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.
We are St Oswald’s Dental Surgery, Knockhundred Row, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9DQ.
John Holland Ltd is the Data Controller responsible for keeping the information we hold about you secure. Those at the practice with access to your information include dentists and other dental professionals involved in your care and treatment, and the reception staff responsible for the management and administration of the practice.
Our Data Protection Officer, Mark Coppen, ensures that the practice complies with data protection requirements to ensure that we collect, use, store, and dispose of your information responsibly. You can contact him by email at [email protected].
ICO Registration Number: ZB718935
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 in ensuring your continuing care.
We hold information about your dental and general health, including:
We collect and use this information to fulfil our contract with you to discuss your treatment options and provide dental care that meets your needs.
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.
We collect, hold, and share information on reasonable adjustments made for patients who require them. If you require reasonable adjustments to access our services, please contact us at [email protected] or on the number displayed at the practice.
All telephone calls to/from the practice are recorded. An automated message notifies you of this at the start of incoming calls. No such automated message is possible for outgoing calls. Recordings may be used for staff training, entered into your clinical record, or retained as evidence where required. Recordings not entered into your clinical record are kept for no longer than three months.
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, email, or letter.
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:
We will only disclose your information on a need-to-know basis and will limit any information shared 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 healthcare, including HMRC or other law enforcement or government agencies.
St Oswald’s Dental Surgery is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public.
Whenever you use a health or care service, personal information is collected and stored on your patient record to ensure that you receive the best and most appropriate care. This information can also be used for purposes beyond your individual care, such as improving the quality and standards of care, research into new treatments, preventing illness, monitoring safety, and planning services.
You can choose whether you want your confidential information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use, you do not need to do anything. If you wish to opt out, your confidential information will be used only to support your individual care.
Register your choice at nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters. You can change your choice at any time.
Your information will not be shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes without your specific agreement.
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. All team members understand their legal responsibility to maintain confidentiality and follow practice procedures to ensure this.
We use specialist dental software (R4) to record and use your personal information safely and effectively. Our computer system has a secure audit trail and we back up information routinely.
We keep your records for 11 years after the date of your last visit, or until you reach the age of 25, whichever is longer. At your request, we will delete non-essential information before the end of this period.
You have the right to access the information we hold about you and to receive a copy. You can also request us to:
All requests should be made by email to [email protected].
If you do not wish us to use your personal information as described, please discuss this with your dentist. If you have concerns about how we use your information and you do not feel able to discuss it with us, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF — telephone 0303 123 1113 or visit ico.org.uk.
