Privacy Policy

Advanced Physio West Privacy Policy

Your Information and GDPR:

Advanced Physio West collects information relating to patients’ health and personal details. This information is classed as sensitive data and termed as special category data. Under the new General Data Protection Regulation, (GDPR), patients of Advanced Physio West have a right to know why their information is collected, for what purpose it is used and how it is kept safe. Patients also have greater rights to access the information that Advanced Physio West holds on them.

Why is information collected?
For a detailed and accurate physiotherapy assessment and treatment to take place, information about a patients’ current and past health, needs to be obtained. Under the GDPR, Advanced Physio West has a legitimate interest in the patients’ information and that forms part of the contract between a health professional and their patient. This information allows us to give patients the best treatment possible.

How is this information used?
Information such as addresses, allow us to post receipts and invoices. Your telephone number allow us to send text reminders of appointments and communicate with you outside of appointment times. E-mail addresses are used for sending you receipts and your individual online exercise programme as required. Your date of birth is used as a unique identification for your records. Medical details allow for a detailed assessment to take place, which enables us to diagnose and treat the problems that you have. In some instances, with your consent, there will be communication with the referring GP or consultant.Who has access to your information?
All staff of Advanced Physio West are bound by patient confidentiality laws, the standards of conduct, performance and ethics of CORU, (Regulating Health & social care professionals) and the Irish Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (ICSP) code of conduct. Your information will not be shared outside Advanced Physio West unless you have given consent, except when:

• requested by law
• in your best interests and you are unable to give consent
• in the public interest to prevent serious harm to others

How is your information stored?
The initial assessment treatment notes are written on paper, which is kept in locked filing cabinets in the Clinic. Notes for subsequent treatments are kept on the Cliniko practice management software, which is kept on a computer that is password protected with robust security measures to prevent loss of information. Your name, address, telephone number and e-mail are transferred onto the electronic record with Cliniko. All notes will be kept for a period of 7 years after the last treatment or date of death at which point they will be permanently destroyed.

How can you access your records?
You have the right to request to see the information that Advanced Physio West holds about you. All requests will be answered in the time frame of one month unless you are notified of a difference to this time scale. There will be no fee for information provided.

Requests can be made either verbally or in writing to:
Advanced Physio West, Galway Road, Roscommon, Co. Roscommon

Or

Advanced Physio West, The Weir, Kilcolgan, Co. Galway

Tel: 0863758169

email: paul@advancedphysiowest.ie

In the instance where requests are excessive or unfounded, Advanced Physio West has the right to refuse and/or charge for time spent. This does not affect the individual’s right to complain to the data protection commissioner to seek judicial remedy. Where a fee is deemed appropriate Advanced Physio West will not comply with any requests until the fee is received.

Your right to amend, restrict and object to the information held.
Under the GDPR all individuals have the right to have incorrect information that is held about them amended. If this was to arise within the notes held by Advanced Physio West the notes would become restricted, i.e. not used until the issue was resolved. However, if Advanced Physio West Clinic deems the information to be accurate then no amendment will be made.

You have the right to have the information we hold restricted:

• if you contest the accuracy,
• you need the information to establish, defend or exercise a legal claim
• you object to the information held.

In this instance all treatment will be stopped until the issue is resolved. You also have the right to object to Advanced Physio West holding your personal information on grounds relating to your particular situation and as with restriction, all treatments will stop and the notes will become restricted until the issue is resolved.

How is your information kept safe?
Notes stored by Advanced Physio West are kept on a password protected computer, stored on the password protected Cliniko practice management system. There are robust security measures on the computer to prevent and minimise the risk of information theft. Written notes are kept in a locked filing cabinet in the clinic. When information is shared with others, GPs for example it will either be sent via encrypted email, recorded delivery or hand delivered.

Advanced Physio West will take the utmost care to ensure that your personal information is safe whilst it is under our care. In the unlikely event that this safety was compromised you will be notified immediately, as will the Data Protection Commissioner.