The GDPR replace the 1998 Data Protection Act to ensure that your personal, sensitive and confidential data is kept private and held securely, as well as being processed in the way that you have agreed to. They are there to protect your rights as a consumer of a service or product that might involve your identifiable data (e.g. your name and address or whether you have a specific condition). They also cover any session records, text messages or emails that we exchange. For more information you can read the full privacy policy for Rooke Holistic Therapies (email wendy@rookeholistic.co.uk for a copy).
I am regulated by and insured through the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT). The insurance policy stipulates that I must hold your data for 10 years after your final session.
Under the GDPR you can make a request in writing to me for all of your records to be deleted. In this case all of your paper records would be shredded and any electronic data, such as emails or text messages, would be permanently deleted from the devices that they are stored on. This may not happen immediately if the FHT or the insurer insist that I have a legal basis in which to hold your data.
I process personal information to enable the provision of massage and reflexology treatments, qigong instruction and wellbeing coaching; to advertise services and to maintain accounts and records. I collect information about why you are using the service, a small amount of medical information and a small amount of information about your important others, alongside brief session notes for treatments and coaching sessions. This information enables me to provide a high quality service to you. Your contact details will only be used with your explicit consent.
Fasthosts is a third-party service that hosts Rooke Holistic Therapies’ website. Fasthosts’ privacy notice can be found here. I use Mailchimp to manage my e-news mailing list, and their privacy notice can be found here. I use Square to process payments, and their privacy notice can be found here. If you come for a treatment at the Formula Health Clinic in Pangbourne, I will use Nookal’s practice management software to arrange your appointments and keep your treatment records. You can find Nookal’s privacy statement here.
Hardcopy documents – Are all stored in a locked cabinet.
Text messages – My work phone is secured with a pin code.
Emails – My email account requires a username and password.
Electronic documents – Any electronic documents containing personal or sensitive information relating to treatments are stored on Nookal (clinic software), access to which is password protected. My laptop is also password protected.
Everything we talk about during a treatment or coaching session is strictly confidential between you and me. To ensure that I am doing my job effectively and that I have the right support, I may discuss elements of our sessions with my supervisor. During these discussions I do not disclose any details that may identify you to my supervisor, and my supervisor also adheres to the GDPR.
If we see each other outside of a session I will smile but will not engage in any further conversation to ensure your confidentiality. You are welcome to share with other people your engagement with Rooke Holistic Therapies, but I am obligated by GDPR law to ensure that your confidentiality is protected.
As I adhere to the GDPR, any contact relating to you with other healthcare professionals would only be made with your signed consent (e.g. if I were to refer you on to another therapist or coach, I would only contact them about you if you were to sign the specific consent for this).
Exceptions:
If you wish to read the full Information Governance Policies and Procedures, you can request a copy by emailing wendy@rookeholistic.co.uk.