Care4Feet treats the privacy of its patients very seriously and I take appropriate security measures to safeguard/protect your privacy to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018. ICO registered.
This Privacy policy describes how and when I collect, use, and share information when I make a home visit to treat your feet, when you contact me or otherwise use my services.
Introduction
I am a podiatrist who within my practice use your personal and sensitive data to manage and administer your foot health needs within a clinic & home visiting practice.
Information I collect & hold
To carry out my day to day activities to aid treatment, I have to process and store personal data for example to identify you I will ask for your name, address, date of birth, home or mobile telephone number and Sensitive data e.g. medical information.
The information you provide will be firstly via telephone for appointment may be recorded via telephone answering machine/ mobile messaging service details kept safely by myself then destroyed/deleted(text-voice mail) when appointment arranged. Initially during the first appointment the details will be taken via a face to face paper written primary assessment sheet/treatment & Data subject consent forms. These details are then kept locked away at clinic/on myself & locked away from sight on domiciliary visits in boot of my car and not overnight, then transferred into a locked secure filing cabinet at my home.
Why I Need your information and How I use it
I rely on a number of legal bases to collect, use, and share your information, including:
- Where it is necessary for the purpose of the provision of health care as needed to provide my services, such as when I use your information to fulfil your podiatry assessment and administer treatment (aid to understanding your health needs, health status & health risk), or to provide customer support.
- If necessary to comply with a legal obligation or court order or in connection with a legal claim, such as retaining information about purchases if required by tax law.
Information Sharing and Disclosure
Information about my patients is important to my practice. I share your personal Information for very limited reasons and limited circumstances, as follows:
- Medical professionals. With consent I will share information with medical professionals such as your GP or consultant to allow continuity of care.
- Service providers. I engage certain trusted parties to perform functions and provide services to my business, such as reception staff. I will share the minimum of personal information with these third parties, but only to the extent necessary to perform these services.
- Business transfers. If I sell or merge my business, I may disclose your information as part of that transaction, only to the extent permitted by law and with your consent.
- Compliance with laws. I may collect, use, retain and share your information if I am legally required to.
Communication with patients – Consent is required on making appointment for following:
- Phone
- Text
Exceptions
There may be exceptional circumstances/specific situations where I may have to breach confidentiality to Prevent Harm/Abuse.
How Long is personal data retained and why (Data retention Periods).
I retain your personal information only as long as necessary to provide you with my services and as described in my privacy policy. However, I may also be required to retain this information to comply with my legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce my agreements. The retention of podiatry records is normally a minimum of 8yrs for adults For children and young person under the age of eighteen, it is until their 25th (twenty-fifth) birthday, & Mentally disordered persons (within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983) for 20 years, after their last treatment. For future reference- i.e. if I take card payment –for customers who are not patients but may have bought products from my business I will keep any data you may have provided for a minimum of 6 years in line with tax legislation.
Your Rights with respect of your personal data
You have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. While some of these rights apply generally, certain rights apply only in certain limited cases. I describe these rights below:
- Access. You have the right to access and receive a copy of the personal information I hold about you by contacting me using the contact information below.
- Change, restrict, delete. You may also have rights to change, restrict my use of, or delete your personal information. But in the case of health records these are normally exempt from change and deletion requests.
- Object. You can object to 1) my processing of some of your information based on my legitimate interests and 2) receiving marketing messages from me after providing your express consent to receive them. In such cases, i will delete your personal information unless i have compelling and legitimate grounds to continue using that information or if it is needed for legal reasons.
- Complain. If you wish to raise a concern about my use of your information( and without prejudice to any other rights you may have), you have the right to do so with the Information Commissioner www.ico.org.uk
How to Contact Me if you have any concerns
For purpose of the GDPR, I Care4Feet, am the data controller of your personal information. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact me by telephone. Or Contact ICO, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF . Tel-030 123 1113.