Smile Avenue Ltd. Privacy Notice

Updated on 7 July, 2021

We will keep your records safely This practice complies with the Data Protection Act (1998) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018. This means that we will ensure that your information is processed fairly and lawfully.

What Personal Information do we need to hold?

  • Your past and current medical and dental condition; personal details such as your age, address, telephone number and your general medical practitioner
  • Radiographs, clinical photographs and study models
  • Information about the treatment that we have provided or propose and its cost
  • Notes of conversations or incidents that might occur for which a record needs to be kept
  • Records of consent to treatment
  • Any correspondence relating to you with other health care professionals, for example in the hospital or community services.

Retaining information

We are required to retain your dental records, X-rays and study models while you are a patient of this practice and after you cease to be a patient, for at least eleven years or until age 25, whichever is the longer.

Security

Your information is held in the practice’s computer system and in a secure manual filing system which is backed up on a secure offsite server. The information is only accessible to authorised personnel. Personal information will not be removed from this practice without the patients authorised consent. Your personal information is carefully protected by the staff at this practice. All access to information is held securely and can only be accessed by regularly changed passwords. Data is encrypted and computer terminals are closed if unattended.

We may need to disclose your information

In order to provide proper and safe dental care to:

  • Your general medical practitioner
  • The hospital or community dental services
  • Other health professionals caring for you
  • Private dental schemes of which you are a member.

Disclosure will take place on a ‘need-to-know’ basis, so that only those individuals/organisations who need to know in order to provide care to you and for the proper administration of Government (whose personnel are covered by strict confidentiality rules) will be given the information. Only information that the recipient needs to know will be disclosed.

In very limited circumstances or when required by law or a court order, personal data may have to be disclosed to a third party not connected with your health care. In all other situations, disclosure that is not covered by this Code of Practice will only occur when we have your specific consent. Where possible you will be informed of these requests for disclosure

How we collect non-personal data

In order to keep our website services relevant, easy to use and up-to-date, we use Google Analytics services to help us understand how people use the site. Cookies allow web analytics services to recognise your browser or device and, for example, identify whether you have visited our website before, what you have previously viewed or clicked on, and how you found us. The information is anonymous and only used for statistical purposes, and it helps us to analyse patterns of user activity and to develop a better user experience.

Your data protection rights

You have the following personal data rights:

  • The right to be informed
  • The right of access
  • The right to rectification
  • The right to erasure (clinical records must be retained for a certain time period)
  • The right to restrict processing
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to object to processing

Further details of these rights can be found at Information Commissioner’s website Here are some practical examples of your rights:

  • If you are a patient of the practice you have the right to withdraw consent for important notifications, newsletters, surveys or marketing. You can inform us to correct errors in your personal details or withdraw consent from communication methods such as telephone, email or text. You have the right to obtain a free copy of your patient records within one month
  • If you are not a patient of the practice you have the right to withdraw consent for processing personal data, to have a free copy of it within one month, to correct errors in it or to ask us to delete it. You can also withdraw consent from communication methods such as telephone, email or text.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

How to complain

Please contact us at the practice regarding your data processing at info@smileavenue.co.uk or 01322 464569 or by writing to or visiting the practice at 30 Overy Street, Dartford, DA1 1AH.

If you are unhappy with our response or if you need advice you should contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Their telephone number is 03031 231113, you can also chat online with an advisor. The ICO can investigate your claim and take action against anyone who’s misused personal data. You can also visit their website for information on how to make a data protection complaint.