Privacy Policy Notice
Starting from May 2018, Europe’s data protection rules have undergone significant changes. Due to the vast increase in digital information created, captured, and stored since the 1990s, the previous data protection rules were no longer adequate. The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), agreed upon mutually, came into force on May 25th, 2018. This change affects how businesses and public-sector organizations handle customer information. As an oral healthcare provider, we are now more accountable for managing people’s personal data, and we have updated our data protection policies accordingly.
Data Protection Code of Practice
Our data protection code of practice outlines the procedures ensuring our dental surgery and its employees comply with The Data Protection Law and The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679).
What personal data do we hold?
To provide patients with a high standard of dental care and attention, we need to hold their personal information. This personal data can include:
- Past and current medical and dental conditions; personal details such as age, address, telephone number, and general medical practitioner
- Radiographs, clinical photographs, and study models
- Information about the treatment we have provided or propose and its cost
- Notes of conversations or incidents that might occur for which a record needs to be kept
- Records of consent to treatment
- Correspondence relating to patients and other healthcare professionals, such as in hospitals or the Medical Specialist Group.
Why do we hold information about you?
We need to maintain comprehensive and accurate personal data about patients to provide safe and appropriate dental care. We will ask you to update your medical history and contact details annually.
Retaining Information
We will retain your dental records and orthodontic study models while you are a practice patient and, after you cease to be a patient, for at least eleven years or for children until age 25, whichever is longer.
Security of Information
Personal data about you is stored in the practice’s computer system and/or a locked manual filing system. The information is only accessible to authorized team members. Our computer system has secure audit trails, and we back up information routinely.
Disclosure of Information
To provide proper and safe dental care, we may need to disclose personal information about you to:
- Your general medical practitioner
- Other healthcare professionals caring for you
- Social Security Authority
- Private dental schemes of which you are a member
- Medical Specialist Group
- Agents and third parties as required by law and legal regulations
Disclosure will occur on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. Only individuals/organizations who need to know to provide care for you and the proper administration of government (whose personnel are covered by strict confidentiality rules) will be given the information.
In limited circumstances or when required by law or a court order, personal data may have to be disclosed to a third party not connected with your healthcare. In all other situations, disclosure not covered by this Code of Practice will only occur when we have your specific consent. Whenever possible, you will be informed of these requests for disclosure.
Access to Your Records
You have the right to access the data we hold about you and receive a copy. Parents may access their child’s records if doing so is in the child’s best interest and not contrary to a competent child’s wishes. Formal applications for access must be in writing to The Practice Manager.
If You Do Not Agree
If you do not want the personal data we hold about you to be disclosed or used in the way described in this Code of Practice, please discuss the matter with your dentist. You have the right to object; however, this may affect our ability to provide you with dental care. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, but this will not be retrospective.
Data Protection Code of Practice
This practice complies with the 1998 Data Protection Act, and this policy describes our procedures for ensuring that personal information about patients is processed fairly and lawfully.
What Personal Data Do We Hold?
To provide you with a high standard of dental care and attention, we need to hold personal information about you. This personal data includes:
- Your past and current medical and dental conditions; personal details such as your age, National Insurance number/NHS number, address, telephone number, and general medical practitioner
- Radiographs, clinical photographs, and study models
- Information about the treatment we have provided or propose to provide and its cost
- Notes of conversations/incidents about your care, for which a record needs to be kept
- Records of consent to treatment
- Correspondence relating to you with other healthcare professionals, for example, in hospitals or community services.
Why Do We Hold Information About You?
We need to maintain comprehensive and accurate personal data about our patients to provide them with safe and appropriate dental care. We also need to process personal data about you to provide care under NHS arrangements and to ensure the proper management and administration of the NHS.
How We Process the Data
We will process personal data that we hold about you in the following way:
Retaining Information
We will retain your dental records while you are a practice patient and, after you cease to be a patient, for at least 11 years or for children until age 25, whichever is longer.
Security of Information
Personal data about you is stored in the practice’s computer system and/or a manual filing system. The information is not accessible to the public; only authorized members of staff have access to it. Our computer system has secure audit trails, and we routinely back up information.
Disclosure of Information
To provide proper and safe dental care, we may need to disclose personal information about you to:
- Your general medical practitioner
- The hospital or community dental services
- Other healthcare professionals caring for you
- NHS payment authorities
- The Inland Revenue
- The Benefits Agency, where you are claiming exemption or remission from NHS charges
- Private dental schemes of which you are a member.
Disclosure will occur on a ‘need-to-know’ basis, so only those individuals/organizations who need to know to provide care to you and for the proper administration of the government (whose personnel are covered by strict confidentiality rules) will be given the information. Only that information that the recipient needs to know will be disclosed.
In very limited circumstances or when required by law or a court order, personal data may have to be disclosed to a third party not connected with your healthcare. In all other situations, disclosure not covered by this Code of Practice will only occur when we have your specific consent. Where possible, you will be informed of these requests for disclosure.
Access
You have the right to access the data we hold about you and receive a copy. Access may be obtained by making a request in writing and the payment of a fee for access of up to £10 (for records held on computer) or £50 (for those held manually or for computer-held records with non-computer radiographs). We will provide a copy of the record within 40 days of receipt of the request and fee (where payable) and an explanation of your record should you require it.
If You Do Not Agree
If you do not want the personal data we hold about you to be disclosed or used in the way described in this Code of Practice, please discuss the matter with your dentist. You have the right to object, but this may affect our ability to provide you with dental care.