Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Watlington Dental Centre is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website watlingtondentalcentre.co.uk or use our dental services.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Register as a patient at our practice
• Book or attend an appointment
• Use our contact form on the website
• Contact us by phone, email, or in person
• Complete medical history forms

The types of personal information we may collect include:

• Contact Information: Name, address, email address, telephone number
• Identification Information: Date of birth, NHS number (where applicable)
• Medical/Dental Information: Medical history, dental records, treatment notes, X-rays, clinical photographs
• Emergency Contact Details: Names and contact information of next of kin
• Financial Information: Payment details for private treatment (processed securely and not stored by us)

2.2 Information Automatically Collected

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• Browser type and version
• Device information
• IP address (anonymised)
• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Referring website addresses

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information under the following legal bases:

• Contract: To provide dental treatment and services
• Legal Obligation: To comply with healthcare regulations, NHS requirements, and professional duties
• Vital Interests: To protect your health and safety
• Legitimate Interests: To manage our practice effectively and improve our services
• Consent: For marketing communications (where applicable)

3.2 Purposes of Processing

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Providing dental treatment and maintaining your dental health records
• Managing appointments and sending appointment reminders
• Processing payments for private treatment
• Communicating with you about your treatment
• Complying with legal and regulatory requirements
• Managing complaints and feedback
• Improving our services and website functionality
• Sending recall reminders (with your consent for NHS patients)

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share your personal information with the following parties when necessary:

• Healthcare Providers: Your GP, other dental specialists, or healthcare professionals involved in your care
• NHS Services: For NHS patients, we share information with NHS Business Services Authority and NHS England
• Dental Laboratories: For creating dental appliances and prosthetics
• Professional Bodies: General Dental Council (GDC), Care Quality Commission (CQC) when required
• Insurance Companies: When processing insurance claims with your consent
• Legal Authorities: When required by law or to protect vital interests
• Service Providers: Third-party service providers who assist us in operating our practice (e.g., email services, payment processors) under strict confidentiality agreements

We will never sell your personal information to third parties.

5. Website Usage and Technology

5.1 Contact Form

When you submit our online contact form, we collect your name, email address, phone number (optional), subject, and message. This information is used solely to respond to your enquiry and is processed securely via email.

5.2 Google Maps

Our website uses Google Maps to display our location. When you interact with the map, Google may collect information in accordance with their privacy policy. Please review Google's Privacy Policy for more information.

5.3 Google Fonts

We use Google Fonts to display text on our website. These fonts are loaded from Google's servers and may result in your IP address being transmitted to Google.

5.4 Cookies

Our website currently does not use cookies for tracking or analytics. We use only essential technical functions required for the website to operate properly.

6. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:

• Secure storage of physical records in locked cabinets
• Password-protected electronic systems
• Encrypted data transmission
• Regular staff training on data protection
• Access controls limiting who can view your information
• Regular backups and security updates

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but continuously work to maintain the highest standards.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this privacy policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

• Adult Dental Records: Minimum of 11 years from the date of last treatment
• Children's Dental Records: Until the patient's 25th birthday, or 11 years after the last treatment, whichever is longer
• X-rays and Clinical Images: Retained as part of dental records
• Financial Records: 7 years as required by HMRC
• Website Enquiries: Generally deleted after 2 years unless converted to patient records

These retention periods comply with NHS and General Dental Council requirements.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

We will respond to your request within one month. In complex cases, we may extend this by up to two months and will inform you of any delay.

9. Children's Privacy

We provide NHS dental care for children aged 17 and under. For children under 13, we obtain parental consent before collecting personal information. Parents and guardians have the right to access, modify, or delete their child's information.

Our website is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from children through the website.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will post any changes on this page and update the "Last Updated" date at the top.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Significant changes will be communicated to our registered patients.

11. Complaints and Concerns

If you have any concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: