This privacy policy explains how the company Speech Therapy Matters Ltd collects, stores and uses the data collected about you or your child.
Speech Therapy Matter Ltd takes the protection of client data very seriously, and conforms with guidelines from both professional bodies (The Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists and The Health & Care Professions Council and the UK’s independent authority: the Information Commissioners Office. The information contained within this privacy policy is a requirement of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation which replaces the Data Protection Act with effect from 25th May 2018.
Legal Basis for processing data
Speech Therapy Matters Ltd. processes the client’s personal data under the lawful basis of ‘legitimate interests’ (GDPR Article 6-1-f). As with any healthcare provider, when you employ the services of Speech Therapy Matters Ltd, there is an implied understanding that the Speech and Language Therapist will not be able to assess and treat you safely and appropriately unless you or others give the relevant information to do so.
Additional rules; requiring a higher degree of protection apply to the health information held about you because this is classed by law as ‘special category’ data. Speech Therapy Matters Ltd. processes your healthcare data under the lawful basis of the provision of health or social care or treatment (GDPR Article 9-2-h). Aimee Laming is legally permitted to store and use your health data, and communicate this with other professionals involved in your care for health-related purposes (assessment, diagnosis, and treatment). All Speech and Language Therapist are bound by the confidentiality rules of our own professional bodies (The Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists and The Health & Care Professions Council).
What data is held about the client and why?
Speech Therapy Matters Ltd. will collect a variety of data which helps to assess, diagnose and provide treatment for the client. The client refers to both the child being seen and the family member employing the services of Speech Therapy Matters Ltd. Data may be given to the therapist Aimee Laming by you, your child or other people such as other healthcare professionals and can include the following:
- Identity data: Personal information e.g. name, maiden name, date of birth, gender, marital status.
- Contact data: address, email address, telephone numbers.
- Health information e.g. medical history.
- Correspondence e.g. clinical letters and reports, print outs of emails.
- Assessment forms/results.
- Clinical observations.
- Audio / video recordings if additional consent has been given.
- Photographs e.g. for use in communication apps and naming practice if additional consent has been given.
- Financial data e.g. bank sort code and account number.
- Private insurance policy details if appropriate.
Information may be given verbally or in writing by you, your child, your G.P, Paediatrician, School staff, another healthcare professional involved in your care, your NHS Trust.
Speech Therapy Matters Ltd has a professional and legal duty to ensure that the information recorded about the client and family is relevant to their treatment/care, accurate and up to date, and only used for the purposes for which it was collected.
Please help to keep client records up to date by informing Aimee Laming of any changes e.g. you move house, change your telephone number or change your G.P.
Where is the client’s data kept?
Most of the client’s data will be kept in their main clinical file but data about them may also be kept in the following places:
- Clinical diaries.
- Electronic devices e.g. work i-Pads, laptop computers with password protection.
- Removable media e.g. memory cards, memory sticks with encryption.
- Speech Therapy Matters Ltd. bank statements.
- Back up hard drives.
- Where services are provided to schools by the day- the data will be also stored following the same guide lines at the school locations. The data will be stored in the same way noted below.
How is the client’s data secured?
Speech Therapy Matters Ltd takes the security of your data very seriously and employ a series of measures to prevent theft, loss, damage or unauthorised access. These measures are checked regularly. All data is stored securely in locked filing cabinets when not in in use. When it is necessary to transport data about you (e.g. bringing your file to your clinic appointments), this will be kept with the therapist at all times. I-Pads and phones are pin protected. Laptops are password protected, data is encrypted as an additional security measure, and anti-virus software is used to protect data from cyber-attack.
Who has access to the client’s data?
Aimee Laming, Independent Speech and Language Therapist is the only person that has access to the data provided for clients seen solely by Aimee Laming.
Is the client’s data shared with anyone?
When Speech Therapy Matters Ltd collects any personal information provided by the client or their family, the Company (Director: Aimee Laming) must comply with Data Protection laws.
When providing healthcare, it is considered good practice to keep other people involved in with the client updated. Information may be shared with any of the following: your G.P or Consultant, another SLT or healthcare professional involved in the client’s care, teaching staff, or NHS Trust. Wherever possible the client will be asked their permission before sharing their/their child’s data/ information with other people. The exceptions to this are if the therapist is required to share the information by law, or the therapist considers you/your child to be at risk by not raising our concerns (e.g. legislation around issues of safeguarding).
Speech Therapy Matters Ltd. will never sell or loan information about you to 3rd party service providers and your data will not be exported outside of the UK.
How long is data kept about the clients seen by Speech Therapy Matters Ltd?
Professional guidelines require all Speech & Language Therapists (Independent or within the NHS) to retain clinical files for children who have received therapy until their 25th birthday at which point they will be disposed of securely.
Financial records and items such as bank statements (which may contain the client’s name and bank details online payments have been made) are also required to be kept for a full 7-year period by HMRC for tax purposes.
Duplicate data (which also appears in your SLT file) such as your telephone number and email address will be deleted from electronic devices wherever possible when you are discharged to reduce the possibility of a data breach if such devices are lost or stolen.
The above requirements mean that the client’s ‘right to be forgotten’ under GDPR law does not apply until the company no longer has a need to keep the data for the reasons explained above.
How can a client access the information held about them/their child?
Speech Therapy Matters Ltd. will keep the client fully informed of every aspect of their or their child’s care. The client will routinely be given copies of any letters or reports which are written about your child unless there is a legal reason for the therapist not to do so (e.g. safeguarding issues, police investigation, court evidence). You have the right to access your/your child’s SLT file, but any request to do so must be made in writing.
What happens if a breach of data occurs?
Speech Therapy Matters Ltd is required to inform you if the data breached about you or your child could negatively affect your personal or professional life and is considered ‘a threat to your rights or freedoms’. STM Ltd must also inform the Information Commissioner’s Office (I.C.O) within 72 hours of discovering such a breach.
If you feel that your data protection rights have been breached by Speech Therapy Matters Ltd., you should raise your concerns with Aimee Laming in the first instance. Speech Therapy Matters Ltd then has 28 days to respond to your concerns. If you still feel that your concerns have not been satisfactorily addressed, you have the right to lodge an official complaint to the I.C.O. Details of how to do this can be found on www.ico.org.uk.
This privacy notice is kept under regular review and any updates on this web page: www.speechtherapymatters.com This privacy policy was last updated May 2018.
Further information
Please contact Director of Speech Therapy Matters Ltd: Aimee Laming at speechtherapymatters@gmail.com if you have any questions about the privacy policy and how it applies to the information held about you or your child. Aimee Laming is the Data Processor for Speech Therapy Matters Ltd.
Contact Details:
Speech Therapy Matters Ltd
2 Churchill Crescent,
Sonning Common.
RG4 9RX
01189721012
speechtherapymattersltd@gmail.com