Privacy Policy

Data Protection and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

How we look after and safeguard information about you

Our optical practice and staff are members of your local healthcare team. They aim to provide you with the highest quality of healthcare. To do this they need to keep records about you, your health and the care we have provided or plan to provide to you. We know that you value your privacy and the security of personal information held about you.

Information recorded

Information recorded may include:

· Basic details about you, such as address, date of birth, next of kin;

· Details of your spectacle or contact lens prescription;

· Details of spectacles or contact lenses supplied to you;

· Other details and notes about your health and medical treatment;

· Records of medicines you have been prescribed by your doctor;

· Information relevant to your continued care from other people including health professionals and relatives.

As part of providing a professional, safe and efficient service, there is certain information that we record. This includes details about your ocular health, your general health, advice given and referrals made to other health professionals. This information won’t be shared with anyone else except under the circumstances described below in ‘Sharing Information’.

Sharing information

The information held about you will not be shared for any reason, unless:

· You ask us to do so;

· We ask and you give us specific permission;

· We are permitted by law, eg. where public interest overrides the need to keep the information confidential.

The types of people we may ask you for permission to share information with include your doctors (GP and hospital) and other health professionals.

Your rights

You have the right to confidentiality under the GDPR, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the common law duty of confidence (the Disability Discrimination and the Race Relations Acts may also apply). We also comply with the NHS Code of Practice on Confidentiality and optical practices have a requirement under their professional Code of Ethics to keep records about you confidential, secure and accurate.

Your right to view your health record

· You have the right to ask for a copy of all our records about you.

· You will need to give adequate information in order for optical staff to identify you 

(for example, full name, address and date of birth).

· If you think any information we hold on you is inaccurate or incorrect, please let us know.

· All personal data will be relevant and lawfully collected

· Data shall only be held and used for lawful purposes

· Data held on a specific patient will not be disclosed unless under written permission from the said patient

Every effort will be made to ensure data is accurate and up to date

Request for access to personal data

A request for access to personal data must be made in writing subject to any applicable exemption. A copy of information held both on manual record and computer will be provided, we do not charge for this unless it is a duplicate of information already provided. We are required to respond to your request within 21 days.

 Abington Eye Care Opticians GDPR v.1 May 2018