Anne Lewthwaite Harrabin Acupuncture Practice
Data Privacy Notice
When you supply your personal details to me, when we communicate by email, and when I take notes in the clinic, this information is stored and processed for four reasons in line with the Data Protection Act requirements:
1. I need to collect personal information about your health in order to provide you with the best possible treatment. Your request for treatment and my agreement to provide that care constitutes in law an unwritten contract.
2. I have a legitimate interest in collecting that information, because without it I couldn’t practice Acupuncture, Herbs, Bach Flower Remedies and EFT effectively and safely.
3. I keep records of your contact information so that I can contact you in order to confirm your appointments with me or to update you on matters related to your medical care. This again constitutes a legitimate interest, but this time it is your legitimate interest.
4. Provided I have your consent (and this only needs to be verbal consent), I may occasionally send you health information by email in the form of articles or advice. You may withdraw this consent at any time – just let me know by any convenient method.
I have a legal obligation to retain your records for 8 years after your most recent appointment (or after you have reached age 25, if this is longer). After this period you can ask me to delete your records if you wish. Otherwise, I will retain your records indefinitely in order that I can provide you with the best possible care, should you wish to see me at some future date.
Your clinical records are stored on paper in a secure cabinet in my home.
Occasionally notes are stored electronically on my home computer and tablet which are password protected.
Your emails are stored within my anne@harrabin.com account and texts on my Iphone. They are both password protected.
I also keep a file on my password protected computer at home which stores the invoices for patients claiming clinic fees on insurance. Records of these documents are only seen by myself and are purely for record keeping.
I am the only person who has access to your records, invoice files and emails.
On some occasions when I am not available I may refer you to an acupuncture colleague. In that case I will ask you whether you agree or object to information about your health being passed on to my colleague and will act accordingly.
I want you to be absolutely confident that I am treating your personal data responsibly, and that I will do everything I can to make sure that the only people who can access that data have a genuine need to do so. In the case of my practice this would most likely apply in the situation of needing to make a referral to another health professional. Other than for emergency treatment I will always ask for your agreement about information on your health being passed on to another health practitioner and will act accordingly.
If you feel that I am mishandling your personal data in some way, you have the right to complain. Please first raise your concern with me, as I hope very much I will be able deal with any concerns you might have. However, you can also raise a concern directly with the Information Commissioner’s Office on https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
Anne Harrabin London, May 2018
