We’d like to reassure you that your personal information is respected.
We’ve all received quite a few messages in our inboxes recently, as companies update their privacy policies. Companies with whom we share personal information need to meet the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which come into force today across the EU. In the UK, the EU regulations are being incorporated into the updated Data Protection Act 2018. So that personal information is respected, the new regulations build on the previous Data Protection Act. New regulations allow us, the consumers, more control over our personal data rights.
Yet, with so much in the news these days about the sale of personal data, or the mishandling of it, as consumers we are right to have concerns.
Be reassured that all SpaDental group practices aim to meet the requirements of:
- the Data Protection Act, 2018;
- the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR];
- the guidelines on the Information Commissioner’s website;
- CQC and GDC guidelines, and
- SpaDental group professional guidelines and requirements.
Trust is important.
As far as our health is concerned, so that we can access the care and treatments we need, we do have to share personal data. It’s essential that, for example, dental practices hold personal data such as name, date of birth and contact details. Dental practices also hold special category information, such as health and dental records.
With regard to the information held, everyone has the right to:
- Be informed – we can ask about the information held about us.
- Access information held – we can see that information.
- Rectification – we can ask for errors to be corrected.
- Erasure- we can ask for personal information to be deleted (although clinical records must be retained for a finite period).
- Restrict processing – we can ask for information to be withheld.
- Data portability – we can have our information transferred to a different service provider.
- Object – we have the right to question how our information has been handled and take action if we need to.
If you have any questions about your personal data, your practice manager or coordinator is the person who can help you best. Each practice’s new Privacy Notice explains the stages for submitting comments, suggestions or complaints.
SpaDental Group Privacy Notice can also be found on the website. As well as covering the information held in the practice, there is additional information for visitors to, and users of, the SpaDental website.
Further reading:
- external link to Which GDPR Guide