PRIVACY POLICY

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D & D McWilliams Opticians is a registered data controller. This privacy notice sets out our privacy policy.

We collect and process patients’ personal data for the purposes of healthcare.

Our legal basis for processing personal data for healthcare purposes, including appointment reminders, include public task or legitimate interests.

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• When we provide services under the NHS General Optical Services contract (such as a sight test funded by the NHS), our legal basis for processing personal data in respect of that service is public task Otherwise our legal basis is legitimate interests

• Our condition for processing special category data is the provision of health or social care.

 

We do not process our patients' personal data for marketing purposes.

The data we may collect and process

The personal data of patients that we may collect and process includes:

• Your name, contact details and personal identifiers (such as date of birth and NHS number)

• Your general and ocular health history, your family medical and ocular history, and any relevant signs or symptoms you tell us about

• Details of medicines, spectacles and contact lenses prescribed for you and any information related to why we have prescribed these products

• Details of examinations and other healthcare checks and treatments we provide

• Information relevant to your continued care from other people who care for you or know you well, such as other health professionals and relatives.

 

How we hold and share your personal data

We process your personal data in strict confidence. We keep your personal data securely in our filing and electronic systems. Patient records are only accessible to the healthcare professionals working at the practice and employees under their supervision. We will usually keep any personal data we hold about you for ten years after our last contact with you before we delete it. This is the period recommended as good practice by the College of Optometrists. If we collected the data when you were aged under 18 we will keep it until your 25th birthday, in line with NHS requirements. In exceptional cases we may need to retain personal data for a longer period, and will explain our reasons for doing so on request.

In the course of processing your personal data we may share it with:

• The healthcare professionals working at this practice and those under their supervision

• Healthcare professionals and those under their supervision at other optical practices, but only if you have specifically asked us to pass your personal data (such as your prescription) to them

• Your GP, ophthalmologists and other healthcare providers and commissioners, and suppliers of optical appliances or similar products, in connection with your ongoing healthcare treatment

• Software providers for our patient record and invoicing systems, and financial institutions, so that we can keep patient records up to date and arrange payment for services provided to you.

 

Your rights

You have legal rights in respect of the personal data we hold about you. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published guidance on the full range of rights. This can be found Here. The rights that are most relevant to the way in which we use your personal data include:

• The right to be informed about how we use personal data – this privacy notice gives that information

• The right to object – if you object to us processing your data for healthcare purposes where our legal basis is legitimate interests (see ‘why we collect and process your personal data’, above), we will then stop doing so, unless we are processing the data in respect of a legal claim or can otherwise show that our legitimate interest in processing the data overrides your rights and interests.

• The right of access – if you ask us for the personal data we hold about you we will provide it within a month, free of charge (unless we have already provided it to you, in which case we may have to charge you the administrative cost of providing it again).

• The right to rectification – if you ask us to correct personal data about you that is inaccurate or incomplete, we will do so within a month (unless we need longer, in which case we will discuss this with you)

• The right to erasure – also known as the ‘right to be forgotten’. If you ask us to delete your personal data, we will do so if there is no compelling reason to continue processing the data. We will not usually delete healthcare data before our usual time limit (see ‘how we hold and share your personal data’ above) where we have a duty to keep accurate records – for example, to comply with a legal obligation, or in connection with a legal claim. If you ask us to delete such data we will discuss this with you.

 

Contacting us and the ICO about your personal data

Please speak to us first if you have any questions or concerns about the way in which we process personal data. You can contact Daphne McWilliams via email: daphne@dmcwilliams.co.uk or by post to D & D McWilliams Opticians, 27 Church Street, Stanwix, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 9DJ

You have the right to complain to the ICO if you have a concern about our handling of your personal data which you do not think we can resolve. You can contact the ICO via their Website

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D & D McWilliams Opticians Online/Cookie Privacy Policy

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D & D McWilliams Opticians Website must comply with EU GDPR Law. By using this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website.

This website is not collecting any personal data, but we do use third party tools that might do so. Please check their privacy policies for further information: Googla Analytics, Google AdSense, Google Maps, Facebook.

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:

• The content of the pages of this website is for general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.

• This website does use Google Analytics to monitor browsing preferences. If you do allow this to be used, some personal information may be stored by us.

• We do use cookies to collect anonymous visitor statistics through Google Analytics and to detect if this is the first time you're visiting the site. Please read third party privacy policies for more details: Google Analytics.

• We do use cookies as part of our online booking appointment system. Please read third party privacy policies for more details: XEyeX.

• This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the cleaning script, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.

• All trademarks reproduced in this website which are not the property of, or licensed to, the operator are acknowledged on the website.

• From time to time this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).

• Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.