Your privacy is important to us

We treat the privacy of our patients, clients and website users very seriously and we take appropriate security measures to safeguard your privacy. This Notice explains how we protect and manage any personal data you share with us and we hold about you, including how we collect, process and share that data.

When you supply your personal details to this clinic they are stored and processed for 4 reasons (the bits in bold are the relevant terms used in the General Data Protection Regulation – ie the law):

1. We need to collect personal information about your health in order to provide you with the best possible treatment. Your requesting treatment and our agreement to provide that care constitutes a contract. You can, of course, refuse to provide the information, but if you were to do that we would not be able to provide treatment.

2. We have a “Legitimate Interest” in collecting that information, because without it we couldn’t do our job effectively and safely. We will record any contact the clinic has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, advice given over the phone or email, emergency appointments etc.; Notes about your and/or your child’s health; Details about your and/or your child’s treatment and care; Relevant information from other health care professionals.

3. We also think that it is important that we can contact you in order to confirm your appointments with us or to update you on matters related to your medical care. This again constitutes “Legitimate Interest”, but this time it is your legitimate interest.

4. Provided we have your consent, we may occasionally send you general health information in the form of articles, advice or newsletters. You may withdraw this consent at any time – just let us know by any convenient method.

Information may be used within the clinic for clinical audit purposes to monitor the quality of the services we provide. All of your information is held securely on our premises and may be used for statistical purposes. Where we do this, we take strict measures to ensure that individual patients cannot be identified. Sometimes your information may be requested for research purposes – in such instances we will always ask your consent before releasing such information.

We have a legal obligation to retain your records for 8 years after your most recent appointment (or age 25, if this is longer), but after this period you can ask us to delete your records if you wish. Otherwise, we will retain your records indefinitely in order that we can provide you with the best possible care should you need to see us at some future date.

Your records are stored:

1. on paper, in locked filing cabinets, and the offices are always locked and alarmed out of working hours;

2. electronically (“in the cloud”), using a specialist medical records service called Cliniko. This provider has given us their assurances that they are fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations. Access to this data is password protected; and

3. on our office computers. These are password protected, backed up regularly, and the office(s) are locked and alarmed out of working hours.

We will never share your data with anyone who does not need access without your written consent. Only the following people/agencies will have routine access to your data:

• The medical records service who store and process our files;

• Your practitioner(s) in order that they can provide you with treatment;

• Our reception staff, because they organise our practitioners’ diaries, and coordinate appointments and reminders (but they do not have access to your medical history or sensitive personal information);

• Other administrative staff, such as our bookkeeper. Again, administrative staff will not have access to your medical notes, just your essential contact details; and

• We also use Mailchimp to coordinate our messages, so your name and email address may be saved on their server.

From time to time, we may have to employ consultants to perform tasks which might give them access to your personal data (but not your medical notes). We will ensure that they are fully aware that they must treat that information as confidential, and we will ensure that they sign a non-disclosure agreement.

You have the right to see what personal data of yours we hold, and you can also ask us to correct any factual errors.

Provided the legal minimum period has elapsed, you can also ask us to erase your records.

We want you to be absolutely confident that we are treating your personal data responsibly, and that we are doing everything we can to make sure that the only people who can access that data have a genuine need to do so.

Of course, if you feel that we are mishandling your personal data in some way, you have the right to complain. Complaints need to be sent to what is referred to in the jargon as the “Data Controller”. Here are the details you need for that:

Sarah Parkes  - 01792 817788

Email - info@spineskin.co.uk

If you are not satisfied with our response, then you have the right to raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s Office – https://ico.org.uk/concerns/.

Change of details -  It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any of your details such as date of birth is incorrect in order for us to correct it. 

I understand that it is important that I inform my chiropractor of any concerns, reactions or discomfort associated with treatment.

ents and late cancellations represent a cost to the practice, to you and to other patients who could have been seen in the time set aside for you. Failed appointments can sometimes interfere with your treatment and create unnecessary scheduling problems for

other patients. 

Failure to provide us with 24 hours advance notice or failure to present for a scheduled appointment will result in a cancellation or no show fee.  This fee will reflect the cost of your appointment.

It is understandable that sometimes cancellations can not be helped due to illness or emergency and we will take all valid circumstances into account.

Obviously current COVID 19 requirements supersede this policy and patients must cancel if they are suffering from any COVID symptoms. There will be no charge for these cancellations.

Our goal in communicating our cancellation and failed to attend policy is to avoid any extra charges being passed on to the patient.

We thank you for your cooperation and understanding.