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Privacy Policy

We will keep your records safely

This practice complies with the Data Protection Act (1998) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018. This means that we will ensure that your information is processed fairly and lawfully.

What personal information do we need to hold?

Clinical and Health data

  • Your past and current medical and dental condition; personal details such as your age, address, telephone number and your general medical practitioner
  • We may need to request details of your NHS number and entitlement to healthcare treatment
  • We may also need to request details of your exemption status
  • Radiographs, clinical photographs and study models
  • Information about the treatment that we have provided or propose and its cost
  • Notes of conversations or incidents that might occur for which a record needs to be kept
  • Records of consent to treatment
  • Any correspondence relating to you with other health care professionals, for example in the hospital or community services.

Why do we hold this information?

Our legal basis for processing data is that it is necessary to keep accurate personal data about patients in order to provide you with safe and appropriate dental care (article 6(1)e and 9(2)h ). We also need to process personal data about you if we are providing care under NHS arrangements and to ensure the proper management and administration of the NHS.

Staff employment data is held in accordance with employment, taxation and pension laws.

Contractors’ data is held for the purpose of fulfilling and managing contracts – in some instances, this will involve contracts with patients.

Retaining information

We are required to retain your dental records, X- rays and study models while you are a patient of this practice and after you cease to be a patient, for at least eleven years or until age 25, whichever is the longer.

Security

Your information is held in the practice’s computer system and/or in a secure manual filing system. The information is only accessible to authorised personnel. Personal information will not be removed from this practice without the patients’ authorised consent.

Your personal information is carefully protected by the staff at this practice. All access to information is held securely and can only be accessed by regularly changed passwords. Data is encrypted and computer terminals are closed if unattended.

We may need to disclose your information

In order to provide proper and safe dental care to:

  • Your general medical practitioner
  • The hospital or community dental services
  • Other health professionals caring for you
  • NHS payment authorities
  • The Inland Revenue
  • The Benefits Agency, where you are claiming exemption or remission from NHS charges
  • Private dental schemes of which you are a member.

Disclosure will take place on a ‘need-to-know’ basis, so that only those individuals/organisations who need to know in order to provide care to you and for the proper administration of Government (whose personnel are covered by strict confidentiality rules) will be given the information.  Only information that the recipient needs to know will be disclosed.

In very limited circumstances or when required by law or a court order, personal data may have to be disclosed to a third party not connected with your health care. In all other situations, disclosure that is not covered by this Code of Practice will only occur when we have your specific consent. Where possible you will be informed of these requests for disclosure.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

  • Be informed about the personal data we hold about you
  • Access a copy of your data
  • Check the information is accurate and make corrections if not
  • Have information erased
  • Transfer your data elsewhere
  • Restrict the processing of information
  • Object to direct marketing

Access

You have the right under GDPR 2018 to access the information we hold about you, and to have it corrected should it be inaccurate. If we do hold information about you we will:

  • Give you a description of it
  • Tell you why we are holding it
  • Tell you who it may be disclosed to: and
  • Let you have a copy in an intelligible form

Access may be obtained by making a request to the Practice Manager via email/phone/in writing or verbally. We will provide a copy of the information within 30 days of receiving the request. There is no charge for this service unless it involves a material cost – eg copying non digital radiographs.

Complaints

If you are unhappy or wish to raise a concern, you can do this initially with our Data Protection Officer, Calum Macpherson, on 01225 334733. If this fails, you can contact the Information Commissioner at www.ico.org.uk/concerns or by calling 0303 123 1113.