Version number: V2 Date: 20 March 2023
Essential Chiropractic & Physiotherapy Clinic patient privacy statement
Essential Chiropractic & Physiotherapy is aware of its obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This privacy notice describes, in line with GDPR, how we collect and use personal data about you during and after your time as a patient of this clinic. It also sets out how we use that information, how long we keep it for and other relevant information about your data.
This notice applies to current and former patients.
Data controller details
The Clinic is a data controller, meaning that it determines the processes to be used when using your personal data. Our contact details are as follows: Essential Chiropractic & Physiotherapy, 147 Lymington Road, Torquay TQ1 3QJ
Data protection principles
In relation to your personal data, we will comply with data protection law. This says that the personal information we hold about you must be:
Types of information we hold about you
Personal data or information means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed.
We hold many types of data about you, including:
Special categories of data
There are “special categories” of more sensitive personal data which require a higher level of protection, such as information about a person’s health or sexual orientation.
We will use your special category data:
We must process special categories of data in accordance with more stringent guidelines. We will process special categories of data when the following applies:
Less commonly, we may process this type of information where it is needed in relation to legal claims or where it is needed to protect your interests (or someone else’s interests) and you are not capable of giving your consent, or where you have already made the information public.
As with all cases of seeking consent from you, you will have full control over your decision to give or withhold consent and there will be no consequences where consent is withheld. Consent, once given, may be withdrawn at any time. There will be no consequences where consent is withdrawn.
How we collect your data
We collect data about you in a variety of ways and this will usually start when you make an enquiry to the clinic and continue when you attend your first and subsequent appointments. At this clinic, we keep paper and electronic records. Information we write down on paper may be transferred to our electronic system. We may receive information about you from your GP or other health care provider regarding your referral or, with your permission, additional information that will help us continue with your treatment. We may also hold the results of tests that you have undertaken and that are relevant to your treatment with the clinic.
Personal data is kept in the clinic using a secure electronic format and a paper format which is locked away securely when not in use.
Why we process your data (How we will use information about you)
The law on data protection allows us to process your data for certain reasons only, these are classified as legitimate interests. Most commonly, we will use your personal information in the following circumstances:
We may use your personal information in these rare situations:
Situations in which we will use your personal information
We need all the categories of information to primarily allow us to perform our contract of treatment with you and to enable us to comply with legal obligations.
If you do not provide your data to us
One of the reasons for processing your data is to allow us to carry out our duties in line with your contract of care with us. If you do not provide us with the data needed to do this, we will be unable to perform that care to ensure your best interests are being maintained. We may also be prevented from continuing with your treatment with us due to our legal obligations.
Change of purpose
We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please note that we may process your personal information without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
Automated decision making
No decision will be made about you solely on the basis of automated decision making (where a decision is taken about you using an electronic system without human involvement) which has a significant impact on you.
Sharing your data
Your data will be shared with colleagues within the Clinic but only where it is necessary for them to undertake their duties. This includes, for example, other chiropractors working for, at or on behalf of the clinic, reception staff and other healthcare practitioners based at the clinic.
We may share your data with third parties in order to facilitate a referral to another healthcare practitioner, investigation or to keep your GP informed about your progress with treatment.
We may also share your data with third parties as part of a Clinic sale or restructure, or for other reasons to comply with a legal obligation upon us. We would always keep you informed of these situations.
Transferring information outside the EU
We do not share your data with bodies outside of the European Economic Area.
Data Security – Protecting your data
We have put in place measures to protect the security of your information against accidental loss or disclosure, alteration, unauthorised access, destruction or abuse. We have implemented processes to guard against such. In addition, we limit access to your personal information to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
Where we share your data with third parties, we provide written instructions to them to ensure that your data is held securely and in line with GDPR requirements. Third parties must implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of your data.
How long we keep your data for
In line with data protection principles, we only keep your data for as long as we need it for, which will be at least for the duration of your being a patient with us and we are legally required, by the Chiropractic regulator, to keep this data for eight years after your time as a patient has ended. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data beyond eight years we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means and the applicable legal requirements.
Once we no longer have a lawful use for retaining your information, we will dispose of it in a secure manner that maintains data security.
In some circumstances we may anonymise your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you, in which case we may use such information without further notice to you.
Your duty to inform us of changes
It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes during your time as a patient with us.
Your rights in relation to your data
The law on data protection gives you certain rights in relation to the data we hold on you.
If you want to access your data, review, verify or correct your data, request we erase your personal information, object to the processing of your personal data, or request that we transfer a copy of your personal information to another party, please contact the Practice Manager in writing.
Fees
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee for a second or subsequent copy of information or if your request for access is clearly unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances.
What we may need from you
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.
Right to withdraw consent
Where you have provided consent to the collection, processing and transfer of your data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. There will be no consequences for withdrawing your consent. However, in some cases, we may continue to use the data where so permitted by having a legitimate legal reason for doing so.
To withdraw consent, contact the Practice Manager.
Making a complaint
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we handle your information, please contact the Clinic’s Data Controller 01803 315604.
You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the supervisory authority in the UK for data protection matters, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
This website is hosted and maintained by Search4Local ltd as such the data held within this website is secured, and maintained by Search4Local Ltd. If you have any question regarding your personal data please do not hesitate to contact us on – customerservices@search4local.co.uk or 01392 409159.
When using our contact form the information submitted will be sent to the email address provided to us by the website owner. If you have used the contact form and have any questions regarding your personal data that has been submitted, please use the information found on the contact page to speak directly with the data controller.
Website privacy policy
This privacy policy sets out how our website uses and protects any information that you give us when you use this website.
We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from the 25th of April 2018.
What we collect
From the website we may collect
What we do with the information we gather
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
How we use cookies
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Controlling your personal information
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to customerservices@search4local.co.uk.
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
