Policies 

 

NHS Registration and Waiting List Policy 

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Due to such high demand for NHS dental treatment and our limited capacity, keeping up to date with your regular dental appointments is essential in order to remain an active patient. Any patient who has not attended for over 2 years will be removed from our current NHS patient list and may need to join a waiting list.

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Burnham Dental Practice would recommend booking the next appointment before you leave the practice to ensure you don't forget. We will aim to remind patients of their upcoming appointments either via phone, text or email depending on your recorded preferences. Is is also recommended to keep us informed if your contact details change such as when you move house so that our communications are received. 

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Safety 

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We regularly maintain checks to verify our equipment and follow all guidance regarding Health and Safety issued by the relevant authorities.

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Cross Infection

 

We strictly follow all cross infection control guidance issued by the Department Of Health HTM 01-05

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Information Handling

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In providing your dental care and treatment we will ask for information about you and your health. Occasionally, we may receive information from other providers who have been involved in providing your care.

 

We are a Data Controller under the terms of the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

 

This Privacy Notice explains what Personal Data the practice holds, why we hold and process it, who we might share it with, and your rights and freedoms under the Law.

 

What information do we collect?

 

• Personal details such as your name, date of birth, national insurance number, NHS number, address , telephone number and email address

• Information about your dental and general health, including:

 

-      Clinical records made by dentists and other dental professionals involved in your care or treatment

-      X-rays, clinical photographs, digital scans of your mouth and teeth and study models

-      Medical and dental histories

-      Treatment plans and consent

-      Notes of conversations with you about your care

-      Dates of your appointments

-      Details of any complaints you have made and how these complaints were dealt with

-      Correspondence with other health professionals or institutions

• Details of the fees we have charged, the amounts you have paid and some payment details

 

Why we process Personal Data (what is the “purpose”)

 

“Process” means we obtain, store, update and archive data.

 

Patient data is held for the purpose of providing patients with appropriate, high quality, safe and effective dental care and treatment.

 

What is the Lawful Basis for processing Personal Data?

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The Law says we must tell you this:

1. We hold patients’ data because it is in our Legitimate Interest to do so. Without holding the data we cannot work effectively. [Also, we must hold data on NHS care and treatment as it is a Public Task required by law].

 

Who might we share your data with?

 

Most data is used only at the practice.  We only share data if it is done securely and it is necessary to do so- for example with.

• Your doctor

• The hospital or community dental services or other health professionals caring for you (for example if we refer you to a specialist or need laboratory work undertaken)

• NHS payment authorities

• The Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies, where you are claiming exemption or remissions from NHS charges

• Private dental schemes of which you are a member

 

We will only disclose your information on a need to know basis and will limit any information we share to the minimum necessary and make sure this is done securely.

 

In certain circumstances or if required by law we may need to disclose your information to a third party not connected to your healthcare, including HMRC or other law enforcement or government agencies.

 

Marketing – we will ask your permission to contact you with news and special offers about dental treatment we can provide.

 

Your Rights

 

You have the right to:

 

1. Be informed about the personal data we hold and why we hold it.

2. Access a copy of your data that we hold by contacting us directly in writing or by email: we will acknowledge your request and supply a response within one month or sooner. We do not usually charge you for copies of your information however if we pass on a charge we will explain the reasons.

3. Check the information we hold about you is correct and to make corrections if it is inaccurate

4. Have your data erased in certain circumstances although you should be aware that for legal reasons we may be unable to erase certain information (for example, information about your dental treatment)

5. Transfer your data to someone else if you tell us to do so and it is safe and legal to do so.

6. Tell us not to actively process or update your data in certain circumstances.

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How long is the Personal Data stored for?

 

1. We will store patient data for as long as we are providing care, treatment or recalling patients for further care. We will archive (that is, store it without further action) for as long as is required for legal purposes as recommended by the NHS or other trusted experts recommend.

2. We must store employment data for six years after an employee has left.

3. We must store contractors’ data for seven years after the contract is ended.

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What if I do not agree?

 

If you do not wish us to use your personal information as described, you should discuss the matter with your dentist. If you object to the way that we collect and use your information, we may not be able to continue to provide your dental care.

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What if you are not happy or wish to raise a concern about our data processing?

 

If you do not wish us to use your personal information as described, you should discuss the matter with your dentist. If you wish to object to the way we collect and use your information we may not be able to continue to provide your dental care.

 

If you are not happy or wish to raise a concern please contact Dr Jasdeep, our Data Protection lead and she will do her best to resolve the matter. 

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And/or contact directly The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF (0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745).

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Date:  01/04/23

 

Review date: 01/04/24

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Raising a Concern

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If you have any concerns about your experience at the practice and wish to make a complaint you may contact our Principal/Practice Manager who handles all patient complaints.

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The Principal will oversee all complaints.

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Every effort will be made to resolve any concerns about your experience at the practice in a caring and sensitive way. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the relevant bodies.

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NHS Dental Treatment

For further information or advice you can contact the Patient Advice and Liason Service.

PO Box 16738
Redditch
B97 9PT

Tel. 0300 311 22 33

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Private Dental Treatment

Dental Complaints Service
Stephenson House
2 Cherry Orchard Road
Croydon
CR0 6BA

Tel. 08456 120 540

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