Your Rights: Treatment and confidentiality
Rights are entitlements, put in place to protect and empower people. In the UK, many of our rights are protected by law. If you are diagnosed with TB, you might have particular concerns about your rights to treatment and confidentiality, and about your housing, employment and benefits.
Access to free treatment
Everyone in the UK is entitled to free treatment for TB, as well as free emergency hospital care, family planning and sexual healthcare. Currently local doctors (GPs) can choose to treat anyone as an NHS patient, regardless of a person’s status in the UK.
However, if you are not able to register with a GP or to access healthcare, there may be organisations locally who can offer you help and advice. Ask a key worker or professional who is close to you for more information. Remember, you will receive the treatment you need if you go to a hospital Accident and Emergency (A+E) department.
Confidentiality
All staff working for the NHS must follow strict rules on confidentiality, under which your personal information must be kept private.
If you have infectious TB, you could pass it on to those close to you. The hospital will have to call in your ‘close contacts’ to check whether they also need to be on treatment. This is known as contact tracing.
Your close contacts are likely to be family members or friends with whom you live. Work colleagues may also need testing, but this will be done with strict confidentiality by the relevant department at your work. They cannot name you and must respect your privacy during this process.
Find out about housing, employment and benefits rights