Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Ogmore Valley Family Dental Practice provides dental care to patients in Ogmore Vale and the surrounding communities. We are responsible for looking after the personal information we collect from patients, prospective patients, staff, contractors, website visitors and people who contact us.

2. Information we may collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and process:

• name, address, date of birth, telephone number and email address;
• medical history, dental history, treatment records, radiographs, photographs and clinical notes;
• NHS number or other identifiers needed to provide NHS dental care;
• appointment, recall and communication records;
• payment and billing information where relevant;
• information sent through our website contact form;
• technical website information such as browser type, device information and basic analytics where enabled.

3. Why we use your information

We use personal information to:

• provide safe and effective dental care;
• assess oral health, plan treatment and maintain clinical records;
• contact you about appointments, enquiries, recalls or urgent matters;
• process NHS and private treatment administration;
• manage payments, complaints, feedback and patient safety matters;
• meet legal, regulatory, safeguarding and professional obligations;
• improve the quality, safety and efficiency of our services.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process information under UK data protection law. The lawful basis may include providing healthcare, complying with legal obligations, legitimate interests, contract administration, public task for NHS care, vital interests in urgent situations and consent where this is specifically required.

Health information is special category data. We process it because it is necessary for healthcare provision, treatment, medical diagnosis, safeguarding, public health, legal claims or other permitted healthcare reasons.

5. Sharing information

We only share information where there is a valid reason. This may include sharing with:

• other healthcare professionals involved in your care;
• NHS Wales, Local Health Boards or dental referral services where applicable;
• dental laboratories and specialist referral providers;
• regulators, indemnity providers, legal advisers or insurers where required;
• safeguarding bodies where there is a concern about safety or welfare;
• IT, software, email, website and secure data processing providers acting on our behalf.

We do not sell patient information.

6. Website enquiries

If you contact us through the website, the information you provide is used to respond to your enquiry. Please do not send urgent clinical information through the website form. For urgent dental concerns, telephone the practice directly during opening hours.

7. How long we keep records

We keep records only for as long as necessary for clinical, legal, regulatory and professional reasons. Dental records are retained in line with professional guidance, NHS requirements, indemnity advice and legal limitation periods. Where exact retention periods differ by record type, we use the appropriate retention criteria for that category of information.

8. Your rights

You have rights in relation to your personal information. These may include the right to access your data, correct inaccurate information, request restriction, object to certain processing, request erasure where applicable and receive certain information in a portable format. Some rights may be limited where we need to keep information for clinical, legal or safeguarding reasons.

To make a request, contact the practice using the details above.

9. Security

We take steps to keep information secure, including access controls, confidentiality obligations, secure systems, staff training and appropriate administrative, technical and physical safeguards.

10. Complaints about data protection

Please contact us first if you have a concern about how your information has been handled. You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner's Office.

ICO website: ico.org.uk