The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018 outline:
- How we explain what personal data we keep about you
- The reason and legal basis for keeping it
- Your rights regarding your data.
O’Brien Wrench & Lowcock Opticians are a Registered Data Controller
Theocsbury House, 18-20 Barton St. Tewkesbury, GL20 5PP tel. 01684 850212
In order to provide eye care services to you we must gather and retain certain categories of information about you.
What type of information?
- ‘Personal Data’ includes name, address, date of birth, telephone number, and eligibility for NHS eye examination (if applicable).The legal basis for processing this information is ‘legitimate interest’ and in the case of providing services on behalf of the NHS it is ‘public task’.
- ‘Special category Data’ includes medication details, clinical sight test records, occupation, driving and lifestyle information as well as copies of correspondence with other medical professionals.The legal basis for processing ‘Special category Data’ is ‘provision of health or social care’
- We keep full records of examination and test results along with details of spectacle or contact lens prescriptions where relevant.
Why is this information needed?
It enables us to:
- let you know when your next appointment is due and when goods or services are ready./li>
- accurately assess and deliver eye health services./li>
- communicate with you or other health professionals (when relevant)
How long is this information kept for?
Your records are securely stored for the recommended period of 10 years after your latest visit or until the 25th birthday if relating to children.
Who has access to this information?
- Staff at this practice have access to records. Staff are fully trained according to the guidelines of the Data Protection Act 1998 and EU General Data Protection Regulations 2018.
If you are an NHS patient, we provide the portion of your record that relates to NHS services to authorised persons within the NHS (who are in turn subject to patient confidentiality) if they request this. This is usually to confirm that we have provided the NHS services that we have been paid for, and to improve quality of care. It is also possible that the NHS may contact you to ask if you have received services (such as a sight test or spectacles ) as part of this monitoring.
- If we need to communicate with your GP or Hospital eye specialist we will seek your permission verbally to share the relevant information.
- If another optician requests information about your prescription, we cannot release that information without your express permission to do so.
Your rights with respect to your data
- The right to be informed – this privacy notice gives you the information about how we use your personal data.
- The right to object – if you object to us processing your data you may inform us in writing. Data relating to provision of NHS services cannot be deleted and conditions exist regarding the deletion of health records.
- The right of access – you have a right to access the data which we hold about you. You may apply in writing and we will provide it within 1 month.
- The right to rectification – you may ask us to correct data about you if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
- The right to erasure – If you ask us to delete personal data we will do so if there is not a legitimate reason to retain it. We cannot delete healthcare data within the time frame outlined above due to our legal obligation to retain accurate healthcare records.
If you have any concerns or complaints about the way your data is gathered or processed please contact Graeme Lowcock in the first instance. If you are in any way dissatisfied you are entitled to contact :
The Information Commissioner’s Office Tel. 0303 123 1113 Or ico.org.uk