Data protection privacy policy

In providing your dental care and treatment, we will ask for information about you and your

health. Occasionally, 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.

About us

We are Upper Denby Dental Care, operating at 1, Gunthwaite Lane, HD8 8UL.

Eleanor Law is responsible for keeping secure the information about you that we hold. 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.

Information that we hold

We can only keep and use information for specific reasons set out in the law. If we want to keep

and use information about your health, we can only do so in particular circumstances. Below, we

describe the information we hold and why, and the lawful basis for collecting and using it.

Contact details

We hold personal information about you including your name, date of birth, national insurance

number, NHS number, address, telephone number and email address. This information allows us

to fulfil our contract with you to provide appointments. We will also use the information to send

you reminders and recall appointments as we have a legitimate interest to ensure your

continuing care and to make you aware of our services.

Dental records

We hold information about your dental and general health, including

- Clinical records made by 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 you and other health professionals or institutions.

We collect and use this information to allow us to fulfil our contract with you to discuss your

treatment options and provide dental care that meets your needs. We also use this information

for the legitimate interest of ensuring the quality of the treatment we provide.

Financial information

We hold information about the fees we have charged, the amounts you have paid and some

payment details. This information forms part of our contractual obligation to you to provide dental

care and allows us to meet legal financial requirements.

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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 may share your information with the NHS or Denplan in connection with your dental

treatment.

We may contact you to conduct patient surveys or to find out if you are happy with the treatment

you received for quality control purposes.

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

are telephone, email or letter.

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

  • Specialist dental or medical services to which we may refer you

  • Dental laboratories

  • Debt collection agencies

  • 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. We will let you know in advance if we send your medical

information to another medical provider and we will give you the details of that provider at that

time.

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. 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.

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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 years, whichever is the longer. At your request, we will delete non-essential

information (for example some contact details) before the end of this period.

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. 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 some of the information we hold. 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.

  • Stop using your information – for example, sending you reminders for appointments or

information about our service. Even if you have given us consent to send you marketing

information, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

  • Stop using information if you believe the information is inaccurate or you believe we are

using your information illegally.

  • Supply your information electronically to another dentist.

If we are relying on your consent to use your personal information for a particular purpose, you

may withdraw your consent at any time and we will stop using your information for that purpose.

All requests should be made by email to Eleanor Law at upperdenbydentalcare@gmail.com

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. 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 dentist 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).

Date: 25/6/24

Review date: June 2025