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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

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Who am I?

 

(Rachel) Annette McLaren, Independent Speech and Language Therapist is a sole trader who provides speech and language therapy advice, assessment and therapy to children and their families. This is carried out in the home or in educational settings.

 

 

What do I use the data for?

 

Any personal information collected by me by telephone, email or face to face contact is stored and used to deliver your child’s speech and language therapy.

It is used to plan, prepare and deliver therapy and to send invoices and receipts.

It is used to communicate with you via post, telephone, email and SMS in relation to your child’s speech and language therapy.

With your permission, it may be shared with other professionals involved in your child’s care, when it is in your child’s best interests.

 

Unless required by law to do so, I will not share any personal information collected with anybody other than those specified above.

For clinical audit to assess and improve my service, all audits are presented with client identity removed.

I do not use third parties to process information.

 

 

 

What data do I collect?

 

Data about your child will be collected via spoken and written information from parents/carers. With parental consent, additional information may be collected from other professionals working with your child e.g. teachers, pre-school staff, childminders and NHS Speech and Language Therapists.   I may also collect information about family members where this relates to your child e.g. parental contact details and medical or developmental history.

If you make an enquiry via the website you will be required to provide your contact details in order for me to respond. You may also give additional personal information in your enquiry.

 

If your child is subsequently seen for speech and language therapy, this information will be added to their personal file. If not, the information will be deleted.  Once taken on for assessment or therapy, information will be collected about your child’s speech and language skills and added to their personal file after each visit. 

 

If it is necessary for assessment or therapy, I may take short videos or audio recordings of your child with your permission.

 

 

How do I store the data?

 

All information collected about you, your child and their speech and language therapy is stored securely in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

 

Children’s files containing name, date of birth, address and written details of their speech and language therapy are kept in a locked filing cabinet. Master copies of reports are password protected and kept on a secure memory stick.

Copies of invoices and receipts are kept on a secure memory stick.

Any videos taken are password protected and kept on a secure memory stick until no longer needed when they are deleted.

All information attached to emails is password protected and no personal information is sent via email (children are referred to by their initials only).

In accordance with the law, all records will be kept securely until your child is 25 years of age at which time they will be destroyed by shredding or deleting.
 

What is my lawful basis for processing information?

 

My lawful basis for processing and storing personal information is one of ‘legitimate interest’ (under article 6 of GDPR). We cannot adequately deliver a service to your child without processing their personal information. As it is both a necessity for our service delivery and of benefit to your child, we have a legitimate interest to process and store their data.

 

Data relating to an individual’s health is classified as ‘Special Category Data’ under section 9 of the GDPR. The regulations specify that health professionals who are “legally bound to professional secrecy” may have a lawful basis for processing this data. Speech and Language Therapists are legally bound to keep client information confidential and it is under this condition that we process and store personal information.

 

HCPC has clear standards of conduct, performance and ethics that must be adhered to. These standards apply to the way in which we process and share information.

Standard 2.6 - Work with colleagues

 ‘You must share relevant information, where appropriate, with colleagues involved in the care, treatment or other service provided to a service user.’

Standard 10 - Keep records of your work

 ‘You must keep full, clear and accurate records for everyone you care for, treat or provide other services to’.

‘You must complete all records promptly and as soon as possible after providing care, treatment or other services’

‘You must keep records secure by protecting them from loss, damage or inappropriate access’.

 

The full document can be found at: http://www.hcpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10004EDFStandardsofconduct,performanceandethics.pdf

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