Does the out-of-hours GP practice record telephone conversations and is this permitted?

Yes. All telephone conversations are automatically recorded. The conversations are recorded from the moment the call is answered by the out-of-hours GP practice until the moment the call is ended by the assistant or GP.

All incoming telephone conversations at the out-of-hours GP practice are recorded and stored for quality purposes and in accordance with the statutory retention period. The recorded conversations are treated with the utmost confidentiality and are covered by medical confidentiality. You will have the option of listening back to the conversation if you have a complaint about the handling of your request for GP care. An application would need to be submitted for this and a procedure must subsequently be followed.

The recorded conversations are used to improve the assistants’ level of expertise. Attention is only devoted to the medical content and handling, not the patient’s identity. The recorded conversations are treated with the utmost confidentiality and are covered by medical confidentiality.