The practice is committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and GDC, NHS and other standards.
Dalkeith House Dental Practice is the Data Controller responsible for your personal data.
Address: 4 West Street, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 1DZ
Telephone: 01425 474171 / 473688
We collect and process your personal data when you provide the information requested on this form or request more information about, or purchase, a product or service.
We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you, which may include identity data, contact data, financial data, transaction data, technical data, profile data, usage data, and marketing and communications data.
When you use our website, we may collect and process personal data that you provide directly — for example when you complete a contact form, submit an enquiry, or register as a patient or book an appointment online. This may include your name, contact details, and any details you choose to provide in your message.
We may also automatically collect limited technical information, such as your IP address, browser type and device information, and website usage data through cookies (where applicable). This is used to respond to your enquiries, manage appointments, improve our website and services, and ensure website security.
Where cookies or similar technologies are used, you will be provided with clear information and choices in line with data protection requirements.
We use your information to:
We process your personal data under the following lawful bases:
For special category health data:
We will only share your information if it is done securely and it is necessary for us to do so. Your personal information may be securely shared with other healthcare professionals involved in your care (for example, if we refer you to a specialist, need laboratory work undertaken, or need to consult with your doctor).
We may also share your personal information securely with third parties where we are required by law or regulation to do so. This may include:
We may also share your data with trusted service providers (e.g. dental software providers, IT support, payment processors) who process data on our behalf under strict contractual agreements.
We will only send you marketing communications if you have given explicit consent or where the law allows. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
As part of our commitment to protecting patient confidentiality, we respect your rights under the NHS National Data Opt-Out. This means you can choose whether your confidential patient data is used for purposes beyond individual healthcare and treatment, such as research and planning.
We are required to comply with the National Data Opt-Out policy and apply it when using or sharing information for these purposes. If you have opted out, your information will not be used for secondary purposes.
For more information, or to view or change your opt-out preferences, please visit the NHS National Data Opt-Out website.
Your information is stored securely at the practice on protected computer systems and, in some cases, in paper form. Computer information is backed up regularly and may be securely stored away from our premises.
We retain dental records in line with the NHS Records Management Code of Practice (or equivalent guidance), typically for a minimum of 11 years (or longer where required).
Other documents we may collect have a variety of retention dates — for example, the NHS PR form (used to declare payment exemptions) must be kept for a minimum of 2 years. We have a retention schedule listing all documents and their disposal timeframes. Retention periods may change from time to time based on business, legal or regulatory requirements.
If you have a concern about how your personal data is being used, we ask that you contact us in the first instance so we can investigate and resolve the issue. We take all data protection complaints seriously and will acknowledge your concern promptly, investigate the matter thoroughly, and respond within a reasonable timeframe.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at any time, although we encourage you to contact us first. Further details on how complaints are handled can be found in our Complaints Policy.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Live chat or helpline: 0303 123 1113
When you visit our dental practice, we need to collect some information about you.
We need to keep records of personal information about our patients in order to provide safe and appropriate dental care and treatment, and to maintain accurate treatment records. We also need to process personal data about you if we are providing care under NHS arrangements and to ensure the proper management and administration of the NHS.
We will keep your information safe. Only the people involved in your care will be able to see your information. We will not share your information with anyone else unless we are required to by law, or where it's really important for your health — such as if we need to refer you to another dentist or orthodontist.
Where a child is not considered competent to make their own decisions, consent will be obtained from a person with parental responsibility. Where a child is deemed competent (Gillick competent), they may make decisions about their own data.
For children, we will retain your dental records for 11 years or until you reach the age of 25 (or your 26th birthday if you finished treatment at 17 years old) — whichever is longer.
For details of your rights under data protection laws — including the right to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK regulator for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk) — please contact our Data Protection Officer by email at katie.bray1@nhs.net.
