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Some Doctors, nurses and other clinicians may use an AI scribe called Heidi Health during your appointment. An AI scribe is a computer tool that listens to the appointment and helps the clinician write your notes.
We are using it so that your clinician can spend more time looking at and talking with you, and less time typing.
How does it work?
Your clinician will ask you if it is OK to use Heidi before they start.
- If you say yes, Heidi listens to the conversation and turns it into written text.
- Heidi then makes a first draft of the notes.
- Your clinician reads and checks the draft and changes anything that is wrong or missing.
- Your clinician then adds the notes to your GP record.
Heidi does not make decisions about your care. Your clinician is still responsible for your care and for what goes in your record.
What happens to your information?
- Sound: Heidi turns speech into text as you talk. The sound is not stored. We do not keep a recording of your voice.
- Written text: The text Heidi makes (the transcript) is deleted from Heidi after 1 day.
- Your GP record: The notes your clinician has checked are saved in your GP record, like any other notes from your appointment.
- Training AI: Heidi does not use patient information to train its AI.
- Security: Information is encrypted (scrambled so others cannot read it) when it is sent and when it is held by Heidi.
Your choice: you can say no
We will ask for your permission (consent) every time, before Heidi is used.
- We will write your answer in your notes.
- You can say no. Saying no will not change your care in any way. Your clinician will write your notes in the usual way instead.
- You can change your mind at any time, including during your appointment. Just tell your clinician.
If you have any worries about Heidi, tell your clinician or ask at reception.
Who is responsible for your information?
- Marden Medical Centre is the data controller. This means we decide how your information is used and we are responsible for keeping it safe.
- Heidi Health is our data processor. This means Heidi only uses your information on our behalf, to help write your notes, and only as we instruct.
The law
We use your information to give you health care. Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR), the legal reasons we use are:
- Article 6(1)(e): the processing is needed to carry out a task in the public interest (providing NHS care).
- Article 9(2)(h): the processing of health information is needed for medical diagnosis and the provision of health care or treatment.
Everyone who works with your information has a duty to keep it confidential. As well as these legal reasons, we will always ask for your permission before we use Heidi in your appointment.
More information
- Read Heidi Health's privacy policy
- Read our practice privacy notice to find out how we use your information and about your rights, including how to see your records or complain.
- If you have any questions, ask your clinician or ask at reception.