Privacy Notice
Christina Boyle Licensed Acupuncturist
As a Member of the Acupuncture Council of Ireland I have always taken confidentiality seriously and keep patient details private, according to data protection legislation and the Acupuncture Council of Ireland Code of Professional Conduct.
Purpose of Privacy Notice
The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (the GDPR). This legislation will replace current data privacy law, giving more rights to you as an individual and more obligations to organisations holding your personal data.
One of the rights is a right to be informed, which means we have to give you more information than we do now about the way in which we use, share and store your personal information.
This means that I am publishing a privacy notice so you can access this information, along with information about the increased rights you have in relation to the information I hold on you and the legal basis on which I am using it.
This new privacy notice comes into effect on 25 May 2018.
Who are we?
Christina Boyle is the data controller for Kerry Acupuncture. This means I decide how your personal data is processed and for what purposes.
Whose information does this Privacy Notice apply to?
This privacy notice applies to information I collect from:
patients;
prospective patients;
former patients;
people who subscribe to my newsletters;
visitors to my website;
What is Personal Data?
Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller’s possession or likely to come into such possession. Examples of personal data we may hold about you include your contact and appointment details.
Special category data is a sub-category of personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation. Examples of special category data I may hold about you include your patient notes.
How do I process your Personal Data?
I comply with my obligations under the GDPR by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data. I use your personal data for the purposes set out below.
1. I use your name, address, telephone number and email address to make and rearrange appointments.
2. I use your name, address, telephone number and email address, only if I have your explicit consent, to send you marketing materials.
3. I keep a permanent attendance register which records all appointments for patients attending my clinic, to keep a record of when you were treated for tax purposes and to secure potential evidence in the event of a criminal prosecution, civil litigation, insurance claim or complaint to my regulatory body, the Acupuncture Council of Ireland.
4. I may use your date of birth to help identify patients with the same name to avoid mistakes being made as to safe and appropriate treatment, for identification purposes if referring a patient to another health practitioner, and for identification purposes if writing to a registered medical practitioner so that they correctly identify the patient.
5. I use your presenting complaint and symptoms reported by you for the purposes of making a full traditional diagnosis, formulating treatment strategy, treatment planning and providing treatment.
6. I use any relevant medical and family history you have told us for making a full traditional diagnosis, formulating treatment strategy, treatment planning and providing treatment.
7. I use my clinical findings about your health and wellbeing for making a full traditional diagnosis, and formulating treatment strategy, treatment planning and providing treatment.
8. I keep a record, and refer to that record, of any treatment given with details of the progress of your case, to enable me to review the full traditional diagnosis, treatment strategy and planning. This is so that I can help you receive the most appropriate treatment and to secure evidence in the event of criminal proceedings, civil litigation, an insurance claim or complaint.
9. I record and use information and advice that I have given, especially when referring patients to any other health professional, again to help you receive the most appropriate treatment and to secure evidence in the event of criminal proceedings, civil litigation, an insurance claim or complaint.
10. I record any decisions made in conjunction with you to help you receive the most appropriate treatment and to secure evidence in the event of criminal proceedings, civil litigation, an insurance claim or complaint.
11. Where relevant I maintain records of the patient’s consent to treatment, or the consent of their next-of-kin in order to be able to prove that the patient (and/or parent/guardian/next of kin) has given informed consent to treatment to secure evidence in the event of a civil claim, criminal prosecution, insurance claim or complaint.
12. Paper case records are stored safely and securely in a locked filing cabinet at night. Any personal data stored by me in digital form is password protected.
13. I maintain and use records of subscribers to my newsletters, only with their consent, for marketing purposes.
14. I use a third party provider, MailChimp to deliver my e-newsletters. I gather statistics around email opening and clicks using industry standard technologies including clear gifs to help me monitor and improve our e-newsletter. For information, please see MailChimp privacy notice https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy
15. My website is hosted by WP Engine. I understand that they do not collect personal information.
16. When someone visits my website I use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. I will do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. I do not make, and do not allow Google to make any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting my website. If I do want to collect personally identifiable information through my website, I will be up front about this. I will make it clear when I collect personal information and will explain what I intend to do with it.
17. I use website cookies to improve user experience of my website by enabling my website to ‘remember’ users for the duration of their visit – using a ‘session cookie’
18. I use a third party service, Mailchimp as my newsletter delivery service. When you sign up to join my newsletter on the website, your name and email address are collected by Mailchimp. They take the security of your data seriously. You can read their privacy policy here: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy
Sections 25 and 27 applies to Facebook and Twitter users.
19. I have a Facebook page which you may follow : Kerry Acupuncture , found at: https://www.facebook.com/acupuncturetralee/
Information about Facebook Privacy Policies can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php
20. Although I will endeavour to keep your data secure, transferring information over the internet or storing it electronically is never completely secure. Therefore, I cannot make an absolute guarantee as to its security. This also applies if you chose to send personal details via social media such as on Facebook Messenger. Please refer to the relevant privacy policies regarding these third party services.
How do I transport, store and dispose of your personal Data?
I look after your personal data at all times: paper records are transported in a locked case, stored in a locked cabinet and my computers and mobile devices are password protected. Records are destroyed after the relevant periods, or upon request of the data subject but only in accordance with the details of this policy.
How long do I keep your personal Data?
I keep your personal data for no longer than reasonably necessary.I keep patient records for a minimum period of 7 years after the last treatment in accordance with the Acupuncture Council of Ireland Professional Conduct.After this time you can request that the information is destroyed and deleted
I keep records of general enquiries until it is evident that no further action is to be taken.
I update the information that I store as soon as possible after being notified of that change; this make take longer during holidays or sickness..
At any time you may request that changes are made to your contact details.
Your rights and your personal Data
I keep your personal data for no longer than reasonably necessary.
I keep patient records for a minimum period of 7 years after the last treatment in accordance with the Acupuncture Council Of Ireland Professional Conduct.
Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have certain rights with respect to your personal data as set out below.
The right to request a copy of your personal data which we hold about you.
The right to request that we correct any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date.
The right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for us to retain such data.
The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time. This right does not apply where we are processing information using a lawful purpose other than consent, for example health and treatment data which must be kept for 7 years.
The right to request that we provide you with your personal data and where possible, to transmit that data directly to another data controller, (known as the right to data portability), (where applicable) [This right only applies where the processing is based on consent or is necessary for the performance of a contract with you and in either case the we are processing the data by automated means].
The right, where there is a dispute in relation to the accuracy or processing of your personal data, to request a restriction is placed on further processing.
The right to object to the processing of personal data, (where applicable) [This right only applies where processing is based on legitimate interests (or the performance of a task in the public interest/exercise of official authority); direct marketing and processing for the purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics].
The right to be informed if your data is lost.
Contact Details
To exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints please in the first instance contact me Christina Boyle Licensed Acupuncturist (the data controller):
by telephone: 0868619246
by email: info@kerryacupuncture.com
or in person at my clinic.