GDPR

GDPR stands for General Data protection regulation. This is the law that applies to keeping your information safe. Previously this was covered under the Data Protection act 1998. Under the GDPR you have the right to access your information, request that it be deleted or altered and not shared. Because the information we hold about you is related to your health care we may not be able to meet your requests, however we only gather, hold and share the minimum information necessary to provide you with safe, effective treatment.

In providing your orthodontic care and treatment, we will ask for information about you and your health. We may receive information from other providers who have been involved in providing your care. This privacy notice describes the type of personal information we hold, why we hold it and what we do with it.

Information that we collect

We may collect the following information about you:

Personal details such as your name, date of birth, national insurance number, NHS number, address, telephone number and email address.

Information about your dental and general health, including

•  Clinical records made by your Orthodontist, dentists and other dental professionals involved with your care and treatment
•  X-rays, clinical photographs, digital scans of your mouth and teeth, and study models
•  Medical and dental histories
•  Treatment plans and consent
•  Notes of conversations with you about your care
•  Dates of your appointments
•  Details of any complaints you have made and how these complaints were dealt with
•  Correspondence with other health professionals or institutions
•  Details of the fees we have charged, the amounts you have paid and some payment details

Gill Johnson is responsible for keeping secure the information about you that we hold and 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 your Orthodontist and other dental professionals, including our manager & reception staff, involved with your care and treatment.

How we use your information

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 orthodontic treatment.

We will seek your preference for how we contact you about your orthodontic care. Our usual methods are telephone 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.

Sharing information

Your information is normally used only by those working at the practice but there may be instances where we need to share it – for example, with:

• Your doctor
• The hospital or community dental services or other health professionals caring for you
• NHS payment authorities
• The Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies, where you are claiming exemption or remission from NHS charges
• Private dental schemes of which you are a member.

We will only disclose your information on a need-to-know basis and will limit any information that we share to the minimum necessary.

In certain circumstances or if required by law, we may need to disclose your information to a third party not connected with your health care, including HMRC or other law enforcement or government agencies.

Keeping your information safe

We store your personal information securely on our practice computer system and in a manual filing system. Your information cannot be accessed by those who do not work at the practice; 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 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.

General data protection regulation advises we keep your records for 10 years after the date of your last visit to the Practice or until you reach the age of 25 years, whichever is the longer.

Access to your information and other rights

You have a right to access the information that we hold about you and to receive a copy. You should submit your request to the practice in writing or by email. We do not usually charge you for copies of your information; if we pass on a charge, we will explain the reasons.

You can also request us to:

• Correct any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. If we have disclosed that information to a third party, we will let them know about the change.
• Erase information we hold although you should be aware that, for legal reasons, we may be unable to erase certain information (for example, information about your dental treatment.
• Stop using your information – for example, sending you reminders for appointments or information about our service
• Supply your information electronically to another dentist.

If you do not agree

If you do not wish us to use your personal information as described, you should discuss the matter with your dentist at this practice. If you object to the way that we collect and use your information, we may not be able to continue to provide your dental care.

If you have any concerns about how we use your information and you do not feel able to discuss it with your orthodontist or anyone at the practice, you should contact The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF (0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745)

Our Complaints Handling Policy

Code of practice for patient complaints

In this practice we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all our patients are pleased with their experience of our service. When patients complain, they are dealt with courteously and promptly so that the matter is resolved as quickly as possible. This procedure is based on these objectives.

Our aim is to react to complaints in the way in which we would want our complaint about a service to be handled. We learn from every mistake that we make and we respond to patients’ concerns in a caring and sensitive way.

The person responsible for dealing with any complaint about the service that we provide is Mrs G Johnson.

 If a patient complains by telephone or in person, we will listen to their complaint and offer to refer him or her to Mrs G Johnson immediately. If Mrs G Johnson is not available at the time, then the patient will be told when they will be able to talk to the Complaints Manager and arrangements will be made for this to happen. The member of staff will make a written record of your complaint and provide the patient with a copy as well as passing it on to Mrs G Johnson. If we cannot arrange this within a reasonable period or if the patient does not wish to wait to discuss the matter, arrangements will be made for someone else to deal with it.

If the patient complains in writing or by e-mail it will be passed on immediately to Mrs G Johnson.

If a complaint is about any aspect of clinical care or associated charges it will normally be referred to the dentist concerned, unless the patient does not want this to happen.

We will acknowledge the patient’s complaint in writing and enclose a copy of this code of practice as soon as possible, normally within three working days. We will offer to discuss the complaint at a time agreed with the patient, asking how the patient would like to be kept informed of developments, for example, by telephone, face to face meetings, letters or e-mail. We will inform the patient about how the complaint will be handled and the likely time that the investigation will take to be completed. If the patient does not wish to discuss the complaint, we will still inform them of the expected timescale for completing the process.

We will seek to investigate the complaint speedily and efficiently and we will keep the patient regularly informed, as far as is reasonably practicable, as to the progress of the investigation. Investigations will normally be completed within ten working days.

When we have completed our investigation, we will provide the patient with a full written report. The report will include an explanation of how the complaint has been considered, the conclusions reached in respect of each specific part of the complaint, details of any necessary remedial action and whether the practice is satisfied with any action it has already taken or will be taking as a result of the complaint.

Comprehensive records are kept of any complaint received as well as any actions taken to improve services as a consequence of a complaint.

Complaints regarding NHS treatment
If patients are not satisfied with the result of our procedure then a complaint may be referred to:

NHS England,
PO BOX 16738,
Redditch,
B97 9PT,
Tel: 0300 311 22 33,
Email: England.contactus@nhs.net.

Complaints regarding private treatment
The Dental Complaints Service,
Stephenson House,
2 Cherry Orchard Road,
Croydon,
CR0 6BA,
Tel: 08456 120 540,
Website: www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk.

To raise concerns about a Dentist or Dental Care professional to the GDC (The dentists’ regulatory body)
The General Dental Council,
37 Wimpole Street,
London,
W1M 8DQ,

For advice and support with an NHS complaint please contact:
Health watch Isle of Wight,
The riverside centre,
The Quay,
Newport,
PO30 2QR,
Tel: 01983 608608,
Or Citizens Advice at www.citizensadvice.org.uk,
Tel: 03444 111 444,