Practice Privacy Policy

Purpose

Dental Care Centre aims to meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the guidelines on the Information Commissioner’s (ICO) website, and our professional guidelines and requirements.

This privacy notice describes the type of personal information we hold, why we keep it, and what we do with it.

Registered name

The data controller is Dental Care Centre.

Contact details

If you have an enquiry or request, please contact Hridesh Gupta

Dental Care Centre
2-4 Taylor hall Lane, Mirfield, WF14 0HW
Email: smiles4u@talktalk.net
Phone: 01924 493181

This privacy notice is also available on the practice website at insert URL, or a hard copy can be requested from the Practice by emailing or calling directly.

What information we collect, use, and why

The personal data we process includes:

Name, address, contact details, gender, pronoun preferences, date of birth, nationality, NHS number, medical history, dental history, family medical history, family contact details, emergency contact details, marital status, information about care needs, financial details, doctor’s details, treatment plans, consent, X-rays, clinical photographs, digital scans, study models, appointment dates, details of complaints, call recordings, CCTV recordings, appointment audio and appointment transcripts.

We may also process more sensitive special category data, including:

Ethnicity, race, religion, health records, sex life information, or sexual orientation.

The reasons we process the data include:

To fulfil our contract with you
To maintain a contemporaneous clinical record
To discuss treatment options
To provide dental prevention and oral health advice
To ensure any medication we prescribe is suitable
To modify treatments based on individual needs
To meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010
To carry out financial transactions
To manage appointments, recall arrangements and send reminders
To communicate with your next of kin in an emergency
To communicate with parents or carers about the person being cared for
To refer to other dentists, doctors and health professionals as required
For debt recovery
To continually improve the care and service you receive from us
To assist with safeguarding or public protection concerns
To assist with dealing with queries, complaints or claims

Lawful basis (Personal data)

Our lawful bases for processing personal data:

A legitimate interest to provide evidence-based dental care to patients safely and effectively
Consent of the data subject
To comply with our legal obligations

Lawful basis (Special category data)

Our Article 9 conditions for processing special category data:

Processing is necessary for ethical and professional health care purposes
Processing is necessary to monitor and assess the quality of opportunity or treatment between different groups
Consent of the data subject

Data protection rights

You have the following personal data rights:

The right of access - you can ask for a copy of the data we hold about you. We do not usually charge you for copies of your information; if we charge you, we will explain why
The right to rectification - you can ask us to correct or delete information if it is inaccurate or incomplete. If we have disclosed that information to a third party, we will let them know about the change
The right to erasure - you can ask us to delete your personal data. For legal reasons, we may be unable to erase certain information (for example, information about your dental treatment). However, we can, if you ask us to, delete some contact details and other non-clinical information
The right to restrict processing - you can ask us to limit how we use your personal data. For example, stop sending you appointment reminders or information about our service
The right to data portability - you can ask us to transfer your personal data to someone else. For example, supplying your information electronically to another dentist
The right to withdraw consent - you can withdraw your consent to the processing of your personal data at any time. For example, even if you have given us consent to send you marketing information, you may withdraw that consent

Where we get personal information from

We obtain your details when you enquire about our care and service, when you join the practice, when you subscribe to our newsletter or register online, when you complete a registration or medical history form, from family members or carers, and when another healthcare provider refers you for treatment at our practice.

We also use CCTV to:

a. Protect the practice premises and property
b. Increase the safety of patients, staff and visitors
c. Deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour
d. Assist in the apprehension, identification and prosecution of offenders (if required)
e. Provide evidence to a court or tribunal (if required)

And we use appointment audio transcription to:

a. Write more accurate and contemporaneous clinical records
b. Reduce our administrative burden and Improve patient care
c. Write other documentation such as patient letters, consent forms, and referral letters

How long we keep information

We minimise the data that we keep, and do not keep it for longer than necessary.

We keep your records for 11 years after the date of your last visit to the Practice or until you reach the age of 25, whichever is longer. At your request, we will delete non-essential information (for example, some contact details) before the end of this period.

Images captured with CCTV will be kept and destroyed securely after 3 months unless they are needed for longer due to ongoing investigation, legal proceedings, or regulatory compliance.

We do not store audio for any length of time. Audio captured during the transcription process is destroyed at the moment of transcription.

How we store information

We store your personal information securely on our practice computer system and in a manual filing system. Only those working at the practice have access to your information. They understand their legal responsibility to maintain confidentiality and follow practice procedures to ensure this.

We take precautions to ensure the security of the practice premises, the practice filing systems and computers.

We use high-quality specialist dental software to record and use your personal information safely and effectively. Our computer system has a secure audit trail, and we back up information routinely.

To provide you with appropriate care, we might need to share personal data with the following; however, only the minimum information required will be shared:

Another dentist or another health professional who is caring for you
Your GP or consultant
A laboratory
NHS payment authorities
The Inland Revenue
The Benefits Agency, if you are claiming exemption or remission from NHS charges
A private dental scheme, if you are a member
Safeguarding organisations

When using or processing CCTV recordings, we will respect the legal rights of the individuals shown in them. We will not share images or recordings except in the following circumstances:

If requested by the local authority, police or courts for the investigation, prevention or prosecution of anti-social behaviour or criminal activity
For bringing or defending a legal claim
To comply with a police warrant or an order given by a court or tribunal

Duty of confidentiality

Exceptional circumstances might override the duty to maintain confidentiality. We will inform you of requests to share personal information where possible. The decision to disclose information will only be taken by senior staff. Examples include:

Situations where there is a serious public health risk or risk of harm to other individuals
When information is required by the police to prevent or detect crime or to apprehend or prosecute offenders (if not providing the information would prejudice these purposes)
In response to a court order
To enable a dentist to pursue a legal claim against a patient

National data opt-out

Whenever you use a health or care service, important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment. The information collected about you can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your care, for instance, to help with:

Improving the quality and standards of care provided
Research into the development of new treatments
Preventing illness and diseases
Monitoring safety
Planning services

This may only occur when there is a clear legal basis for using this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations.

If you are happy with this use of information, you do not need to do anything. To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters. If you choose to opt out, your confidential patient information will still be used to support your care.

How to complain

If you have any comments, suggestions, or complaints about how we use your data, you can contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

If you remain unhappy with our response or feel unable to discuss it with the Practice, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on 0303 123 1113 or by visiting https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

Review and Revision

This privacy notice is reviewed annually and updated to ensure its effectiveness and compliance with current regulations, guidance, and standards.