Data protection privacy notice for patients
In providing your dental care and treatment, we will ask for
information about you and your health. Occasionally, we may receive information
from other providers who have been involved in providing your care. This privacy
notice describes the type of personal information we hold, why we hold it and
what we do with it.
Information that we collect
We may collect the following information about you:
· Personal details such as your name, date of birth, national insurance number, NHS
number, address, telephone number and email address
· Information about your dental and general health, including
- Clinical records made by dentists and other dental professionals involved with your care and treatment
- X-rays, clinical photographs, digital scans of your mouth and teeth, and study models
- Medical and dental histories
- Treatment plans and consent
- Notes of conversations with you about your care
- Dates of your appointments
- Details of any complaints you have made and how
these complaints were dealt with
- Correspondence with other health professionals
or institutions
· Details of the fees we have charged, the amounts you have paid and some payment
details
Dr Natalie Elliott is responsible for keeping secure the information about you that we hold.
Our data protection officer, Vicky Carter, ensures that the practice complies with data protection requirements to ensure that we collect, use, store and dispose of your information responsibly. Those at the practice who have access to your information
include dentists and the reception staff responsible for the management and
administration of the practice.
How we use your information
To provide you with the dental care and treatment that you need, we require up-to-date and accurate information about you. We may share your information if necessary with the NHS, Simply Health and other specialist dental centres in connection with your dental treatment but this will be discussed with you prior to any information being shared.
We will seek your preference for how we contact you about your dental care. Our usual methods are telephone, email, text or letter.
With patients permission, we sometimes use their information for advertising on social media.
Sharing information
Your information is normally used only by those working at the practice but there may be instances where we need to share it – for example,
with:
· Your doctor
· The hospital or community dental services or other health professionals caring for you
· NHS payment authorities
· The Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies, where you are claiming exemption
· Private dental schemes of which you are a member.
We will only disclose your information on a need-to-know basis and will limit any information that we share to the minimum necessary. In certain circumstances or if required by law, we may need to disclose your information to a third party not connected with your health care, including HMRC or other law enforcement or government agencies.
Keeping your information safe
We store your personal information securely on a cloud based specialist computer system. Your information cannot be accessed by those who do not work at the practice; only those working
at the practice have access to your information. They understand their legal responsibility to maintain confidentiality and follow practice procedures to ensure this. We take precautions to ensure security of the practice premises and computers. We use high-quality specialist dental software to record and use your personal information safely and effectively. Our computer system has a secure audit trail and we back-up information routinely. We use cloud
computing facilities for storing some of your information. The practice has a rigorous agreement with our provider to ensure that we meet the obligations described in this policy and that we keep your information securely.
We keep your records for 11 years after the date of your last contact with the Practice, or until you reach the age of 25, whichever is longer.
Access to your information and other rights
You have a right to access the information that we hold about you and to receive a copy. You should submit your request to the practice in writing or by email. We do not usually charge
you for copies of your information; if we pass on a charge, we will explain the
reasons. You can also request us to
· Correct any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. If we have disclosed that information to a third party, we will let them know about the change
· Erase information we hold although you should be aware that, for legal reasons, we may be unable to erase certain information (for example, information about your dental treatment)
· Stop using your information – for example, sending you reminders for appointments or information about our service
· Supply your information electronically to another dentist.
If you do not agree
If you do not wish us to use your personal information as described, you should discuss the matter with your dentist. If you object to the way that we collect and use your information, we may not be able to continue to provide your dental care. If you have any concerns about how we use your information and you do not feel able to discuss it with your dentist or anyone at the
practice, you should contact The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe
House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF (0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745).