Privacy policy
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law designed to protect the personal information of individuals. This privacy notice details Gate Psychological Services Ltd GDPR policy so that you can feel confident about how your information is looked after.
If you have any queries or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to ask.
What Information does Gate Psychological Services collect?
To ensure you are provided with the right service to meet your needs we will collect personal information which may include the following;
Personal data includes basic contact information such as;
Child/Young Person name, address, contact number and email. Next of kin contact details/parents details/social workers.
Details of other professionals/providers involved in your care e.g. Local Authority, Social Worker, Foster Carers, Residential Staff, GP, Education Provision
Sensitive personal data such as;
Clinical Records of all information relevant to your engagement with our service. This includes clinical notes, letters, reports, psychometric and outcome measures, emails, text messages, audio or video recordings when relevant.
We will also collect historical health/social care information related to your engagement with our service. This could be directly from you or by contacting a professional involved in your care, with your consent to do so.
This information is only collected where it is necessary to do so to provide you with the relevant service to meet your needs.
Please let us know if at any time your personal information changes by emailing gatepsychologyadmin@protonmail.com
How is your personal information used?
Your Personal Information is used;
To assess and provide you with the appropriate service
For billing and processing payments
To help prevent serious harm
Sharing of personal information
Whenever information about you is shared, we only provide the information necessary.
If you are referred by your Local Authority/Adoption Support Fund/Health insurance provider, or otherwise claiming through Local Authority/ASF/Health insurance policy to fund therapy, then we will share basic personal information and appointment schedules with that organisation for the purposes of billing.
If you are referred by your GP, or other Health/Social Care provider we will share personal information with them and other professionals involved in your care in order to provide treatment updates. We will do this only with your written consent unless it is in relation to a safeguarding issue following which we can share information without consent.
Basic personal data included in invoices is shared with our accountant (and HMRC if necessary due to tax-related queries), who is also bound by confidentiality and data protection.
In most circumstances, your personal data will not be disclosed without your consent. The exceptions to this are:
When it is necessary to protect you or others from harm. This is when the information concerns risk of harm to your child/you, or risk of harm to another person or other persons. We will discuss such disclosure with you unless we believe that to do so would increase the level of risk to your child/you or others. This is in accordance with safeguarding policies and procedures.
If your health is in jeopardy, and you are unable to give consent, we may share your contact information and some information about your health with an emergency healthcare service, your GP, next of kin/parent/person with parental responsibility.
We may of course be obliged by law to pass on your information to the police or other law enforcement body.
We may also share your information with anyone you have authorised us to deal with on your behalf.
In accordance with HCPC professional standards Dr Gemma Gate and Associates are required to have regular Clinical Supervision to ensure high quality practice. Information about your care and treatment may therefore be discussed within clinical supervision. In order to protect your privacy, you will be referred to by your first name only.
Securing your personal information
We follow strict security procedures in the storage of personal information in line with industry practices, which includes the storage of data in electronic and paper formats. All paper records are kept in a locked filing cabinet. We utilise GDPR compliant practice management software for electronic clinical records. All electronic records are encrypted and password protected. Appropriate security software is installed on electronic devices such as laptop and mobile devices used to process any of your information.
How long is your personal information stored for?
Your personal information will not be kept for longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was provided unless we are required by law or have other legitimate reasons to keep it for longer (for example; if necessary for any legal proceedings).
Basic contact information and referral data is deleted within 12 months of the date of your enquiry if you do not progress to using our assessment/consultation or therapy services, or we do not hear back from you. This allows us to provide a better service to returning clients.
All other information, including the sensitive data defined above, is stored for a minimum period of 7 years after the end of therapy/service involvement in compliance with professional guidelines and obligations. In some cases, particularly with children, this is held for longer (until at least 18 years of age).
Data used for accounting purposes is stored in accordance with HMRC regulations, which is 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if certain circumstances apply as defined by HMRC.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
Ø Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Ø Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Ø Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Ø Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
Ø Your right to object to processing - You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Ø Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
Please contact us at gatepsychologyadmin@protonmail.com if you wish to make a request.
You do not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or access any other rights), however we may charge a fee, or refuse to comply if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal information (or any other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response. We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally, it may take longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this incidence, you will be notified and updated with any progress.
Complaints
We take data protection and your care and treatment very seriously. If you are not happy with how your data has been used, please contact us so that we can try to resolve any issue.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk).
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
Policy Date: 19/11/2019
Latest update: 28/05/2021