PRIVACY POLICY
Privacy Statement
On 25 May 2018 the law changed with regard to how organisations have to protect your ‘data’ (personal details and records) and this is called the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR. The following summary highlights how GDPR is being implemented by Thrive Psychology Bucks, by explaining why confidential information is held and how this is protected. Please see https://ico.org.uk for more details.
Information collected
Keeping records is an essential component of healthcare and helps in understanding how best to help. Your personal data includes records of your engagement with Thrive Psychology Bucks (e.g. appointments, session notes), your contact details and information in the case of an emergency in order to keep you safe, financial details for invoicing purposes and correspondence from and to you or other professionals.
- Confidentiality is maintained at all times (i.e. your information is not shared) unless there are exceptional circumstances (confidentiality in relation to client treatment is further detailed in the client policy that you will be asked to review and consent to at the start of any treatment)
- All information recorded on paper will be securely stored in a locked filing cabinet
- Confidential digital information will be stored on a password protected laptop computer
- Confidential information sent by the psychologist via email will be encrypted and password protected, with the password sent separately by text
- Letters sent to professionals, such as G.P.’s, by surface mail will be clearly marked ‘Confidential’
- All electronic devices (e.g. computer, laptop and phone) used to access stored information will be password protected
- Your personal information will only be stored with Thrive Psychology Bucks for as long as it is required by law. Sensitive personal data as described above is stored for a period of 7 years after the end of therapy. After this time the data is deleted at the end of each calendar year. If I am contacted by someone who does not become a client, I will keep their information for 6 months after which it will then be securely deleted.
This website is hosted by wix.com and through this we collect the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet. We may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information, and methods used to browse away from the page.
Accessing or amending your information
Data protection legislation gives you various rights. The most important of these are as follows:
- You have the right to a copy of information we hold about you
- You have the right to ask for your record to be amended if you believe that it is wrong.
- You have the right to ask for your data to be transferred e.g. to another provider
- You have the right to ask for your data to be deleted
Thrive Psychology Bucks aspires to be as open as it can be in terms of giving people access to their personal information. You must make a written request for any personal information Thrive Psychology Bucks may hold about you by making a ‘subject access request’ or ‘Right of Access’ under the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation. I will usually share this with you within 30 days of receiving a request. A copy of your personal information will usually be sent to you in a permanent form (that is, a printed copy). You have a right to get your personal information corrected if it is inaccurate. I may request further evidence from you to check your identity. I want to make sure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. You may ask me to correct or remove information you think is inaccurate. Please address these changes to the Data Protection Officer, Dr Isabelle Micklewright, via ‘Contact Me’.
Data Breach and Complaints
In the event of a breach of your personal data through loss or theft we will contact you immediately to explain the nature of the breach and how we are managing it. Psychology Bucks tries to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information and I abide by the code of ethics set out by the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) with which I am professionally registered in addition to the British Psychological Society (BPS). For this reason, I take any complaints I receive about this very seriously. I encourage you to bring it to my attention if you think that my collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate. I would also welcome any suggestions for improving my procedures. If you do have a complaint, please contact the Data Protection Officer, Dr Isabelle Micklewright, who will investigate the matter on your behalf. If you are not satisfied with the response from Thrive Psychology Bucks or believe I am not processing your personal data in accordance with the law you have the right to raise your complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ Email: casework@ico.org.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 303 123 1113