Privacy Policy
Why we collect your personal data and what we do with it.
When you supply your personal details to this clinic they are stored and processed for four reasons (the bits in bold are the relevant terms used in the General Data Protection Regulation – i.e. the law):
We need to collect personal information about you and your health in order 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.
We have a “Legitimate Interest” in collecting that information, because without it we couldn’t do our job effectively and safely.
We also think that it is important that we can contact you in order to confirm your appointments or to update you on matters related to your medical care. This again constitutes “Legitimate Interest” but this time it is your legitimate interest.
Provided we have your consent, we may occasionally send you general health information in the form of articles, advice or newsletters. 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). After this time your records will be destroyed.
Your records are stored:
On paper, in locked filing cabinets at my home, or when transported to my clinic every step will be taken to ensure safe arrival at the clinic.
Electronically (“in the cloud”) on my personal laptop and mobile phone. These are password protected. There is a rolling program for deleting emails and your electronic records.
We will never share your data with anyone who does not need access without your written consent. Only your practitioner, Shelli Lopes-Barnes has routine access to your data:
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 has elapsed you may 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 some of the details you need for that:
If you are not satisfied with our response, then you have the right to raise the matter with the Information Commissioners Office.