GDPR STATEMENT / PRIVACY POLICY
Use Of Our Website
We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors, and we do not collect, store or use any personal data regarding your visit to this website.
We do not use cookies on this website that allow us to identify you.
We use personal information that you may send to us via the “email us” link on each page in order to contact you only where necessary to respond to your query. We do not store or process any such information, and we do not pass it on to any third party.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
At various times during your interaction with osteopaths at the Ashcroft Practice, you will be asked to provide personal information. This document tells you what information we request and why we need it, what information is stored, and how we process it.
Contacting You
We use your email address and telephone number(s) in order to contact you regarding your appointments, or with appointment reminders, or with information and advice relating directly to your treatment. The legal basis for this is termed legitimate interest.
Your Medical Records
We have a legal obligation to maintain medical records pertaining to your treatment, including associated correspondence such as referral letters and reports. We require your name, address and date of birth to identify your records correctly.
Your medical records are stored on paper and/or on a secure server(i), accessible only to osteopaths at the Ashcroft Practice and Reception staff. They are not passed on to any 3rd party, except: other healthcare professionals; another osteopath if you relocate or if ownership of this practice changes; your insurance company or legal representative in the case of a medico-legal investigation. We would not do so without your consent.
Statutory minimum storage times for medical records are 8 years after the date of the last appointment or 25 years of age (if longer), after which you may request that we destroy them. Otherwise, we retain them indefinitely so that we can provide you with the best possible care should you require further treatment in the future.
You may request a copy of your records, free of charge, at any time. We aim to do so within 5 working days, and will comply with the statutory maximum of 30 days.
Data Processing
We do keep a record of your contact details (name, address, telephone number and email address if given) in our address book on the Ashcroft Practice computer and stored on a secure server in order to allow Reception to contact you more quickly. We do NOT pass these details to any third party.
If we take a card payment from you for any of our therapies we will keep the paper receipt for a month in secure storage and it will then be shredded. We do not keep any electronic or online records of your payment details. We do NOT pass on your financial details to any third party.
On-Line Appointment Booking
This facility uses Cliniko scheduling software. We now run our practice diary through Cliniko and you will soon be able to also make appointments online. We require your email address to send you confirmation of your appointment and to send you appointment reminders. Your contact details are stored within the database, but we do NOT share or pass on your personal details to any 3rd party.
If, subsequently, you would like us to remove your personal contact details from our database, let us know, and we shall do so within 5 working days.
Unfortunately, you will not be able to use the on-line booking facility without providing this information. However, you will still be able to make appointments via the practice telephone on
Therapies other than Osteopathy
All other therapists at the Ashcroft Practice (acupuncture, counselling, massage and McTimoney chiropractic) are responsible for their own medical records and management of patients’ personal information as per the General Data Protection Regulation. Please refer to your specific therapist for a privacy statement and for details of how they manage your information.
For further information regarding the storage and processing of your personal data, or if you feel that there is an error in the data we hold, or if you would like us to remove your contact details from our database, please contact the practice on 01285 643958 or via care@ashcroftpractice.co.uk. The Ashcroft Practice is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, registration number Z9810836.
HEALTH INSURANCE CLAIMS
Please note that from 1st November 2018 we will request anyone with a health insurance policy to pay us directly for each treatment (with the exception of BUPA for Rupert Hanbury).
We will provide all receipts and paperwork needed in order to claim the cost of treatment back from the insurance company.
We have decided to change our policy because every health insurance company differs in its conditions and excess and it takes a disproportionate amount of administrative time for us to claim costs back.
Thank you for your understanding.