Personal Information

At various times during your interaction with osteopaths at the Carlton Clinic, you will be asked to provide personal information. This document tells you what information we request and why we need it, what information is stored, and how we process it.

Online Appointment Booking

This clinic uses Cliniko scheduling software, and is available for booking Osteopathy, Massage, Hypnotherapy and Foot Care appointments on-line. Should you wish to make use of this facility, we request your email address, date of birth and mobile telephone number to confirm your appointment.

We also send you appointment reminders. Your contact details are stored within Cliniko’s software database, but we do NOT share or pass on your personal details to any 3rd party.

We may also send you a questionnaire after your first appointment to ask you for your feedback. If, subsequently, you would like us to remove your personal contact details from our database, let us know, and we shall do so within 5 working days. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use the on-line booking facility without providing this information. However, you will still be able to make appointments via the practice telephone on 01293 784200.

Your Initial Consultation

We require your full name, address and date of birth so that we can identify your medical records correctly (as these are legal documents) and also to identify you correctly in any necessary correspondence with 3 rd parties that you authorise. Should your name (eg. marriage) or address change, it is important that you let us know so that we can ensure your records are updated. We request your email address and telephone number(s) in order to contact you regarding your appointments, or with appointment reminders, or relating to your treatment at the Carlton Clinic. Should these details change, it is important that you let us know so that we can ensure your records are updated. We do NOT share or pass on these personal details to any 3rd party. You are not obliged to provide your email address or telephone contact details. And if, subsequently, you would like us to remove your email address and telephone number(s) from our database, let us know, and we shall do so within 5 working days. Please note that, without this information, we would be unable to contact you should we need to inform you of a change to your appointment in the event that your osteopath is unavailable to see you, or we would be unable to send an email appointment reminder. If you choose not to receive an appointment email reminder, and you miss your appointment, you will be charged the full fee, for the missed appointment.

We may also use your personal details to contact you (by post, email or text) with information, such as newsletters, that you may find of interest regarding our services or of a general healthcare matter, or with requests for feedback. We would seek your consent prior to doing so, and you may subsequently withdraw your consent if you wish – simply let us know, and we shall stop doing so within 5 working days.

Your Medical Records

We are legally required to record essential clinical information that we take from you during your initial consultation and each subsequent appointment to enable us to make an accurate diagnosis of your problem(s) and to formulate an appropriate treatment and management plan. These records are held online, on servers hosted within the European Union. You may request a copy at any time. We aim to provide you with a copy within 5 working days of your request, and will always comply with the statutory maximum of 30 days. There is no charge for a copy of these records. Your medical records, and any correspondence such as referral letters and reports based on their contents, are not shared with or passed on to any 3rd party, with the exception of: other healthcare professionals such as your GP or consultant; another osteopath in the event you relocate; if ownership of this practice passes to another osteopath; your insurance company or legal representatives in the case of a medicolegal investigation. We would not do so without your consent. We store copies of any medical correspondence in electronic form, accessible only to osteopaths at the Carlton Clinic. Statutory minimum storage times for medical records and associated correspondence are 8 years after the date of the last appointment or 25 years of age if under 18 at the time of the last treatment.

Data Processing

We store your name, address, date of birth, and (when provided) your email address and contact telephone numbers in a clinical audit database, along with information regarding your presenting complaint including diagnosis, duration and severity of symptoms, and response to treatment. The database is password protected and held on a secure server, accessible only to osteopaths at the Carlton Clinic. The clinical audit information is used to measure the effectiveness of our treatment and for research purposes. The database is NOT shared with or passed on to any 3rd party and the data processing does NOT make use of any identifying data (name, address, email or phone numbers). Therefore, it is NOT possible to identify any patients from audit results or research outcomes that are made public via our website. We would seek your consent prior to including your information in the clinical audit database, and you may subsequently withdraw your consent if you wish – simply let us know, and we shall remove your details within 5 working days.

We store information in the clinical database for same duration as your medical records.

Therapies other than Osteopathy

Some therapists at the Carlton Clinic i.e. Acupuncture, are responsible for their own medical records and management of patients’ personal information as per the General Data Protection Regulation. Please refer to your specific therapist for a privacy statement and for details of how they manage your information.

For further information regarding the storage and processing of your personal data, or if you feel that there is an error in the data we hold, or if you would like us to remove your contact details from our database, please contact the practice manager, Mo Robinson on 01239 784200 or via info@thecarltonclinic.co.uk.

The Carlton Clinic is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, registration number ZA319580 (Robinson & Associates Ltd).

If you feel that the Carlton Clinic have not managed your personal information correctly, please contact us, and we shall endeavour to address your concern immediately. You also have the right to object to the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ or by phone on 0303 123 1113.

Mo Robinson
Practice Manager
The Carlton Clinic

Last updated: June 2021