Privacy policy
In this privacy notice, when we refer to ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’, we mean White Gables Dental Practice. Our principal address is: White Gables Dental Practice, 96 Conway Road, Colwyn Bay, LL29 7LE. Find other contact details
If you have any concerns or questions, email our data protection officer at: reception@whitegablesdental.co.uk
This privacy notice applies to anyone who interacts with us about our products and services in any way, including email, phone or through our website.
Information we collect
For the purposes of providing services to you, we might collect:
- Personal information, like your full name, date of birth, address, telephone number, email address and occupation.
- Information about your general and dental health, including clinical records, x-rays, clinical photographs, digital scans, and study models.
- Medical and dental histories.
- Treatment plans and consent.
- Records of conversations we’ve had with you about your care, including our responses to any questions, complaints, and related communications.
- Correspondence from other professionals or institutions involved with your care.
- Information about the fees we’ve charged, payments exemptions (NHS), the amount you’ve paid and any relevant payment details.
- Feedback and complaints.
- CCTV images.
- Online and social media information, based on your interactions with us and our websites, including your Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system, and selected browser settings.
- Data about the way you browse our website, including dates and times, which pages you visited and in what order, page response times, errors, how long you spent at each page and what links you interacted with.
- Any other personal information you provide.
How we collect information
You give us information in several ways:
- By filling in forms when you visit our practice, or at our website.
- Corresponding with us by phone, email, chat or otherwise.
- Through the technology you use to access our services.
- Through public sources, such as social media.
- Through third parties.
Cookies
Like many websites, we use cookies to help us provide you with a better experience and track the performance of our website.
How we use your information
We’ll only use your information to:
- Mange our relationship with you, including handling any questions or complaints.
- Manage our social media or online relationship with you. We’ll ask for your permission if we ever use a video, photo or content which relates to you.
- Provide dental care and treatment. It’s important that we have up-to-date and accurate information about you.
- Contact you requesting your participation in surveys or asking for feedback we can use to improve our services in future.
- Seek your preferences on how we should contact you in future. We’ll usually contact you by phone, text message, email or letter.
- Seek your consent if we want to use your information for dental research or education. Wherever possible we’ll anonymise your information.
- Contact you about services and offers which may be of interest.
For the safety of our practice, patients and staff, CCTV may be in operation.
By visiting our website, or communicating with us in any way, including through social media, you consent to the collection, processing, storing, use and disclosure of information, in accordance with this privacy policy.
Our website, social media and online content is intended for use by individuals aged 13 or older. We will not knowingly collect personal information relating to anyone under the age of 13.
We’ll seek parental consent for any information we hold about juvenile patients, such as medical history details and contact information.
We securely delete or destroy information we no longer have a need to keep.
Social media
White Gables Dental Practice maintains a presence on selected social media sites – currently Facebook and Instagram.
Just bear in mind that these sites are public, so it’s important that you don’t share anything that you’d prefer to keep private, either now or in the future.
It’s also worth knowing that a separate privacy policy applies to each website or social media platform, so make sure you’re comfortable with those before you use and interact with their services. Their standard of protection may not match ours.
If you need support, the best way to get in touch is by phone or email. We offer a range of contact options.
How we share your information
Any information you provide and that we hold is usually only used by our practice staff, but occasionally we might need to share details with trusted third parties like:
- Your GP.
- Specialists or hospitals we refer you to for treatment.
- Dental laboratories.
- Denplan.
- Our secure IT system providers.
- Debt collection companies.
We generally have third party agreements in place to protect your information. We’ll only disclose the minimum information required, and strictly on a need-to-know basis.
In rare cases, we may be asked to support law enforcement or government agencies, such as HMRC, by providing information.
How we keep your information safe
Whether digital or physical, we have security measures in place to keep your personal information protected:
- Our computers and systems are password protected.
- We have a secure computer server and back-up system.
- The practice is equipped with alarms and CCTV.
- We have locked storage for paper-based material.
Access to your information is limited to authorised staff, agents and third parties, on a strict need-to-know basis. Each is subject to a duty of confidentiality.
How long your information is kept
Dental records are retained for at least 10 years from the date of your last visit.
Any other information, including correspondence, will be kept as necessary, depending on the original reason it was collected.
Retention periods are subject to change, based on legal and regulatory requirements.
Your rights
Access – you have the right to access and receive a copy of any information we hold about you.
Rectification – you have the right to ask us to correct any information on our records which you don’t believe to be accurate or complete.
Erasure – you have the right to ask us to delete your personal information. Just be aware that, for legal reasons, we won’t be able to delete selected information, including your medical records.
Restriction – you have the right to ask us to restrict the use of your information. For example, you might not want to receive appointment reminders by text message.
Portability – you have the right to ask us to share your information with another practitioner you’re seeing for dental treatment.
To make requests about any data we hold about you, please contact us.
For more details, visit the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is the UK’s independent body for upholding information rights.
If you have any concerns
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re unsure how we use your information, or don’t feel able to talk about this when you visit the practice.
If you have any concerns or questions, email our data protection officer at: reception@whitegablesdental.co.uk
Last updated on: 5th January 2023