PRIVACY NOTICE
(Why I collect your personal data, and what I do with it) 

When you supply your personal details to this clinic, they are stored and processed for four reasons (the bits in bold are the relevant terms used in the Data Protection Act 2018, which includes the General Data Protection Regulation – that is, the law): 

  • I need to collect personal information about your health in order to provide you with the best possible treatment. Your request for treatment, and my agreement to provide it, constitutes a contract. You can, of course, refuse to provide me with your personal information, but if you were to do that, I would not be able to provide treatment. 
  • I have a ‘legitimate interest’ in collecting that information, because without it, I would not be able to provide effective and safe treatment. 
  • I believe it is important to contact you in order to confirm your appointments with me, or to update you on matters related to your treatment plan. This, again, constitutes ‘legitimate interest’ – but this time, it is your legitimate interest.
  • Provided I have your consent, I may occasionally send you general health information in the form of articles, advice or newsletters. You may withdraw this consent at any time – just let me know by email, text message or post. 

Your records are stored according to the following methods:

  • on paper, in locked filing cabinets;
  • electronically (on ‘cloud’ servers), using a specialist medical-records service. This provider has given me its assurance that it is fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations. Access to this data is password-protected, and the passwords are changed regularly;
  • on my office computer, which is password-protected, backed up regularly and kept in a safe place. 

I shall never share your data with anyone who does not have your written consent. Only the following people/agencies will have routine access to your data:

  • the medical-records service that stores and processes the files;
  • an emailing marketing platform (e.g. MailChimp), which I may use to coordinate email messages; your name and email address may be saved on its server. 

From time to time, I may need to employ consultants to perform tasks that might give them access to your personal data (but not your medical notes). They will be made fully aware that they must treat that information as confidential, and will need to sign a non-disclosure agreement. 

You have the right to see what personal data of yours I hold, and you may also ask me to correct any factual errors. Provided the legal minimum period has elapsed, you may also ask me to erase your records. 

I want you to be absolutely confident that I am treating your personal data responsibly, and that I am doing everything I can to make sure that the only people/agencies who will be granted access to any personal data I hold will be those who have a genuine and legitimate need to do so. 

Of course, if you feel that I am mishandling your personal data in any way, you have the right to complain. Complaints must be addressed to what is referred to in the law as the “data controller”, whose details are as follows: 

Kerstin Lehr
E  kerstin@kl-acupuncture.com
M  07817 454 451

Kerstin Lehr Acupuncture
71 Spring Road
Letchworth Garden City SG6 3SL

If you are not satisfied with my response, you have the right to raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s Office.