Privacy

PRIVACY NOTICE

(Why we collect your personal data and what we do with it)

When you supply your personal details to this practice they are stored and processed for four reasons (the bits in bold are the relevant terms used in the Data protection Act 2018, which includes the General Data Protection Regulation – i.e. the law):

1. We must collect personal information about your health to provide you with the best possible treatment.  Your requesting treatment and our agreement to provide that care constitutes a contract.  You can, of course, refuse to provide the information, but if you were to do that, we would not be able to provide treatment.
2. We have a “Legitimate Interest” in collecting that information, because without it we couldn’t do our job effectively and safely.
3. We also think that it is important that we can contact you in order to confirm your appointments with us, send invoices/receipts, or to update you on matters related to your medical care.  This again constitutes “Legitimate Interest”, but this time it is your legitimate interest.
4. Provided we have your consent, (which will be sought separately), we may occasionally send you general health information in the form of articles, advice or newsletters or update you on development in the practice.  You may withdraw this consent at any time – just let us know by any convenient method.

We have a legal obligation to retain your records for 8 years after your most recent appointment (or age 25, if this is longer), but after this period you can ask us to delete your records if you wish.  Otherwise, we will retain your records indefinitely in order that we can provide you with the best possible care should you need to see us at some future date.

Record storage:

All records prior to November 2017 are stored on paper in locked filing cabinets, and the offices are locked outside of working hours.

Since November 2017 records are stored electronically (“in the cloud”), using a specialist medical records service.  This provider has provided evidence that they are fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations and a Data Processing Addendum has been formulated and signed to ensure this.  Practitioner’s access to this data is password protected, and the devices used are password protected also.

We will never share your data with anyone who does not need access without your explicit consent.  Only the following people/agencies will have routine access to your data:

• The electronic medical records service who store and process our files
• Your practitioner(s) in order that they can provide you with treatment
• Our reception staff, because they organise our practitioners’ diaries, and coordinate appointments and reminders (but they do not have access to your medical history or sensitive personal information)
• We will in the future also use Mailchimp to coordinate our messages, so your name and email address may be saved on their server

You have the right to see what personal data of yours we hold, and you can also ask us to correct any factual errors.  Provided the legal minimum period (currently 8 years) has elapsed, you can also ask us to erase your records.

We want you to be absolutely confident that we are treating your personal data responsibly, and that we are doing everything we can to make sure that the only people who can access that data have a genuine need to do so.

Of course, if you feel that we are mishandling your personal data in some way, you have the right to complain.  Complaints need to be sent to what is referred to in the jargon as the “Data Controller”.  Here are the details you need for that:

lucianealbertodo@gmail.com

1-2 St Ann’s Passage, Barnes, London SW13 0AX

If you are not satisfied with our response, then you have the right to raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s Office.