Vicky Appleton Acupuncture

The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (the GDPR). This legislation came into effect on 25 May 2018.

Who are we?
Vicky Appleton Acupuncture is the data controller. This means we decide how your personal data is processed and for what purposes.

Whose information does this privacy notice apply to?
This privacy notice applies to information I collect from:
Patients, prospective patients, former patients and visitors to my website.

What is personal data?
Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller’s possession. Examples of personal data I may hold about you include your contact and appointment details. Special category data is a sub-category of personal data revealing more personal information about you such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions etc. Examples of special category data I may hold about you include your patient notes.

How do I process your personal data?
I comply with my obligations under the GDPR by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data. I use your personal data for the purposes set out below.

1. I use your name, address, telephone number and email address to make and rearrange appointments. Some patients and prospective patients tell me about their medical conditions and medication by email or online enquiry forms. I am unable to send or receive encrypted emails so you should be aware that any emails I send or receive may not be protected in transit. I will also monitor any emails sent to me, including file attachments, for viruses or malicious software. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send to me is within the bounds of the law. I use your name, address, telephone number and email address, only if we have your explicit consent, to send you marketing materials

2. I keep a permanent attendance register which records all appointments in my clinic for tax purposes and to secure potential evidence in the event of a criminal prosecution/complaint/insurance claim etc. to my regulatory body, the British Acupuncture Council.

3. I may use your date of birth to help identify patients with the same name to avoid mistakes being made as to safe and appropriate treatment, for identification
purposes if referring a patient to another health practitioner, and for identification
purposes if writing to a registered medical practitioner so that they correctly identify
the patient.

4. I use your presenting complaint and symptoms, any relevant medical and family history reported by you and my clinical findings for the purposes of making a full traditional diagnosis, formulating treatment strategy and treatment planning and to secure evidence in the event of a criminal prosecution/complaint. I keep a record of any treatment given.

5. I record and use any information and advice that I have given, especially when referring patients to any other health professional, to help you to receive the most appropriate treatment and to secure evidence in the event of criminal proceedings, civil litigation, an insurance claim or complaint. 

6. I record any decisions made in conjunction with you to help you to receive the most appropriate treatment and to secure evidence in the event of criminal proceedings, civil litigation, an insurance claim or complaint

7. I use your GP’s name and address in the event that I need to contact them, including in an emergency and because it is a mandatory requirement in the British Acupuncture Code of Professional Conduct.

8. I keep accident records for any patients or visitors who are involved in accidents at my clinic in accordance with UK Health and Safety legislation including the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) to comply with the law.

9. In the unlikely event of an adverse incident occurring I report the matter to the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) and my insurance company.

10. I maintain a record of the patient’s consent to treatment, or the consent of their next-of-kin stored in the patient file to secure evidence in the event of a criminal prosecution/complaint.

11. I keep a hard copy (i.e. paper) records only which are always in my possession or stored in a locked cabinet.

12. Should I receive a complaint from a person I will make up a file containing the details of the complaint. This normally contains the identity of the complainant and any other individuals involved in the complaint. I will only use the personal information I collect to process the complaint but I may have to disclose the complainant’s identity to whoever the complaint is about. If a complainant doesn’t want information identifying them to be disclosed, I will try to respect that. However, it may not be possible to handle a complaint on an anonymous basis. I may need to provide personal information collected and processed in relation to complaints to the BAcC or my insurance company.

13. I will keep personal information contained in complaint files in line with my retention policy. This means that information relating to a complaint will be retained for two years from closure. It will be retained in a secure environment and access to it will be restricted according to the ‘need to know’ principle.
Website use
14. Search queries and results are logged anonymously to help me improve my website and search functionality. No user-specific data is collected by me or any third party. I have access to Google Analytics which collects standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. I do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting my website. If you contacted me via my website, enquiries submitted through the contact form are sent directly to me by email.

15. I use website cookies to improve user experience of my website by enabling my website to ‘remember’ users.

Sharing your personal data
Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential. There are very few (rare) occasions when it may be shared:

• with named third parties with your explicit consent; 
• with the relevant authority such as the police or a court, if necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject e.g. a court order; 
• with your doctor or the police if necessary to protect yours or another person’s life; 
• with the police or a local authority for the purpose of safeguarding a children or vulnerable adults; or British Acupuncture Council 18 of 30 www.acupuncture.org.uk
• with my regulatory body, the British Acupuncture Council, or my insurance company in the event of a complaint or insurance claim being brought against me; or 
• my solicitor in the event of any investigation or legal proceedings being brought against me.

For further details about the situations when information about you might be shared, please see the Information Commissioner’s website at https://ico.org.uk/for-thepublic/personal-information/sharing-my-info/

How long do I keep your personal data?
I keep patient records for a period of 7 years in accordance with the British Acupuncture Code of Professional Conduct and after that time, the file will be securely destroyed. I keep your personal data for no longer than reasonably necessary, except for your signed consent form, which will be stored in your patient file. Communications by email and/or text whilst receiving treatment will be kept to a minimum and messages deleted after their use has expired.

Should I be unable to safely store and destroy records by shredding (for example due to illness or death), I have made provision for a trusted colleague to store and destroy my records as appropriate.

Your rights and your personal data
Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have certain rights with respect to your personal data.

For details about these rights please see the Information Commissioner’s website at: https://ico.org.uk

Contact details
Please contact me in the first instance if you have any query about your personal data:
Vicky Appleton at:

E: acupuncture@vickyappleton.co.uk
T: 07771887326

Vicky Appleton
BA (Hons), Lic Ac, MBAcC