Mackinnon-Little Chiropractic Clinic Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains why the practice collects personal data and how that data may be used.
What is Personal Data?
Personal data is information relating to an identified (or identifiable) person for example, an individual’s name, address, age, date of birth, gender and contact details. Personal data may include information in Special Categories. Information relating to, but not limited to, an individual’s health is considered a Special Category.
Chiropractors at this practice who provide you with care will maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received previously (e.g. from the NHS).
Our health care records may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure.
The Personal Data that we collect
Records may include the following:
· Details about you such as your address and contact details, emergency contact details and carers.
· Any contact with the practice has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, telephone or email correspondence, emergency appointments etc.
· Details about you and/or your child’s health.
· Details about you and/or your child’s treatment and care.
· Relevant information from other health care professionals, relatives or those who care for you.
· Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays etc.
Why do we need your Personal Data?
These records are used to help provide you with the best possible healthcare. Information may be used to protect the health of the public and to help us manage the practice. Information may be used within the practice for clinical audit to monitor the quality of the service provided. Sometimes your data may be requested for research purposes – the practice will always gain your consent before releasing any information for this purpose.
Data Retention
The retention of data may be necessary where required for contractual, legal or regulatory purposes or for our legitimate business interests and apply irrespective of the form in which the records are held. Medical records will be retained indefinitely at the end of any contractual agreement.
Data is retained for the protection of patients and practitioners by providing a history of healthcare received.
How we keep your Records Confidential
We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with:
· General Data Protection Regulation 2018 and Data Protection Act 1998.
· General Chiropractic Council Code.
All chiropractors at the practice have a legal and ethical obligation to keep records safely, securely and confidentially. We will only use, or forward on, your information if there is a genuine need to do so. We will not disclose information about you to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations) or where the law requires information to be passed on.
We will take all appropriate technical and organisational steps to protect the confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity of your data.
Who might we share your data with?
· GPs
· NHS Trusts/Foundation Trusts
· Independent Contractors such as those who provide imaging services (eg MRI, x-ray)
· Other ‘data processors’ which you will be informed of. You will be informed who your data will be shared with, and may be asked for explicit consent for this to happen.
Access to your Personal Information
Under General Data Protection Regulation 2018 and Data Protection Act 1998,
Individuals have legal rights, known as Individual Rights, governing the use of their data. Individuals have right to understand what and why personal data is collected and used, how and where it is stored and with whom it is shared. Individuals have the right to object or restrict to the processing of data, request corrections to data, erase data and take copies of data.
We will not charge a fee to process the request for data. We will not charge a fee to provide copies of your patient file.
· You will need to give us adequate information (name, address, date of birth) so that your identity can be verified, and details of your request.
· Your request must be made in writing to your Chiropractor.
· We are required to respond to you within 30 days.
Individuals can exercise their Rights at any time. In exercising your Individual Rights, you should understand that in some situations we may be unable to fully meet your request; for example, if you make a request for us to delete all your personal data, we may be required to retain some data for taxation, prevention of crime and for regulatory and other statutory purposes. On legal and health matters, we are required by law to provide access to your data for law enforcement.
Objections/Complaints
Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the practice please contact the Practice Director.
If you are still unhappy following a review by the practice, you then have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) via their website (www.ico.gov.uk/concerns/) or by calling their helpline on 0303 123 1113.
Change of Details
It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any detail, such as date of birth, is incorrect in order for us to correct it.
Data Controller
Andy Mackinnon-Little is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office as the Data Controller for Mackinnon-little Chiropractic Clinic.
How To Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this Notice, the use of your data and your Individual Rights, please contact Andy Mackinnon-Little on 07776 443119 or andy@mackinnon-little.com