Privacy
Policy.

This notice is to explain why I collect your personal data, what I do with it, and to ensure I am working in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); terms from the regulation are indicated in bold.

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 GDPR requirements:

1. I need to collect personal information about your health in order to diagnose and provide you with the best possible treatment. Your requesting 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 practise acupuncture effectively and safely.
3. I keep records of your contact information because I think that it is important that I can contact you in order to confirm your appointments with me or to update you on matters related to your medical care as appropriate. 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 individualised health information by email in the form of articles or advice. I will not send out generalised marketing unless you have explicitly provided me consent to do so. You may withdraw consent to receive emails at any time — just let me know by any convenient method.

Any email or text exchanges we may have regarding your appointments, any aspect of your acupuncture care, or containing any personal data, will be deleted. Your email address is stored in my contacts, and I take all steps to ensure my data is as secure as possible.

Retention of records

I have a legal obligation to retain your records for 8 years after your last appointment (or after you have reached age 25, if this is longer), and they will be securely destroyed within a maximum of 10 years. Your clinical records are encrypted to protect your identity and stored electronically on my password-protected computer at home.

Invoices

I also keep invoices on file for those who request them. These invoices mostly record dates of acupuncture appointments and names of clients. Some record addresses of clients only if requested by the client for the purposes of claiming clinic fees on insurance. These documents are not seen by accountants and are purely for personal financial record keeping.

Access to your data

I am the only person who has access to your invoice files and emails. I will never share your information with anyone who does not have a legal right of access without your written consent. Should you request treatment from a different practitioner who may require information from your notes, I will inform you what details have been requested and seek your consent.

I will endeavour to keep your details accurate and up to date, by following up any changes to address and telephone number, health conditions and medications. You have the right to see what personal data of yours I hold, and you can also ask me to correct any factual errors. I am legally required to respond to any request from a client to see their personal data within a timescale of 30 days. However, I would ensure that I responded as soon as I possibly could to any reasonable request for access to personal records.

Your confidence

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 me needing to make a referral to another health professional.

Complaints

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 to deal with any concerns you might have. However, you can also raise a concern directly with the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk/concerns.