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?

• Your past and current medical and dental condition; personal details such as your age, address, telephone number and your general medical practitioner
• 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?

We need to keep accurate personal data about patients in order to provide you with safe and appropriate dental care.

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 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 patient’s 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
• The Inland Revenue
• 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:

1. Be informed about the personal data we hold and why we hold it.
2. Access a copy of your data that we hold by contacting us directly: we will acknowledge your request and supply a response within one month or sooner.
3. Check the information we hold about you is correct and to make corrections if not
4. Have your data erased in certain circumstances.
5. Transfer your data to someone else if you tell us to do so and it is safe and legal to do so.
6. Tell us not to actively process or update your data in certain circumstances.

How long is the Personal Data stored for?

We will store patient data for as long as we are providing care, treatment or recalling patients for further care.

2. We will archive (that is, store it without further action) for as long as is required for legal purposes as recommended by the NHS or other trusted experts recommend.
3. We must store employment data for six years after an employee has left.
4. We must store contractors’ data for seven years after the contract is ended.

What if you are not happy or wish to raise a concern about our data processing?

You can complain in the first instance to our Data protection Lead, who is Corinne Shippey and we will do our best to resolve the matter. If this fails, you can complain to the Information Commissioner at www.ico.org.uk/concerns or by calling 0303 123 1113.