General Data Protection Regulation Privacy Policy Notice for Hookwood Chiropractic Clinic Ltd

Hookwood Chiropractic Clinic Ltd respects your privacy. Your personal data is protected in the UK by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Under the GDPR, we have a legal duty to protect any information we collect from you and that we hold it with the utmost care and security. It will not be used in ways to which you have not consented. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will only use information collected lawfully in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and will not pass on your details to any third party unless you give us permission to do so or unless require by law.

How we use your information

Our Privacy Notice explains why we collect your information and how that information may be used. In line with the GDPR we must ensure that your personal confidential data is handled in ways that are transparent and that you would reasonably expect.

Health care professionals who provide you with care are required by law to maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received within the clinic, which constitutes a ‘legitimate interest’. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

We will not collect any information about individuals, except where it is specifically and knowingly provided by them through the completion of registration forms or sending emails. Personal health records are usually processed electronically on password protected computers, in a secure ‘cloud’ and on paper. Through established working procedures and best practice coupled with computer technology, we ensure your personal data is kept confidential and secure. Records held by us may include the following:

Your personal data, such as address and date of birth.
Your history with us, such as new patient consultation and appointments.
Notes and reports about your health, including medication.
Details about your treatment and care.
Results of investigations and referrals such as blood tests, x-rays, MRI scans.

Referral letters.
Relevant information from other health professionals.
Emails sent to/received from you.

We obtain and hold data for the sole purpose of providing healthcare services to our patients. The clinic is required to hold health records for a period of eight years (or age 25 minimum if this is longer) following the last treatment session. The management of these records is in line with the legal requirements and professional best practice based on the recommendations within The Records Management Code of Practice for Health & Social Care 2023. We will ensure that the information held is kept confidential. We never ordinarily share your information with any third parties, but we can disclose your personal information if:

(a) You consent – either implicitly or for the sake of your own care or explicitly for other purposes.

(b) It is required by law.

The information is held on a secure database, protected by a managed computer security service and within paper files kept within secure filing cabinets. Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed or wish to opt out of any data collection at the clinic, please contact reception or your therapist to discuss how the disclosure of your personal information can be limited. Patients have the right to change their minds and reverse a previous decision. Please contact the clinic, if you change your mind regarding any previous choice.

We want you to be confident that we are treating your personal data responsibly. If you feel that we are mishandling your personal data, you have the right to complain. Complaints should be made to the ‘data controller’, Dr Angela Winter at the clinic address (below). If you are not satisfied with the response, you have the right to raise the matter with the Independent Commissioner’s Office.

Access to personal information held about you

Under the GDPR, you have a right to access/view information we hold about you, and to have it amended should it be inaccurate. Provided the legal minimum time period has elapsed, you can ask for us to delete your records. If we do hold information about you, we will:

give you a description of it.
tell you why we are holding it.
tell you who it could be disclosed to.
let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form.

If you would like to make a Right of Access request, please contact reception or your therapist and you will be given a Right Of Access request form. This is usually free but there may be a charge for this service if it is considered manifestly unfounded or excessive, particularly if it is repetitive.

Any changes to this notice will be published on our website and in a prominent area at the clinic. We are registered as a data controller under the GDPR. The registration can be viewed online in the public register at: http://ico.org.uk/what_we_cover/register_of_data_controllers

Website policy

Hookwood Chiropractic Clinic Ltd takes seriously the privacy of those that visit our web site. We have established this Privacy Policy to communicate what information we collect via the website and how that information is used and safeguarded. By accessing the website www.hookwoodchiropractic.co.uk you acknowledge the terms and conditions expressed herein. We reserve the right to change this policy at our sole discretion and without notice.

What information is collected on our website, and why?

When a user visits our website, we collect information about the visit that does not identify the user personally. We track information such as the domain from which the user is visiting and the user’s browser type. We also collect specific information regarding the user’s session on our website. This includes items such as the date and time of the visit and the pages viewed.

How is the information used?

Non-personally identifiable information is collected to allow us to analyse how our website is used and to improve the content and service the website provides. No personally identifiable information is collected on our website, except indirectly from any email correspondence which may come via the email address shown on the clinic’s website.

Are “Cookies” used on the website?

“Cookies” are small pieces of information that are placed on a web user’s hard drive. We may use cookies to provide you with better service. Cookies are pieces of information that a Web site transfers to your computer’s hard disk for record-keeping purposes. Cookies can make the Web more useful by storing information about your preferences for a particular site. The use of cookies is an industry standard, and many major Web sites use them to provide useful features for their customers. Cookies in and of themselves do not personally identify users, although they do identify a user’s computer. Most browsers are initially set to accept cookies. If you prefer, you can set your browser to refuse cookies. However, you may not be able to take full advantage of the functionality of Hookwood Chiropractic Clinic Ltd’s site if you do so.

Links to other websites

Hookwood Chiropractic Clinic Ltd web site may contain links to other internet web sites. Hookwood Chiropractic Clinic Ltd neither controls nor endorses external sites and is not responsible for the content of such sites. This policy does not cover the privacy policies and data collection practices of these external web sites.