Privacy & Data Protection at The Health Equation
At The Health Equation, we take patient privacy, confidentiality and data protection very seriously. Protecting the personal and clinical information entrusted to us is an essential part of providing safe and professional healthcare.
We process personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and our professional and legal obligations as healthcare providers.
How We Manage Patient Information
When you become a patient of The Health Equation, we collect information necessary to provide and administer your healthcare. This may include:
- Your name, address and contact details
- Date of birth and other identifying information
- Relevant medical and health information
- Consultation and treatment records
- Investigation results, correspondence and clinical reports
- Appointment, payment and administrative information
- Your communication and contact preferences
The Health Equation has operated as a paperless practice since 2004. Our principal clinical records are maintained electronically using secure practice-management software, with access restricted to authorised members of the clinical and administrative team.
Why We Use Your Information
We use personal and clinical information where necessary to:
- Provide, manage and document your healthcare
- Arrange appointments, investigations and referrals
- Communicate with you about your care
- Process payments and maintain appropriate financial records
- Send appointment confirmations and reminders
- Communicate with other healthcare professionals involved in your care where appropriate
- Meet our professional, regulatory, insurance and legal obligations
- Maintain the safe and effective operation of the practice
Health information is regarded as special-category personal data and is afforded additional protection under data-protection law.
Consent and Communication Preferences
Where consent is the appropriate basis for a particular use of your information, we will ask for it.
Patients can also choose their communication preferences, including how they receive appointment reminders and non-essential practice communications, and may change these preferences at any time.
We do not sell patient information or provide patient details to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Sharing Information
Your clinical information is treated as confidential.
Where appropriate to your care, and subject to the relevant legal and professional requirements, information may be shared with healthcare professionals and organisations involved in your investigation or treatment, such as your GP, medical consultant, laboratory or diagnostic imaging provider.
We may also use carefully selected service providers that process information on our behalf to support the secure administration and operation of the practice.
Information may be disclosed without consent where we are legally required to do so or in exceptional circumstances where disclosure is necessary to protect an individual from serious harm.
Confidentiality and Security
All clinicians and administrative staff are required to maintain patient confidentiality.
Access to patient information is restricted according to clinical or administrative need, and appropriate technical and organisational safeguards are used to protect information from unauthorised access, alteration, loss or disclosure.
Mrs Susie Gajadharsingh, Practice Manager, oversees the day-to-day administration of patient information. Mr Gerry Gajadharsingh DO, Osteopath and Diagnostic Consultant in Integrated Medicine, is responsible for clinical information governance within the practice.
Retention of Clinical Records
Clinical records are retained for an appropriate period in accordance with applicable legal, professional, insurance and clinical-record retention requirements.
We do not retain personal information for longer than is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it is held, subject to our obligations to maintain appropriate healthcare records.
Your Data Protection Rights
Depending upon the circumstances, you have rights regarding your personal information, including the right to:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
- Object to certain types of processing
- Request deletion of information where the legal requirements for erasure are met
A request for access to your personal information is generally dealt with without undue delay and within one month, in accordance with applicable data-protection legislation.
Certain rights may be subject to legal or professional limitations, particularly in relation to healthcare records.
Data Breaches
The Health Equation maintains procedures for identifying, investigating and managing personal-data breaches.
Where a breach is reportable under data-protection legislation, we will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within the applicable timeframe. Where a breach is likely to result in a high risk to an individual’s rights and freedoms, we will also inform affected individuals without undue delay.
Our Commitment
We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and security of the information entrusted to us and to being transparent about how patient information is collected, used, stored and shared.
If you have any questions about privacy or the way The Health Equation handles your personal information, please contact Susie, our Practice Manager, at info@thehealthequation.co.uk.