Privacy Policy: Specific Services

 

GDPR Privacy Notice

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which is EU wide and far more extensive than its predecessor the Data Protection Act, along with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), seek to protect and enhance the rights of EU data subjects. These rights cover the safeguarding of personal data, protection against the unlawful processing of personal data and the unrestricted movement of personal data within the EU and its storage within the EEA.

I, Dr Michelle Hunter-Hill am pleased to provide the following information:

Who I am

I am an Occupational Psychologist and approach my work with the utmost regard for a client’s wellbeing and rights. The Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) and The British psychological Society (BPS) regulate and inform my practice. You can find out more about my professional and legal responsibilities on their respective websites.

www.hcpc-uk.org.uk

www.bps.org.uk

Information I collect about you and how I use it for the purpose of providing treatment

Upon starting consultation, basic personal information will be collected for contact and identification reasons. During our consultation meetings, an assessment of you and your organisation’s psychological health will be completed, and notes will be taken during sessions. These will include personal and sensitive details about your life. The assessment and notes are used solely for the delivery of a consultation service to you.

Website Cookies

My website uses cookies. A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. Cookies to help The Practice to identify and track visitors and their website access preferences. Website visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using this website

I will only collect the information needed so that we can provide you with the services you require, I do not sell or broker your data.

Google analytics

When someone visits this website we use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way, which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website.

Confidentiality

The information about confidentiality in no way contravenes you and your

child’s rights under the General Data Protection Regulation May 2018 to access personal data that I hold about you. I keep confidential records and statistics about all the clients I work with. Information but not names will be shared with my assistant who is also accredited and is an Occupational Psychologist in-training.

These records are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation May 2018.

Your personal and sensitive data will only be used in order to provide the service to for managing and quality assuring the service.

My consultation services, including The Issues@Work Clinic is a private and confidential form of help. I hold information about each of my clients and the advice and the service they receive in confidence. This means that I will not normally give your name or any information about you to anyone outside the organisation. However, there are exceptional cases where I might ethically or legally have to give information to relevant authorities, for example if I had reason to believe that someone, especially a child or adult, is at serious risk of harm or to prevent a miscarriage of justice. I will discuss any proposed disclosure with you unless I believe that to do so could increase the level of risk to you or to someone else. There are other supervening legal and ethical obligations, such as my duty to comply with criminal investigations when I am legally obliged to do so.

If you come with a partner or your family, I may suggest seeing each of you individually. It is important for you to know that what is said in those individual sessions will be confidential and not shared with your partner or family unless discussed otherwise.

As a fully accredited member of the HCPC and BPS, I adhere to their ethical framework and guidelines to ensure that you receive a professional and quality service.

Your rights

I recognise that on rare occasions my clients may wish to exercise their rights under the General Data Protection Regulation May 2018 and make a subject access request in respect of their personal information held by me. You have rights relating to the information I hold to verify the accuracy or to ask for them to be supplemented, deleted, updated or corrected. You have the right to request a copy of the information that I hold about you. If at any time you wish to exercise your right under the Act you should put your request in writing to me and provide evidence of your identity such as a copy of your passport or driver’s license and proof of your address. When I receive evidence of identity I will respond to your request within 30 calendar days. My response to a valid subject access request will normally be in the form of a schedule listing and describing the personal data I hold on you. You have a right to request the transfer of your data to another individual or company. I want to make sure that your information is accurate and up to date. You may ask me to correct or remove information you think is inaccurate. You have a right to request the transfer of your data to another individual or company.

Lawful basis for processing your information

The lawful basis for my holding and using your information is in relation to the delivery of a contract to you as a health care professional. As an accredited psychologist I operate under a strict code of confidentiality.

Data storage

All Data is held in the United Kingdom. I do not store personal data outside the EEA. All data storage services used are fully GDPR compliant and available on request.

How long is information stored for- data retention

Your information is kept for the time necessary to provide the consultation service requested, however outside of this I will hold your details and session notes for a period of 7 years following the end of service to comply with legal obligations that are placed upon me by my insurers. After this date, all data will be securely deleted.

Privacy

Mobile phones

Please switch off your mobile phone during your sessions as it can create an unhelpful distraction and interruption.

Unauthorised electronic recording

In order for you to work safely and effectively with a psychologist, it is important that the privacy of the work is respected. Please do not attempt to record your consultation session using any device or app. If it is found that recordings have been made covertly, consultation services for the individual responsible will be discontinued immediately and I reserve the right to seek legal advice regarding possible further action.

Reports and client records

Occasionally I am asked by my clients or by external agencies such as solicitors,the NHS to write reports on the progress made in consultation. I am not normally in a position to do this because of my duty of confidentiality. However in some circumstances, and on receipt of written consent from the client(s) who attended consultation, I can provide brief information about the dates and number of sessions attended.

Vulnerable adults in particular must be given ample opportunity to understand the nature, purpose, and anticipated consequences of any professional information sharing, so that they may give informed consent to the extent that their capabilities allow. Whilst requests of this nature are common, and often helpful, I can only agree to participate in information sharing with informed consent and when it is my professional opinion that it is in a client’s best interest. These records are not suitable as evidence in legal proceedings and I reserve the right to resist legal requests to produce the records in court. I do this in order to protect the duty of confidentiality of my clients and to preserve my reputation as the provider of confidential consultation services, including the Issues@Work Clinic.

There may be times where your information needs to be shared with 3rd parties. I will explicitly ask your consent before doing so, and the data will be sent to 3rd parties securely.

Cancellation policy

If you intend to cancel, at least 48 hours’ notice should be given to avoid cancellation charges. If less than 48 hours notice is provided, you will be charged the full cost of your session to cover the incurred costs.

If a health or insurance company is paying for your treatment, they may make you liable for the charge. Your treatment sessions could be suspended dependant on their policy.

Reviews

We will review sessions regularly to ensure you feel you are getting the most out of therapy; you are not tied into any commitment you can end sessions at any time. If I consider your requirements beyond my competence I reserve the right to terminate our contract, this will be discussed in the session and recommendations would be provided

Feedback and complaints

If you have any feedback about the service you receive from me, or you are not satisfied with your experience, please contact me. It is possible that I can resolve your complaint and I welcome feedback and if you make a complaint, I will always take it seriously as it allows me to improve the service that I can offer to others.

Consent

At the start of consultation a consent form is given to you which enables you to agree processing your personal data for the purposes outlined above.

For further information or you wish to make a complaint please contact:

Name: Dr Michelle Hunter-Hill (Occupational Psychologist and Data Protection Representative)

Contact Number:(+44) 02033686788

Email: [email protected]

Full Address: The Occupational Psychology Practice International, 3rd floor, 86-90, Paul St, London, EC2A 4NE

 

Dr Michelle Hunter-Hill

Chartered Occupational Psychologist (HCPC)

Registered with the British Psychological Society