Effective Date: 7/1/2020

reviewed 1/12/2024

The Garden Street Dental (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your personal information and ensuring compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the NHS Code of Confidentiality, and the General Dental Council (GDC) Standards for the Dental Team.

This Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal and health information when you receive NHS and/or private dental care with us.

We may collect and process the following types of information:

• Personal details – name, address, date of birth, contact details, NHS number (where applicable).
   
• Health information – medical and dental history, treatment records, X-rays, referrals, and correspondence.
   
• Financial information – payment details, insurance information (for private treatment).
   
• Communication records – appointment reminders, treatment discussions, and patient feedback.
   

We use your personal data to:

• Provide you with safe and effective NHS and/or private dental care.
   
• Maintain accurate clinical records as required by the GDC.
   
• Communicate with you regarding appointments, treatment, and ongoing care.
   
• Process NHS claims, insurance claims, and payments.
   
• Comply with legal, professional, and regulatory obligations.
   
• Improve the quality of our services and patient experience.
   

We process your information under the following lawful bases:

• Provision of healthcare – performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR) and provision of healthcare services (Article 9(2)(h)).
   
• Legal obligations – compliance with NHS regulations, HMRC requirements, and GDC standards.
   
• Consent – for communications such as marketing or optional reminders, where you have given consent.
   

We will only share your information when necessary and lawful:

• With NHS authorities – to process claims and manage NHS contracts.
   
• With other healthcare providers – where referrals or shared care are required.
   
• With laboratories and suppliers – for the creation of dental appliances.
   
• With regulators – such as the GDC, NHS England, or the Care Quality Commission, where required.
   
• With business partners – such as payment processors or IT support, under strict confidentiality agreements.
   
• Where legally required – such as safeguarding concerns or court orders.
   

We do not sell your information to third parties.

We use secure systems, restricted access, encryption, and regular staff training to protect your personal and health data against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse.

We retain dental records in line with NHS guidance and GDC requirements:

• Adult records – 11 years after the last treatment.
   
• Children’s records – until the patient reaches age 25 or 11 years after last treatment (whichever is longer).
   
• Financial records – as required by HMRC (typically 6 years).
   

After this time, records are securely destroyed.

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access a copy of your personal data.
   
• Request corrections to inaccurate data.
   
• Request deletion of data (where legally possible).
   
• Restrict or object to certain processing.
   
• Request transfer of your data (data portability).
   
• Withdraw consent (where consent was given).
   

Requests can be made in writing to our Data Protection Officer.

If you use our website, we may collect technical information such as cookies and analytics. You may opt out of non-essential cookies.
We may contact you with appointment reminders or treatment updates by phone, SMS, or email. Marketing communications will only be sent with your explicit consent.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available in practice and on our website.

If you have questions, requests, or concerns about your data, please contact:

Garden Street Dental
[Data Protection Officer / Practice Manager] Tina Kumar
4 Garden Street , Darfield, S73 9AA
01226 756764
gardensreetdental@gmail.com

If you remain dissatisfied, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113.