Clinic Policies

Whitley Bay Osteopathic Centre (known in this document as The Company) is operated by Newcastle Osteopaths Ltd, 65 Whitley Road, Whitley Bay, NE26 2EP

 

1. Payment for treatment is due on booking (if booking online) or on the day of treatment.
2. Payment is the responsibility of the individual patient or in the case of paediatric appointments, the person with legal parental responsibility.
3. The Company will not enter into any third-party agreement relating to payment for treatment.
4. Should you be in a situation where third parties are involved you must make payment for treatment to us yourself. The Company will not accept payment from insurance companies or lawyers on your behalf.
5. Rescheduled appointments with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged.
6. Cancellations within a minimum of 24 hours’ notice will be charged.
7. Missed appointments will be charged for in full.

Any organization in the UK which collects information about its users has to comply with a law called UK GDPR.  This law is designed to respect and maintain people’s privacy so that data is only shared when absolutely necessary.

One aspect of GDPR is transparency and at WBOC we have a privacy policy which we make available to you so that you can see exactly how it works and what we do with your information.

The legal language used for GDPR is not always easy to understand.  What follows is our accessible version of our policy and then the full legal text.

 

Confidentiality

This is a basic principle of our practice: essentially, what’s said in the treatment room stays in the treatment room. Confidentiality is a fundamental right for all patients: we will not divulge anything you tell us without your consent, unless required to do so by law.

In order to treat you safely and effectively however, we need to hold certain personal information relating to you.  This enables us to identify you and your records and to make decisions about the type of treatment that would be safe and appropriate for you.  In addition, we are legally obliged to record certain data relating to you.

 

The data we keep

We are required to keep:

• Your name
• Your address
• Your date of birth
• Details of your medical history
• Details of our observations and the treatment we have given.

We also keep details of your phone number(s) and email address for convenience in contacting you.  We may use these for sending appointment reminders, information about the practice (eg if we are required to shut due to public health measures) and for contacting you to check your progress.

 

How we store your data

Your personal contact details and the details of your medical history and treatment may be stored both on paper and on a secure encrypted internet-based diary and admin system.  The system we use is called Cliniko.

 

Cookies

Our website uses Cookies in order to function properly.  You’re welcome to disable them if you want, but the website may not work as it should.

 

Our policy

We will

• Record only information that is required by law or for which we have your consent
• Keep all records securely: written (paper) records in locked premises and electronic (computer) records in encrypted files
• Allow access to your records within the practice on a restricted basis. Medical and osteopathic records can be accessed by any practitioner.  Reception staff cannot access your treatment notes.  They are only allowed to access information needed for administrative purposes
• NOT record any information relating to your credit/debit cards other than the start and expiry dates and the last 4 digits of the card number only (this means there is no way of identifying the card’s owner)
• NOT write to your GP or anyone else (eg an insurance company) without your consent
• NOT share any of your personal data with any other organization without your specific consent
• NOT use your telephone or email contacts for any purposes except those stated above

 

Your agreement with us

This policy is available to read in reception and is also published on our website.  By continuing with your appointments and treatments you are confirming that you have access to this Privacy Policy and that you understand and agree to it.

 

WBOC Privacy Policy Full Text

1 – Scope

This privacy notice (sometimes referred to as a privacy policy or privacy statement) concerns personal data, which is defined as information concerning any living person (a natural person who hereafter will be called the Data Subject) that is not already in the public domain.

The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), seek to protect and enhance the rights of UK data subjects. These rights cover the safeguarding of personal data, protection against the unlawful processing of personal data and its storage within the UK.

Newcastle Osteopaths Limited, based at Whitley Bay Osteopathic Centre, 65 Whitley Road, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear NE26 2EP which hereafter for the purposes of this privacy notice will be referred to as the Osteopaths, is pleased to provide the following information:

 

2 – Who we are

The Osteopaths is a practice providing osteopathic assessment and treatment by UK registered Osteopaths. Treatments are carried out in accordance with the Institute of Osteopathy patient’s charter. The practice may also provide other treatments, about which our staff would be pleased to provide more details.

 

3 – Personal Data

1. a) For the purposes of providing treatment Osteopaths may require detailed medical information. We will only collect what is relevant and necessary for your treatment. When you visit our practice, we will make notes which may include details concerning your health, medication, treatment and other issues affecting you. This data is always held securely, is not shared with anyone not involved in your treatment, although for data storage purposes it may be handled by pre-vetted staff who have all signed an integrity and confidentiality agreement. To be able to process your personal data it is a condition of any treatment that you give your explicit consent to allow Osteopaths to document and process your personal medical data. Contact details provided by you such as telephone numbers, email addresses, postal addresses may be used to remind you of future appointments, provide reports or other information concerning your treatment.

1. b) The Osteopaths may use the contact details provided by you to respond to your enquiries including making telephone contact and emailing information to you which the practice believes may be of interest to you.

1. c) In making initial contact with the practice you consent to Osteopaths maintaining a dialogue with you for purposes relating to your treatment only. Osteopaths do not broker your data and do not maintain a marketing database.

1. d) Some basic personal data may be collected about you from any forms or surveys you complete, from records of our correspondence and phone calls and details you provide when booking online through our website.

1. e) Osteopaths’ website uses cookies, which is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. WordPress.org uses cookies to help Osteopaths to identify and track visitors and their website access preferences. Osteopaths’ website visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using Osteopaths’ website.

1. f) Osteopaths will only collect the information needed so that it can provide you with the services required.

4 – Legal basis for processing any personal data

To meet our contractual obligations obtained from explicit Patient Consent and legitimate interest to respond to enquiries concerning the services provided.

 

5 – Legitimate interests pursued by Osteopaths

To promote osteopathic treatments for patients.

 

6 – Consent

Through agreeing to this privacy notice you are consenting to Osteopaths processing your personal data for the purposes outlined. You can withdraw consent at any time by using the postal, email address or telephone number provided at the end of this privacy notice.

 

7 – Disclosure

Osteopaths will keep your personal information safe and secure, only staff engaged in providing your treatment will have access to your patient records, although our administration team will have access to your contact details so that they can make appointments and manage your account. Osteopaths will not disclose your Personal Information unless compelled in order to meet legal obligations, regulations or valid governmental requests. The practice may also enforce its Terms and Conditions, including investigating potential violations of its Terms and Conditions to detect, prevent or mitigate fraud or security or technical issues; or to protect against imminent harm to the rights, property or safety of its staff.

 

8 – Retention Policy

Osteopaths will process personal data during the duration of any treatment and will continue to store only the personal data needed for a minimum of eight years after the contract has expired to meet any legal obligations. After eight years all personal data may be deleted on request, unless basic information needs to be retained by us to meet our future obligations to you, such as erasure details. Records concerning minors who have received treatment will be retained until the child has reached the age of 25.

 

9 – Data storage

All Data is held in the United Kingdom.

 

10 – Your rights as a data subject

At any point whilst Osteopaths is in possession of, or processing your personal data, all data subjects have the following rights:

• Right to information – you can ask for information about what data is being processed and the rationale for such processing.
• Right of access – you have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you.
• Right of rectification – you have a right to correct data that we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Right to be forgotten – in certain circumstances you can ask for the data we hold about you to be erased from our records.
• Right to restriction of processing – where certain conditions apply you have a right to restrict the processing.
• Right of portability – you have the right to have the data we hold about you transferred to another organisation.
• Right to object – you have the right to object to certain types of processing such as direct marketing.
• Right to object to automated processing, including profiling – you also have the right not to be subject to the legal effects of automated processing or profiling.

In the event that Osteopaths refuses your request under rights of access, we will provide you with a reason as to why, which you have the right to legally challenge.

At your request Osteopaths can confirm what information it holds about you and how it is processed.

 

11 – You can request the following information:

• Identity and the contact details of the person or organisation (Osteopaths) that has determined how and why to process your data.
• Contact details of the data protection officer, where applicable.
• The purpose of the processing as well as the legal basis for processing.
• If the processing is based on the legitimate interests of Osteopaths and information about these interests.
• The categories of personal data collected, stored and processed.
• Recipient(s) or categories of recipients that the data is/will be disclosed to.
• How long the data will be stored.
• Details of your rights to correct, erasure, restrict or object to such processing.
• Information about your right to withdraw consent at any time.
• How to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority (ICO).
• Whether the provision of personal data is a statutory or contractual requirement, or a requirement necessary to enter into a contract, as well as whether you are obliged to provide the personal data and the possible consequences of failing to provide such data.
• The source of personal data if it wasn’t collected directly from you.
• Any details and information of automated decision making, such as profiling, and any meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and expected consequences of such processing.

 

12 – To access what personal data is held, identification will be required

Osteopaths will accept the following forms of ID when information on your personal data is requested: a copy of your driving licence, passport, birth certificate and a utility bill not older than three months. A minimum of one piece of photographic ID listed above and a supporting document is required. If Osteopaths is dissatisfied with the quality, further information may be sought before personal data can be released.

 

All requests should be made to info@wbosteopathy.co.uk or by phoning +44 (0) 191 252 1555 or writing to us at the address further below.

 

13 – Complaints

In the event that you wish to make a complaint about how your personal data is being processed by Osteopaths you have the right to complain to us. If you do not get a response within 30 days you can complain to the ICO.

The details for each of these contacts are:

Martin Grundy
Newcastle Osteopaths Limited
Whitley Bay Osteopathic Centre
65 Whitley Road
Whitley Bay
Tyne and Wear
NE26 2EP

Telephone (0191) 252 1555    or email: info@wbosteopathy.co.uk

 

ICO

Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF

Telephone +44 (0) 303 123 1113 or email: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/

At WBOC our approach is that practitioners and patients work together in partnership.  We want to make sure that we’re clearly communicating with you, that we have your consent to do this work, and that you are sharing in making the decisions about your own treatment.

Communication

We will give you information about what to expect at your consultation.

Listen to your story and ask you to help make sure we understand it

Work with you to make sure we understand what’s important to you.

Provide you with the best possible osteopathic explanation of your symptoms and what we’ve discovered.

Have a discussion with you about different osteopathic treatment options and other practitioners who may help you.

Encourage you to ask us questions and if we don’t know the answers, we’ll undertake to find them out.

 

Consent

We’ll speak with you at every stage of your visit because we want to be sure that you’re happy with what we’re doing and why.

Check that you feel comfortable during your time with us.

Encourage you to let us know if you have any worries or concerns so that we can maximise the benefits of treatment.

Ask for your ongoing feedback and permission to continue with all stages of the consultation and treatment.

 

Decision making

We’ll help you to make decisions about your treatment and care, by explaining what osteopathic treatment involves, and its benefits and risks.

When decisions are needed about how to move forward, we’ll make them together with you.

 

Our Partnership with You

Concentrating on communication, consent and shared decision making is the best way we know of working in partnership with you.  Our conversations with you will be honest and open.  We want you to feel empowered and in control of your own treatment plan.  We’ll respect your choices on receiving treatment and the way forward.  We’ll welcome you and encourage you to feel at ease and comfortable during your time in the clinic.

 

We’ll help you back to health

If you think there’s something we could be doing better, or you’re not happy about something that’s happened while you’ve been under our care, we’d like to know about it so that we can improve our practice.

We can’t do this unless you tell us.  This is why we have a complaints procedure.

Our promise to you is that we’ll –

• Treat your complaint seriously
• Work to resolve your complaint promptly and in confidence
• Learn lessons and use them to review and where appropriate improve our service

 

STEP 1

Make your complaint to one of our receptionists or to Martin Grundy our practice principal, by phone, in an email to martin@wbosteopathy.co.uk or by letter.

Your complaint will be logged and we’ll attempt to resolve the issue for you immediately.  If this isn’t possible, we’ll arrange a time to discuss things further by phone or at the practice if you prefer.

We’ll investigate your complaint during the following few days and aim to –

• Find out what happened and what went wrong
• Make sure you receive an explanation and apology if this is appropriate
• Identify what we can do as a practice to ensure that this problem does not arise again

 

STEP 2

If you do not feel we have resolved your complaint to your satisfaction you can contact the Institute of Osteopathy Complaints Resolution Service by ringing the Institute of Osteopathy on 01582 488455, or email enquiries@iosteopathy.org

 

STEP 3

If you’re concerned about safety and you wish to instigate a formal complaint with the regulatory body, the General Osteopathic Council can be contacted on 0207 357 6655.

Please note that the General Osteopathic Council cannot award compensation.