be deleted once the matter has been resolved.

Storage of Recordings

Recordings are stored securely on the practice telephone system and are protected in accordance with the provider's GDPR and data protection policies.

Access to recordings is restricted to authorised staff only.

Sharing of Recordings

Recordings are not normally shared outside the practice.

Clinical information arising from telephone consultations may be recorded in the patient's medical record and shared with other healthcare providers involved in their care.

Access to Recordings

If the practice holds recordings that have not yet been deleted, patients may request copies by submitting a Subject Access Request to the Practice Manager.

Ad Hoc Call Recording

The practice currently records calls on an ad hoc basis.

If a call is being recorded, patients will be informed at the time. If you do not wish the call to be recorded, please inform the member of staff and alternative arrangements will be considered where possible.

Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer – Dr Khaula Ali

The practice is supported by the Surrey Heartlands Primary Care Data Protection Officer Support Service.

Telephone: 07811 355 274
Email: surreyheartlandsicb.informationgovernance@nhs.net

Service hours: Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 17:00 (excluding bank holidays).

Lawful Basis for Processing

Processing of personal data within the practice is supported under the UK General Data Protection Regulation.

Article 6(1)(e): Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

Article 9(2)(h): Processing is necessary for medical diagnosis, provision of health or social care, or treatment and management of health services.

Your Rights

Patients have the right to request access to personal information held about them, request corrections to inaccurate data and raise concerns about how their information is used.

Right to Complain

Patients have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Website: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

 

Date Published: 5th March, 2026
Date Last Updated: 5th March, 2026