About this PRIVACY policy

1. I will collect personal information about your health in order to provide you with the best possible care and treatment. Your requesting treatment and my agreement to provide that care constitutes in law an (unwritten) contract.
2. I have a legitimate interest in collecting this information because without it I couldn’t practice acupuncture effectively and safely.
3. I will keep records of your contact information as it is important to be able to contact you to confirm appointments or update you on
matters relating to your care.
4. With your verbal consent, from time to time I may send you individualised health information via email, you may withdraw consent at any time.
5. I have a legal obligation to retain your records for 8 years after your most recent appointment (or after you have reached 25, if this is longer) after which time they will be destroyed.
6. Your clinical records are stored on paper, in individual files in a secure cabinet at my clinic at home.
7. I am the only person who has access to your records. I will never share your information with anyone who does not have a legal right of access, without your written consent.
8. In the event anything should happen to me, which would render me unable to oversee your records, then, and only in this event, I have entrusted the handling of my clinical records to Keeley Farringdon, who is also an acupuncturist.
9. You have the right to see what personal data of yours I hold, and you can also ask me to correct any factual errors. I am legally required to respond to any request from you to see your personal data within a timescale of 30 days.
10. My intention is for you to feel absolutely confident in my responsible handling of your data, if you do not feel this is the case, please raise any concerns with me in the first instance. You can also raise any concerns directly with the Information Commissioner’s Office on here.
Melissa Garland January 2021