Privacy Policy

 

UK Data Protection Law and EU General Data Protection Regulations:

Data Protection Law lays down wide-ranging rules, backed up by criminal sanctions, for the processing of information about identifiable, living individuals. It also gives individuals certain rights in relation to personal data held about them by others.  Linked Communication is fully compliant with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation. We are also registered with the Information Commissioner, Registration Reference: C1396893

 

Linked Communication Ltd needs to collect and use personal data about you as part of the therapy and assessment processes. Personal data can be considered as any information that can be used to identify you. You are lawfully entitled to know why and how we use your data. This includes understanding any risks and implications of sharing your data as well the security measures we have enforced in order to make sure these risks are reduced, and your privacy protected.

 

This will allow you to make an informed decision about whether you would like to share your personal data with us. It is assumed that by engaging with our service you are consenting to records being kept. If you are under 16, we will require consent from your parent/ guardian for you to receive an assessment from us.

 

What personal information do we request to hold?

·        Your contact details

·        Notes of correspondence with you (e.g., via telephone, email, remotely or in person)

·        Clinical information required for assessments

·        Payment details

·        Information about how you use our website

 

How do we get the information and why do with have it?

·        Most information we store comes from you or your parents/carer directly

·        We may also talk to third parties such as schools or other professionals

·        We collect this information in order to complete the assessment you have requested.

·        The information collected includes verbal and written information.

 

Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Information

Linked Communication’s legal basis for processing your data is to oblige to a contract with you in providing the assessment or therapy service that you have requested.

 

Sharing Data with Others

We will share personal information about you within Linked Communication (between associates such as Independent Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists and other allied health professionals) in order to share expertise and provide the most accurate and comprehensive assessment for clients.

We may share personal information about you with other professionals, such as your GP. Your permission will be obtained before we do this. The only exception would be if we were worried about your or another person’s safety; in which case we can share information without your permission.

Our clinical supervisors, administrator and accountant will also see some information. This is on a need-to-know basis; so our accountant, for example, will only see your postal address that is recorded on invoices.

 

How personal information is stored:

All information about you or your child is stored securely in accordance with data protection regulations.

  • Linked Communication uses a secure electronic system called ‘Write Upp' which is compliant with general data protection regulations (GDPR).  Prior to being uploaded to this system documents are temporarily stored on a private hard drive which is only accessible via a password held by the clinician.  Documents which contain confidential information such as reports and programmes are written directly onto Write Upp and are encrypted. 

  • Videos may be taken of clients with consent.  These are temporarily stored either on a private hard drive or an encrypted and password protected laptop. The video is then deleted if not required for therapy input or monitoring progress.

  • The minimum amount of confidential information will be taken out of the clinic base.  When your information is taken out of the clinic base e.g. on a school visit, it will be kept with the clinician or will be locked in the boot of a car (whichever is deemed to be the most secure at that time).

  • All information recorded on paper will be securely stored in a locked filing cabinet in accordance with Data Protection Regulations.

  • Confidential digital information will be stored and shared in a secure cloud service

  • Letters sent to professionals such as GPs, by surface mail, will be clearly marked Confidential.

  • All our staff training are required to have completed general data protection training We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breaches and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

 

How long will we keep your data:

We will only store your personal information for as long as it is required.

Registration forms and identifiable information will be kept for 8 years after the last date of service delivery, or until your child reaches the age of 25 (whichever comes sooner). After this period this data will be carefully disposed of at the end of each calendar year. Some records may be held indefinitely if there are any issues of concern that could lead to police investigation in the future. This is in accordance with the guidelines and requirements for record-keeping by the NHS, Records Management Code of Practice, (NHS; 2021), The British Psychological Society (BPS; 2000) and The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC; 2017).

 

Data Protection Complaints:

We are committed to protecting your personal data but if for some reason you are not happy with any aspect of how we collect and use your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk).

 

Your rights:

Data protection legislation gives you, the parent or client, various rights. The most important of these are as follows:

·        You have the right to a copy of information we hold about you or your child.

·        You have the right to ask for your record to be amended if you believe that it is wrong.

 

How to access your confidential record:

You can access the information we hold about you/your child by writing to Stephanie Connolly at the address given below. Please apply in writing rather than by email, so that we receive an original signature to compare against the records we hold. 

A copy of your records is provided free of charge.  We will provide access to your records within 30 days of receipt of all necessary information. 

Please make your request in writing to Subject Access Requests, Stephanie Connolly (Linked Communication Services Ltd), The Offices at Indoors Bowls Centre, Fifth Avenue, Margate, CT9 3AB.

If you have any further questions about how we use your information, please contact info@linkedcommunication.co.uk

Further information about data protection legislation and your rights is available from the Information Commissioner's Office or by calling 0303 123 1113, 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

 

Written by Stephanie Connolly (Speech and Language Therapist) October 2023