Privacy Policy

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This form should be read in conjunction with Jane Clark’s Terms and Conditions.  I value your privacy and am committed to protecting your personal information.

Who am I?

Jane Clark is an independent Speech and Language Therapist, who is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and a member of RCSLT and ASLTIP.  I am a registered data controller with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). I control and process all personal information for my independent practice. 

I do not employ agents to process personal data, and do not give or sell client details to any third parties. I only collect data relevant to my role and for accounting purposes.

What kinds of personal information will Jane Clark collect? And how will it be collected?

Here are some examples of personal information which may be collected via spoken or written (including email) sources from parents/carers. With parental consent this information may also be collected from other professionals working with your child (e.g. teachers, NHS Speech and Language Therapists, GPs):

• Child’s name, age, date of birth, home address, medical history, educational details, speech and language history, developmental milestones. 
• Parent/carer names, phone numbers, email addresses, home address, family history of any communication/learning difficulties.
• Family set up (e.g. who lives with your child and languages spoken).
• Information relevant to educational settings (e.g. recent test scores).
• Video recordings/photographs of parent and/or child for assessment and therapy purposes. 

You may use my website without providing any personal information. However, if you wish to make an enquiry via the website you will requested to provide relevant contact details, such as your name, email address and contact telephone number to enable me to respond to your enquiry.  You may add comments or queries which might also contain personal information. 

How do I use personal information?

Personal information is used to:

• Prepare, plan and provide speech and language therapy services appropriate for your child’s needs. 
• Communicate with parents and other relevant professionals/people known to the child where parents have previously given consent, via post, email, phone, SMS for activities such as: booking appointments, sending password-protected child relevant documents, general communication between appointments, invoices and resources.
• Complete audits.
• Communicate with others if this is required by the law (e.g. safeguarding concerns). This is the only time personal information will be shared with relevant professionals without permission from parents/carers. 

Whenever personal identifiers are not needed for the tasks above, if possible, I will remove them from the information used (e.g. using a child’s initial letter only instead of their full/first name). 

What is the lawful basis for processing personal information?

The lawful basis for processing and storing personal information is one of ‘legitimate interest’ under article 6 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018.  I cannot adequately deliver a service to your child without processing their personal data. 

Information relating to an individual’s health is classified as ‘Special Category Data’ under section 9 of the GDPR. The regulations stipulate that health professionals who are “legally bound to professional secrecy” may have a lawful basis for processing this data. Speech and Language Therapists are legally bound to keep client information confidential and it is under this condition that personal information is stored and processed. 

How do I store personal information? 

Personal information is stored in paper and electronic formats.

Paper information is held in a paper file. Electronic information is held on a password-protected computer and/or hard drive.  All information is kept in a lockable filing cabinet/s in a secure location.   If any personal information is taken away from the lockable filing cabinet and office base, it will be kept with me or in a locked location. 

Videos may be taken of clients with parental consent. These are temporarily stored on an electronic device and transferred to a password protected computer or deleted. 

In accordance with professional standards I am required to keep records securely until the child’s 25th birthday. After this time all records relating to your child will be destroyed. 

How do I keep personal information confidential and secure?

• By using password protected documents and hard drives.
• By using virus software.
• By keeping up to date with information from ICO and other relevant organisations.
• By locking up information when it is not in use and storing the key for filing cabinets in a hidden location.
• By completing audits.
• By reviewing and updating policies.

What are your rights?

• Your rights are set out in full in the GDPR (2018) information with the ICO.
• You have the right to withdraw permission at any time and to ask for a record to be amended if the data is inaccurate (e.g. changing a home address). However, because information is processed on the legal basis of ‘legitimate interest’, it is not possible to request erasure of personal information. 
• You have the right to request a copy of the personal information that is held about you and your child. This request should be made in writing. This is called a Subject Access Request and it is free of charge. All requests will be processed and completed within 30 days of receipt.

Who to contact for further information/questions?

You can contact Jane Clark by:

Email: janeclarkslt@outlook.com    

Telephone: 07891 798738

Please note that this Privacy Policy may be updated as further information and advice is provided from the ICO.