Southside Dental Care processes personal identifiable information that relates to patients and is therefore required by law to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR), which protect your privacy and ensure that your personal information is processed fairly and lawfully.
Our Data Protection Officer is Leanne Branton.
Southside Dental Care is committed to ensuring that it complies with UK GDPR and applies ethical principles to all aspects of its work to protect the interests of patients and maintain the confidentiality and security of any personal information held in any form by the practice.
Why Does the Practice Hold Personal Information About Me?
We keep information about you to:
How does the Practice Collect Personal Information?
We collect personal information either directly from you or are provided with it by third parties, such as other dental or medical providers. It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed of any changes to your personal information.
Personal information includes facts (e.g. treatment you have had) and opinions (e.g. any concerns you or your dentists might have about your dental health). To provide the best possible care for you, accurate and comprehensive personal information is required. The following records are kept and updated regularly:
Dr Leanne Branton is responsible for keeping secure the information about you that we hold.
Our data protection officer, Aimi Bouglas, ensures that the practice complies with data protection requirements to ensure that we collect, use, store and dispose of your information responsibly.
Those at the practice who have access to your information include dentists and other dental professionals involved with your care and treatment, and the reception staff responsible for the management and administration of the practice.
To provide you with the dental care and treatment that you need, we require up-to-date and accurate information about you.
We will share your information with the NHS in connection with your dental treatment.
We will seek your preference for how we contact you about your dental care. Our usual methods are telephone, text, email or letter.
If we wish to use your information for dental research or dental education, we will discuss this with you and seek your consent. Depending on the purpose and if possible, we will anonymise your information. If this is not possible we will inform you and discuss your options.
We may use your contact details to inform you of products and services available at our Practice.
How is My Personal Information Processed?
Processing of Personal Information
To provide you with appropriate care, we process your personal data for the following purposes:
Your care – we keep patient records to allow us to provide appropriate dental treatment and care.
Practice Administration – we will use your contact information to let you know when your next appointment is due, and we will also send reminders about any appointments that you have booked.
Sharing Relevant Information
To provide you with appropriate care, we might need to share your personal data with:
In these cases, only the minimum information required will be shared. Rarely, the law requires us to pass on information to prevent serious crime or injury. Where possible, we will inform you of requests to share personal information.
Storage and Retention of Personal Information
We keep patient records for adult and child patients for a minimum of 10 years from the last contact. The child record should evolve into the adult record.
We will not keep records for longer than necessary and after they are no longer required, records will be deleted.
Personal information is stored on a secure password-protected practice computer system; only authorised practice staff have access to these systems. Back-ups of these data are made regularly.
Your Right to Access Personal Information
You have the right, under UK GDPR, to request a copy of the information held on you by our Practice. If you would like to make a request, please ask at reception or send your request in writing to Southside Dental Care at the email address below:
We do not charge a fee for this information, unless we deem the request to be excessive, and will respond to your request within one month of its receipt. If we refuse your request, we will tell you reasons for this. You have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office in this situation (see below for contact details).
You have the right to request correction of your information where there is an inaccuracy, request that we erase your information, object to the processing of your information or ask for the processing to be restricted. You also have the right to request the transfer of your personal information to another party, such as another dental practice. If you have concerns about the way we handle your personal information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (see below for contact details).
If you have a query or would like more information, please contact our reception team on 0131 667 5656 or write to the Practice Manager Aimi Bouglas to the email address above.
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel.: 0303 123 1113
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Date: Dec 24
Review date: Dec 25