Political letter from my gp telling who to vote for

[FluffyJellyCat]

Is this even allowed? The gp isn't wrong in what he is saying. But how did he get my personal data to write to me? It's a proper letter addressed to me at my address. Could he access my data for a local election?

Conflict of interest? Gdpr? I'm not going to complain because I have enought going on in my life. But surely this isn't allowed?

What next? The schools head telling me who to vote for?

I personally am interested to know which party teachers in schools think would improve schools.
I am interested in which party medics in hospitals and drs would consider would improve the health service. They are the experts in their field and I wish politicians listened to them more.
Otherwise a lot of us are at the mercy of rich owners of Newspapers and television programmes ( The Jeremy Vine show ) who try to brainwash us with their own narrative.

Doesn't seem like a real thread tbh.

If its for the conservatives. Its not okay. I wouldn’t care if its for the libdems or labour.

If he’s your GP surely he got your address from the practice? If for instance it was a mass letter going out to all patients from the GP practice, they just pull the addresses provided from the system.

You clearly know absolutely nothing about the Data Protection Act or indeed the electoral register. The ICO would do absolutely nothing about this unless there is evidence that the GP got the address from patient records.

Sure, OP can register a complaint if she wants to waste her time. But why should she?

How?

I got this GP letter today or a similar one (are you in SW Surrey)? It’s sent in conjunction with the Lib Dems and their local candidate, so I guess names have come from the electoral register. I think I read on local social media that he’d checked beforehand that sending it wouldn’t contravene any rules.

If it’s from your own GP, or from the GP practice, they’ll have your address, surely?

TBH I couldn’t get steamed up about this. It’s a bit of a cheek to try to tell anyone how to vote, but it’s what a lot of people - not just politicians - do when there’s a GE coming up.

Wow.

It doesn't actually take long to write a letter, and they obviously should have some free time. Unless you think GP contracts should be indentured servitude.

It's good to have doctors in the House of Commons - how are they meant to get there?

I have access to a lot of personal information on people from work,
I can also get the electoral register

If I sent you a letter, where would I have got your details from.

It's not ok if I used the details from work.
It's ok if I used the details on the register.

Straight to the ICO with that.

My corner shop man claims he won't be voting Tory (for the first time ever) but maybe he just said that to placate his impoverished benefits claimant customers? Lol
It does seem off for the actual practice to send this. Does it have branding for the party in question, or is it just words he's saying that are supportive of them? I think you should complain to the practice. If you can get them to acknowledge your existence that'll be another matter?

Yeah, I could t get worked up about it as presumably it's motivated by wanting the best for the NHS.

Why?

Do you know where they got the data from?

I think you should be interested in everyone's opinion, especially those you trust.

Then it's up to you to make up your mind. It's an anonymous vote!

Which bit of it exactly? Have you actually read (or sworn) the Hippocratic oath or are you only aware of it in vague terms?

Here's a link to it - look forward to your analysis as to which bit means GPs and other doctors can't engage in politics

Hippocratic Oath

If the GP used the electoral roll, everyone in the constituency would have got a letter, so it should be easy to find out if this is the case. If the GP used patient records it is obviously wrong. I also don't think schools should be doing this as they are meant to be politically neutral.

I doubt he's got your info from the surgery records. It will be from the electoral register, on behalf of/paid for by whatever party.

In which case, fine. He's not speaking as "your" doctor, but giving his opinion as "a" doctor - a respected, expert member of the community giving his opinion, just like authors, celebs, politicians, business people and indeed other doctors do. It's a free country.

He could have got it but then done segmentation on it.

Which is still fine.

The issue is if they got the electoral roll and then linked it to the names on his practise - i.e. Processed the data at the practise to see which people were on the electoral roll.

Which is not what the data at the GP practise was collected for.

This thread is very odd.

Surely, there cannot be so many posters unaware of the existence and purpose of the electoral register.

Are these bots?

Same, this was in light blue and said they are a reform candidate- made it look like he was stepping aside. I'm waiting for conservative to knock on my door to give them a piece of my mind. (As a former voter, they have definitely put me off)

It's insane.

You sound delightful, you must be a humble member of society. 🙄

People don't like to be lied to. Someone pretending that they are from a party and not is misleading.