Privacy Policy

The Willows Dental Surgery complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018. We will ensure that your information is processed fairly and lawfully.

What personal information do we need to hold?

• We need to hold your past and present medical & dental condition.
• Details such as your age, address, telephone number and your general medical practitioner.
• We will sometimes need to take and store radiographs (x-rays), clinical photographs and study models.
• We will need to keep information about the treatment we have proposed and provided along with its price.
• Notes of conversations or incidents that might occur for which a record needs to be kept.
• Records of permission or consent for treatment.
• Any correspondence relating to you with other health care professionals, for example in the hospital
  or community services.

Why do we hold this information?

We keep accurate personal data about patients in order to provide you with appropriate and safe dental care.

Retaining Information

We are required to retain your dental records, x-rays and study models while you are a patient of this practice and after you cease to be a patient for a minimum of 11 years or until the age of 25 (whichever is longer).

Security

Information about you is stored in the practice computer system and/or in a secure manual filing system. The information is only accessible to authorised personnel. Personal information will not be removed from this practice without the patients authorised consent. Your personal information is protected by the staff at The Willows Dental Surgery. All access to information is held securely and can only be accessed by password which are routinely changed. Data is encrypted and computer terminals are locked if unattended.

We may need to disclose your information in order to provide proper and safe dental care, this may be to:

• Other health professionals caring for you including but not limited to your general medical practitioner
  and the hospital or community dental services.
• Private Dental Insurance schemes of which you are a member.

Disclosure will take place when relevant at a need to know basis. This means only those individuals or organisations that need to know in order to provide care to you will be given this information. Only information that the recipient needs to know will be disclosed.

In very limited circumstances or when required by law of 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 request for disclosure.