Privacy notice

Introduction

This notice applies to all five TG’s Dental Suite practices: Higham Ferrers, Earls Barton, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Scraptoft/Leicester and Rugby. We aim to meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the guidance published by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and our professional guidelines and obligations. The data controller is TG’s Dental Care Limited, registered in England & Wales under company number 07743679, with a registered office at Pickford House, 18 High View Close, Vantage Park, Hamilton, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE4 9LJ.

Dawn Arthurs, Group Manager, is responsible for data protection across the group on the company’s behalf, and is the first point of contact for any question about how we use your data or to exercise your rights. You can reach her through our Higham Ferrers practice on 01933 318481 or at higham@tgsdentalsuite.com.

Day to day, the Information Governance Lead for each practice is the practice manager:

• Higham Ferrers: Dawn Arthurs
• Earls Barton: Rachel Algar
• Ashby-de-la-Zouch: Lydia Bullock
• Scraptoft/Leicester: Karen McClelland
• Rugby: Georgia McHugh

What we collect and why

You may be asked to provide personal information when you join or contact one of our practices, use our website, register online, subscribe to communications, or are referred to us. We process your personal data so that we can provide dental care, manage our relationship with you, meet legal and professional obligations, and improve our services.

The categories of personal data we may process include:

• Personal details needed to provide dental care, such as your name, address, date of birth, contact details, NHS number, medical history, dental history and treatment records;
• Information needed to provide treatment plans, estimates, appointment bookings, recalls, reminders and other practice communications;
• Details of family members, parents, carers or emergency contacts where relevant to your care or the care of a child or dependent;
• Marketing and communication preferences, where you’ve chosen to receive updates about important announcements, new treatments or services;
• Website information, such as IP addresses and usage information, to help us understand how visitors use our website and improve the online experience; and
• Special category data, including health records, where needed to provide healthcare and meet legal, regulatory and professional obligations.

We minimise the personal data we collect and don’t keep it for longer than necessary.

Our lawful bases

We rely on: our legitimate interests as a dental practice; performance of a contract with you (or steps to enter one); your consent, where required; and compliance with our legal obligations. For special category data, including health information, we rely on processing that’s necessary for healthcare purposes, necessary to meet legal, regulatory or equality obligations, or your consent where required.

How long we keep it

Patient records are retained for a minimum of 10 years, and may be kept for longer where required for complex records or to meet legal or professional requirements. Other personal data is retained only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected. Details are available in our Record Retention procedure, which you can request from your practice.

When you send a message through our website contact form, your name, email address and phone number are used to pass the message to the practice you chose, and are not stored on the website. We keep the wording of the message, with email addresses, phone numbers, postcodes, dates that look like dates of birth, and any repeat of your name removed, for up to three years. We use it only to see what patients ask and to improve this website and our service. Please leave medical details out of the form. The practice receives the full message by email and keeps it in its mailbox, and our email provider keeps a copy in its sending log for 30 days.

Who we share it with

We don’t share your personal details with other organisations unless there is a lawful reason, such as a contract with a supplier who processes data on our behalf, a legal requirement, or where it is needed for your care. If we need to refer you to another practitioner or to hospital care, we will explain this before the referral is made and your details are shared. Your data is shared with the NHS in England if you receive NHS treatment.

These are the suppliers that process personal data on our behalf through this website:

• Dentally is our practice management system. It holds your patient record. When you book online or use your account, your details are passed to Dentally, and it sends the text message codes used to sign in to your account.
• Stripe takes card payments. Your card details go to Stripe and never reach our own servers.
• Cloudflare hosts this website and stores the booking and account information we need to run it.
• Resend sends our emails, such as booking confirmations, account emails and messages from the contact form.
• Microsoft 365 is our email provider. Messages you send through the contact form arrive in the mailbox of the practice you choose.
• postcodes.io looks up a UK postcode on our server to help you find your nearest practice when you book.
• Anthropic powers the chat assistant on this website. What you type into the chat is sent to Anthropic so it can write a reply. Our website does not keep a copy of your conversation. Please don’t put personal or medical details into the chat.
• Google provides the maps on our practice pages. When one of those pages loads, Google receives your IP address and browser details so it can show the map. If you choose “Accept analytics”, Google Analytics also collects information about how you use the site (see our Cookie policy).

Some of these suppliers are based outside the UK. Where your information is sent abroad, we rely on appropriate safeguards so that it stays protected.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• be informed about how your data is collected and used;
• access a copy of the data we hold about you;
• have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected;
• ask for your data to be deleted, subject to our clinical record-keeping obligations;
• restrict or object to certain processing;
• have your data transferred to someone else (data portability), where applicable; and
• raise concerns about automated decision-making and profiling, where it applies to you.

If you’re a patient, you can ask us to correct errors in your personal details, request a copy of your patient records, or withdraw consent for optional communications such as newsletters, surveys or marketing. If you’re not a patient, you can ask us to correct, delete or provide a copy of the personal data we hold about you, and you can withdraw consent for optional communications such as telephone, email or text messages. Contact the Information Governance Lead at your practice to exercise any of these rights (details above, and on our Areas We Serve pages).

How the NHS and care services use your information

TG’s Dental Suite is one of many organisations working in the health and care system to improve care for patients and the public. Information collected about you when you use NHS or care services can also be used and shared with other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for example to improve quality and standards of care, support research into new treatments, prevent illness and disease, monitor safety, or plan services. This only happens where there’s a clear legal basis, and most research and planning uses anonymised data so you can’t be identified.

You have a choice about whether your confidential patient information is used this way. If you’re happy with this, you don’t need to do anything. If you’d rather opt out, your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care. Visit nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters to find out more or register your choice, and you can change your mind at any time. Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care never includes sharing with insurance companies or use for marketing, and would only happen with your specific agreement.

If you’re not satisfied

Please contact the Information Governance Lead at your practice first. We take concerns about data handling seriously. If you remain unhappy, or want advice, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): call 0303 123 1113, use their online live chat, or visit ico.org.uk. The ICO can investigate your complaint and take action against anyone who has misused personal data.