PRIVACY POLICY
I take the privacy rights of my patients very seriously. This privacy policy sets out how I deal with your ‘personal information’, that is, information that could identify, or is related to the identity of, an individual.
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Intellectual Property
The content of this website is my own property, for personal use only and cannot be shared without my express permission.
What personal information do I collect?
In order to treat you, I will ask you to provide certain information. This includes (but is not limited to):
Name, gender, date of birth, home address, email address, telephone number and medical history.
To this, over time, I will add details of the conditions for which you have consulted me and other therapies that I have recommended.
For my mailing list, I collect name and email address.
How do I collect this personal information?
All the information collected is obtained directly from you. This is usually at the point of your initial consultation. (Contact details may also be collected prior to this via my website form, by joining my mailing list or through my booking system hosted by Acuity.) The information is collected via a ‘registration form’ which I ask you to complete prior to or at the initial consultation. In order for me to treat you effectively I do need to obtain this information from you; the gathering and processing of this information is covered under the legal base of ‘legitimate interests’ and this term is defined within data protection regulation and law. All changes to this policy or the way in which your data will be processed will be discussed with you.
How do I use this personal information?
I use your personal information to be informed of any health conditions and provide therapies. I use your name and email address for marketing purposes if you have signed up to my mailing list.
I will communicate with you by email, other digital methods, by telephone and by post.
With whom do I share your personal information?
I will not disclose any personal information that I hold on you to any unrelated third party, except where required by law.
Please note that I use Mailchimp for marketing and Acuity/Squarespace as my booking system. By booking an appointment with me, you are agreeing that your details will be transferred to Acuity/Squarespace for processing. Details about Squarespace's privacy policy can be found here. Please note Acuity/Squarespace uses Stripe to process credit cards if you pay using this method. If you sign up for my mailing list, you are accepting that your details (name and email) will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Details about Mailchimp's privacy policy can be found here
How long do I keep your personal information?
Initial enquiries/discovery calls:
I will keep your personal details for four weeks or until two weeks after the date of your discovery call (whichever is later) unless you then book an initial consultation in which case the rules for ‘Clients’ applies.
Clients:
I need to keep your information for as long as you continue to consult me. As a registered homeopath, I am required to keep your information for seven years after your last consultation. In the case of children, 7 years after their 18th Birthday. As a Reiki and sound practitioner, I am required to keep your information for seven years after your last consultation. At that point, your file will be securely destroyed and any digital information will be erased from my computer systems.
Marketing list:
I will keep your personal details as long as you give me permission to do so. If you unsubscribe, your details will be deleted. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the footer of the email.
How your information can be updated or corrected
To ensure that I have accurate and up-to-date information, you need to inform me of any changes you believe I should make to the personal information I hold. You can do this by contacting me by any of the methods previously described.
Under data protection legislation, you have the right to inspect the personal information I hold about you. You can make a request to do so by contacting me and I will endeavour to respond within 14 working days.
How do I store your personal information?
My patient files are paper-based and are held securely within my consulting room. I take steps to protect your personal information against loss or theft, as well as unauthorised access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.
Your email address and any email correspondence is held securely on the servers of my email providers, currently Virgin Media and Google mail, my booking system, currently Acuity/Squarespace, or for subscribers to my mailing list, the servers of my website provider, Wix, and marketing platform, Mailchimp.
Changes to this policy
This policy may change from time to time. If I make any material changes, I will make you aware of them.
Contact
If you have any queries about this policy, need it in an alternative format, or have any complaints about my privacy practices, please contact me via the enquiry form on my website.
Policy created: September 2021
Policy last reviewed: February 2024