Your Information and GDPR:
Westport Physiotherapy Clinic collects information relating to patients’ health and personal details. This information is classed as sensitive data and termed as special category data. Under the General Data Protection Regulation, (GDPR), patients of Westport Physiotherapy Clinic have a right to know why their information is collected, for what purpose it is used and how it is kept safe. Patients have significant rights to access the information that Westport Physiotherapy Clinic holds.
Why is information collected?
For a detailed and accurate physiotherapy assessment and treatment to take place, information about a patient’s current and past health needs to be obtained. Under GDPR Westport Physiotherapy Clinic has a legitimate interest in the patients’ information and that is part of the contract between a health professional and their patient. This information allows the best treatment possible to be given to patients.
How is this information used?
Medical details and treatment notes are written digitally following each session using Cliniko, the dedicated Patient Management Software (PMS) in use at the clinic. This allows for the detailed assessment which takes places to be itemised, which will help diagnose and treat the health issues being experienced, provide a valuable record of the client’s progress, record diagnoses, plan future care, and provide a medical and legal record.
E-mail addresses are used to send your individual online exercise programme created using Physitrack, which is securely integrated within the PMS.
In some instances, with your consent, there will be communication with your GP or consultant using secure Multi Factor Authenication software such as Healthmail or by post.
Personal information can be used to email or post receipts or invoices and also to provide treatment at your place of residence, should this be required. Your telephone number is used to send text reminders of appointments and communicate with you outside of appointment times. Your date of birth is used as a unique identification for your records.
Who has access to your information?
The practitioners and staff of Westport Physiotherapy Clinic 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. Patient data is shared with the patient managent processors only with the patient’s conscent.
Your information will not be shared outside of this, 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?
Your personal details such as, name, date of birth address, telephone number e-mail, as well as the initial assessment and treatment notes, are electronically written directly into your individual file on our dedicated Patient Management System. The PMS is password protected and the secure server systems at the clinic have robust security measures to prevent loss of information.
All records, digitsed and hard copies, will be kept for a period of 7 years after the last treatment, or date of death, at which point they will be permanently deleted by a secure processing partner for medical practices, the exact deletion process depends on the type of record.
The clinic website collects and records Browser and Device-based Consent using the Complianz Privacy Suite for WordPress. The functionality of this requires that your IP address is anonymized and stored in our database. Personally identifiable information is not processed using this service and data is not shared with the service provider.
How can you access your records?
You have the right to request to see the information that Westport Physiotherapy Clinic 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:
Westport Physiotherapy Clinic, Mill Street, Westport, Co.Mayo. F28 H227
Tel: 09825310 or info@westphysio.ie
In the instance where requests are excessive or unfounded, Westport Physiotherapy Clinic 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 Westport Physiotherapy Clinic 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 Westport Physiotherapy Clinic the notes would become restricted, i.e not used until the issue was resolved. However, if Westport Physiotherapy 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 Westport Physiotherapy Clinic 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?
Appropriate security measures are taken to ensure that only the necessary persons have access to your data, that this access is protected and that the security is regularly reviewed. Patient information and treatment notes stored by Westport Physiotherapy Clinic are kept on password protected computers, with robust security measures on the computer to prevent and minimise the risk of information theft. All patient data is written into a dedicated patient management software requiring multi factor authenication. Specific documents may be stored in an encrypted folder within a password protected document. When information is shared with others, for example, a letter to your your GP or consultant, it will either be sent via encrypted email, recorded delivery or hand delivered.
Westport Physiotherapy Clinic 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.
