Your information is always protected by confidentiality.
Your privacy and confidentiality
Your privacy and confidentiality are extremely important. This notice explains why we collect your personal information, how we use it and how we keep it secure.
When you provide your personal details to the clinic, we collect and process information about your health and wellbeing in order to provide safe, effective and appropriate osteopathic care. This information allows your practitioner to understand your individual needs, assess your condition and provide the most suitable treatment and advice.
By requesting treatment and agreeing for care to be provided, you are entering into a healthcare relationship with the clinic. You have the right to choose whether to provide your personal information; however, without relevant health information, we may be unable to provide safe and effective treatment.
We collect and process your information under the lawful basis of legitimate interest, as this information is necessary for us to provide appropriate healthcare and maintain safe clinical practice.
Your contact details may also be used to communicate with you about appointments, treatment plans or other matters relating to your care. This communication is an important part of providing safe and effective healthcare.
With your consent, we may occasionally send general health information, educational articles, advice or newsletters. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting the clinic.
Storing your information
Your clinical records are stored securely and retained in accordance with professional and legal requirements. By law, patient records must be kept for 8 years after your most recent appointment (or until a child reaches the age of 25 if this is longer).
After this period, you may request that your records are deleted. Alternatively, records may be securely retained to support your ongoing care should you choose to return to the clinic in the future.
Your clinical records are stored using Cliniko, a secure online healthcare records system used by healthcare professionals worldwide. Your personal information, including contact details and clinical notes, is stored electronically using secure systems designed to protect your confidentiality.
Access to your information is password protected and restricted to authorised access only.
Who has access to your information?
Your personal information will never be shared with anyone who does not have a legitimate reason to access it, unless required by law or with your written consent.
Access to your information is limited to:
- Your practitioner, in order to provide safe, effective and appropriate care
- The secure clinical records system used to store and manage patient records
With your consent, your name and email address may also be stored securely with services such as Mailchimp if you choose to receive newsletters, health information or updates.
Occasionally, technical support may be required for the systems used within the clinic. Where this occurs, any access would be limited, necessary for the service provided and subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection requirements.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- Request access to the personal information held about you
- Ask for any inaccurate information to be corrected
- Request deletion of your records once the required legal retention period has passed
- Withdraw consent for any optional communications at any time
We are committed to ensuring your personal information is handled with care, respect and confidentiality. Every effort is made to ensure that your information is only accessed by those who genuinely need it to support your healthcare.
If you have any concerns about how your information is handled, please contact the clinic. You also have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection authority.
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Hannah Clinging Osteopath 