Privacy Policy

Practice data security policy

This Dental Practice is committed to ensuring the security of personal data held by the practice. This objective is achieved by every member of the practice team complying with this policy.

Confidentiality (see also the practice confidentiality policy)

• All staff employment contracts contain a confidentiality clause.
• Access to personal data is on a “need to know” basis only. Access to information is monitored and breaches of security will be dealt with swiftly by Milin R. Parekh or any person appointed by him.
• We have procedures in place to ensure that personal data is regularly reviewed, updated and deleted in a confidential manner when no longer required. For example, we keep patient records for at least 11 years or until the patient is aged 25 – whichever is the longer.

Physical security measures

• Personal data is only taken away from the practice premises in exceptional circumstances and when authorised by Milin R. Parekh or any other person appointed by him. If personal data is taken from the premises it must never be left unattended in a car or in a public place.
• Records are kept in a lockable cabinet, which is not easily accessible by patients and visitors to the practice.
• Efforts have been made to secure the practice against theft by, for example, the use of intruder alarms, lockable windows and doors.
• The practice has in place a business continuity plan in case of a disaster. This includes procedures set out for protecting and restoring personal data.

Information held on computer

• Appropriate software controls are used to protect computerised records, for example the use of passwords and encryption. Passwords are only known to those who require access to the information, are changed on a regular basis and are not written down or kept near or on the computer for others to see.
• Daily and weekly back-ups of computerised data are taken and stored on-line by software provider off-site. Back-ups are also tested at prescribed intervals to ensure that the information being stored is usable should it be needed.
• Staff using practice computers will undertake computer training to avoid unintentional deletion or corruption of information.
• Dental computer systems all have a full audit trail facility preventing the erasure or overwriting of data. The system records details of any amendments made to data, who made them and when.
• Precautions are taken to avoid loss of data through the introduction of computer viruses.

This statement has been issued to existing staff with access to personal data at the practice and will be given to new staff during induction. Should any staff have concerns about the security of personal data within the practice they should contact Milin R. Parekh or any person appointed by him.

Practice data protection code of practice for patients

Keeping your records

This practice complies with the 1998 Data Protection Act and this policy describes our procedures for ensuring that personal information about patients is processed fairly and lawfully.

What personal data do we hold?

To provide you with a high standard of dental care and attention, we need to hold personal information about you. This personal data includes:

• your past and current medical and dental condition; personal details such as your age, NHS number, address, telephone number and your general medical practitioner
• radiographs, clinical photographs and study models
• information about the treatment that we have provided or propose to provide and its cost
• notes of conversations/incidents about your care, for which a record needs to be kept
• records of consent to treatment
• correspondence with other health care professionals relating to you, for example in the hospital or community services.

Why do we hold information about you?

We need to keep comprehensive and accurate personal data about our patients in order to provide them with safe and appropriate dental care. We also need to process personal data about you in order to provide care under Private or NHS arrangements and to ensure the proper management and administration of the relevant system as applying to your care.

How we process the data
We will process personal data that we hold about you in the following way:

Retaining information
We will retain your dental records while you are a practice patient and after you cease to be a patient, for at least eleven years or, for children, until age 25, whichever is the longer.

Security of information
Personal data about you is held in the practice’s computer system and/or in a manual filing system. The information is not accessible to the public; only authorised members of staff have access to it. Our computer system has secure audit trails and we back up information routinely.

Disclosure of information

To provide proper and safe dental care, we may need to disclose personal information about you to:

• your general medical practitioner
• the hospital or community dental services
• other health professionals caring for you
• NHS payment authorities
• the Inland Revenue
• the Benefits Agency, where you are claiming exemption or remission from NHS charges
• Private dental schemes of which you are a member.

Disclosure will take place on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. Only those individuals/organisations who need to know in order to provide care to you – or in order to ensure the proper administration of Government (whose personnel are covered by strict confidentiality rules) – will be given the information. Only the information that the recipient needs to know will be disclosed.
In very limited circumstances or when required by law or a court order, personal data may have to be disclosed to a third party not connected with your health care. In all other situations, disclosure that is not covered by this Code of Practice will only occur when we have your specific consent.
Where possible you will be informed of these requests for disclosure.

Access

You have the right of access to the data that we hold about you and to receive a copy. Access may be obtained by making a request in writing and the payment of a fee of up to £10 (for records held on computer) or £50 (for those held manually or for computer-held records with non-computer radiographs). We will provide a copy of the record within 40 days of receipt of the request and fee (where payable) and an explanation of your record should you require it.

If you do not agree

If you do not wish personal data that we hold about you to be disclosed or used in the way that is described in this Code of Practice, please discuss the matter with your dentist. You have the right to object, but this may affect our ability to provide you with dental care.