Privacy | Guiding Wellness

This privacy policy sets out how we use and protect any information that you provide when you use this website and our clinic services.

How we use your information, and the law.

Guiding Wellness is known as, the ‘Controller’ of the personal data you provide to us.

We collect basic personal data about you including your name, address, contact details, such as email and mobile number etc.

We also collect sensitive confidential data known as “special category personal data”, in the form of health information, ethnicity and sex, during the services we provide to you.

Why do we need your information?

We maintain records about your health and any treatment or care you have received pertinent to your case. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare.

Records may be electronic, paper or a mixture of both and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure. Records which the clinic holds may include the following information;

Details about you, such as your address, carer, legal representative, emergency contact details
Any contact the surgery has had with you, such as appointments, clinic visits, emergency appointments, etc.
Notes and reports about your health
Details about your treatment and care
Results of investigations such as laboratory tests, x-rays etc
Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you

Every member of our staff has a legal obligation to keep information about you confidential.

We will only ever use or pass on information about you if you agree for us to do so. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances (i.e. life or death situations), where the law requires information to be passed on and / or in accordance with the information sharing principle following Dame Fiona Caldicott’s information sharing review (Information to share or not to share), where “The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.” This means that health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share information in the best interests of their patients within the framework set out by the Caldicott principles.

Our clinic respects the privacy of patients, their families and staff to maintain compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and all UK specific Data Protection Requirements. Our policy is to ensure all personal data related to our patients will be protected.

In certain circumstances you may have the right to withdraw your consent to the processing of data. Please contact us in writing if you wish to withdraw your consent. In some circumstances, we may need to store your data after your consent has been withdrawn to comply with a legislative requirement.

At any stage where we would like to use your data for anything other than the specified purposes and where there is no lawful requirement for us to share or process your data, we will ensure that you have the ability to consent and opt out prior to any data processing taking place. This information is not shared with third parties or used for any marketing and you can unsubscribe at any time via email.

Where do we store your information electronically?

All the personal data we process is processed by our staff in the UK however for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance this information may be located on servers within the European Union.

No third parties have access to your personal data unless the law allows them to do so and appropriate safeguards have been put in place.

How long will we store your information?

We are required under UK standards to keep your information and data for a period of 8 years after conclusion of treatment. More information on the standards and record keeping can be found within the General Osteopathic Council code of practice found here https://www.osteopathy.org.uk/home/

How can you access, amend move the personal data that you have given to us?

Even if we already hold your personal data, you still have various rights in relation to it. To get in touch about these, please contact us by email. We will seek to deal with your request without undue delay, and in any event in accordance with the requirements of any applicable laws. Please note that we may keep a record of your communications to help us resolve any issues which you raise.

Right to object: If we are using your data because we deem it necessary for our legitimate interests to do so, and you do not agree, you have the right to object. Generally, we will only disagree with you if certain limited conditions apply.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we have obtained your consent to process your personal data to market to you, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

Right to erasure: In certain situations you have the right to request us to “erase” your personal data. If we do agree to your request, we will Delete your data but will generally assume that you would prefer us to keep a note of your name on our register of individuals who would prefer not to be contacted.

Right of data portability: If you wish, you have the right to transfer your data from us to another data controller. Please contact us to discuss.

Access to your personal information

Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR): You have a right under the Data Protection legislation to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information the clinic holds about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate.

To request this, you need to do the following:

Your request should be made to the clinic
There is no charge to have a copy of the information held about you
We aim to respond to you within one month
You will need to provide adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth and details of your request) so your identity can be verified and records located

What should you do if your personal information changes?

You should tell us so that we can update our records. Please contact the clinic as soon as any of your details change, this is especially important for changes or address or contact details (such as your mobile phone number), the clinic will from time to time ask you to confirm that the information we currently hold is accurate and up-to-date.

Objections / Complaints

Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed at the clinic, please contact us. If you are still unhappy following a review by the clinic director, you have a right to complain to the UK supervisory Authority as below.

Your privacy in relation to this website

Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.

What website information will you collect about me?

Information about your visits to and use of this website (including your IP address, geographical location, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, page views). We collect this information in a way which does not identify anyone.
Information you provide by filling in forms on our website, such as when you register to receive information such as a newsletter.
Information you provide when you refer yourself or are referred by a third party.

How will the website information collected be used?

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

Improve the content and design of this website
To contact you about a request/enquiry you have made with us, for example requesting an appointment
To provide you with information you may have requested, for example a newsletter

Information you send electronically for assessment of your condition, arrangement of appointment or any other purpose may be transmitted to us with admitting rights for professional opinion. By sending us your details, health records etc. you consent and accept that it may be necessary for us to forward these clinical details electronically or in other formats.

We will never share your information with other organisations for marketing, market research or commercial purposes.

Website security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Website cookies

A “cookie” is a small file containing a string of characters that is sent to your computer when you visit a website. When you visit the website again, the cookie allows that site to recognise your browser. Cookies may store user preferences and other information. You can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some website features or services may not function properly without cookies.

The cookies we use are "analytical" cookies. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around the site when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily. You can find more information about the individual analytical cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them below:

Cookies do not harm your computer and do not enable us or any third party to view any information on your computer’s hard drive. You block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site.

Links to other sites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. You should note by using any link you are leaving this website and we have no control over any third party site content. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Controlling your personal information

The Data Protection Act 1998 gives you the right to access the information that we hold about you. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to:

Information Commissioner's Office;

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone 01625 45745