Balance Neuro Physiotherapy Privacy Policy

This privacy notice explains why we collect information about you and how this information may be used.

In this Privacy Policy, references to “we”, “us”, “practice” or “our” are to any physiotherapists that are part of the Balance Neuro Physiotherapy Co-operative.

How we use your personal information:

We take your privacy very seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the services you have requested from us. Our professionals maintain records about your health, treatment plan and any treatment or care you have received previously that is relevant to your rehabilitation.These records help us to provide you with the best possible care and to facilitate treatment specifically tailored to your individual needs. The records we hold may be electronic, on paper or a mixture of both, and we use a combination of working practices and technology to ensure that your information is kept confidential and secure.

Records which we hold about you may include the following information:

  • Details about you, i.e. your date of birth, address, telephone number/s, email, diagnosis, emergency contact, etc.
  • Any contact we have had with you, i.e. appointments, clinic visits, hydrotherapy, home visits, classes etc.
  • Details about your treatment and care – past and present e.g. notes, letters and reports about your health.
  • Results from other organisations e.g. orthotics, technical equipment, mobility aids etc.
  • Relevant information from other health professionals, legal representatives, case managers, relatives or those who care for you.
  • Information to enable us to send, receive and process invoices for services you have received such as via third-party payers e.g. health insurance companies.

Sometimes your information may be requested by us to be used for our own marketing purposes – we will always gain your consent before releasing any information gathered for this purpose. We will only ever use or pass on information about you if others involved in your treatment have a genuine need for it and we have asked your consent for us to do this. See consent form attached. We will not disclose your information to any third party without your permission unless there are exceptional circumstances i.e. life or death situations or where the law requires information to be passed on.

We comply with obligations under General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data. You will be informed if your data needs to be shared and, in most cases, you will be asked for explicit consent for this to happen. See attached consent form. Any external companies that we may share your data with are bound by contractual agreements to ensure your information is kept confidential and secure.

Access to personal information:

You have a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 / GDPR 2018 to request access to view or to obtain copies of what information we hold about you and to have it amended should it be inaccurate. In order to request this, you need to do the following:

  • Your request must be made in writing to the physiotherapist that is treating you.
  • There may be a charge to have a printed copy of the information held about you.
  • We are required to respond to you within 20 working days.
  • You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, and details of your request) and your identity must be verified and your records located.
  • We are legally obliged to hold your data for 8 years (for adults) and until children reach the age of 21.

Change to your personal details:

It is important that you tell the person treating you if any of your details such as your name or address have changed or if any of your details such as date of birth is incorrect in order for this to be amended. You have a responsibility to inform us of any changes so our records are accurate and up to date for you. Notification GDPR requires organisations to register a notification with the Information Commissioners Office to describe the purposes for which they process personal and sensitive information. This information is publicly available on the Information Commissioners Office website www.ico.org.uk We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). The Data Controller, responsible for keeping your information secure and confidential is: Diane Ormsby/ Gemma Brown.

We shall request written consent regarding our holding, provision and sharing of your personal data.

Objections /Complaints Should you have any concerns about how your information is managed by us please contact your treating physiotherapist.

If you are still unhappy following a review by us you can then complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). www.ico.org.uk casework@ico.org.uk

If for any reason you are disatisfied with our service:

Raising Your Concerns or Making a Complaint:

  • Balance Neuro Physiotherapy aims to provide a high quality physiotherapy service.
  • We understand that constructive feedback and comments can help us tofurther improve. We will welcome your comments to help us achieve this. There may, however, be occasions when we fail to meet your expectations and you feel that a complaint is justified.

Our aim is:

  • To resolve issues quickly
  • To be prompt, open and thorough
  • To be supportive and resolve problems without blame
  • To improve our service
  • To provide information if the problem cannot be resolved via discussion with the practice.

What to do if you have a concern or complaint:

  • Please raise your concerns immediately, either with the therapist you are in contact with, or contact Diane Ormsby either verbally or in writing.
  • In many cases it will be possible to resolve the issue immediately. It is wise to raise your concern promptly (immediately or within days).
  • We shall keep documented evidence of your raised concern in a Complaints File kept securely and confidentially.

If your concerns have not been adequately addressed, please contact either:

  • The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
  • The Health and Care Professions Council
  • or the Health Service Ombudsman.