In providing your dental care and treatment, we will ask for information about you and your health. Occasionally, we may receive information from other providers who have been involved in providing your care. This privacy notice describes the type of personal information we hold, why we hold it, and what we do with it.

Information that we collect

We may collect the following information about you:

• Personal details such as your name, date of birth, address, telephone number and email address Information about your dental and general health, including
• Clinical records made by dentists and other dental professionals involved with your care and treatment
• X-rays, clinical photographs, digital scans of your mouth and teeth, and study models
• Medical and dental histories
• Treatment plans and consent
• Notes of conversations with you about your care
• Dates of your appointments
• Details of any complaints you have made and how these complaints were dealt with
• Correspondence with other health professionals or institutions
• Details of the fees we have charged, the amounts you have paid and some payment details

Those at the practice who have access to your information include dentists, nurses and other dental professionals involved with your care and treatment, and the reception staff responsible for the management and administration of the practice.

How we use your information

To provide you with the dental care and treatment that you need, we require up-to-date and accurate information about you.

We will share your information with practice plan, referral practices and other dentists in connection with your dental treatment.

We will seek your preference for how we contact you about your dental care. Our usual methods are telephone, text, email or letter.

We may contact you from time to time if we have offers related to treatments you have either shown interest in or are suitable for you based on a treatment plan or an initial enquiry. This again will be in the form of a text, email or telephone call. Should you wish to opt out of such communication then you are able to inform us of your choice via telephone or email.

Sharing information

Your information is normally used only by those working at the practice but there may be instances where we need to share it – for example, with:

• Your doctor
• The hospital or community dental services or other health professionals caring for you
• Private dental schemes of which you are a member.

We will only disclose your information on a need-to-know basis and will limit any information that we share to the minimum necessary.

In certain circumstances or if required by law, we may need to disclose your information to a third party not connected with your health care, including HMRC or other law enforcement or government agencies.

Keeping your information safe

We store your personal information securely on our practice computer system and in a manual filing system. Your information cannot be accessed by those who do not work at the practice; only those working at the practice have access to your information. They understand their legal responsibility to maintain confidentiality and follow practice procedures to ensure this.

We take precautions to ensure security of the practice premises, the practice filing systems and computers

We use high-quality specialist dental software to record and use your personal information safely and effectively. Our computer system has a secure audit trail and we back-up information routinely.

We occasionally use cloud computing facilities for storing some of your information. The practice has a rigorous agreement with our provider to ensure that we meet the obligations described in this policy and that we keep your information securely.

We keep your records for 10 years after the date of your last visit to the Practice or until you reach the age of 25 years, whichever is the longer.

Access to your information and other rights

You have a right to access the information that we hold about you and to receive a copy. You should submit your request to the practice in writing or by email. We do not usually charge you for copies of your information; if we pass on a charge, we will explain the reasons.

You can also request us to

• Correct any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. If we have disclosed that information to a third party, we will let them know about the change
• Erase information we hold although you should be aware that, for legal reasons, we may be unable to erase certain information (for example, information about your dental treatment
• Stop using your information – for example, sending you reminders for appointments or information about our service
• Supply your information electronically to another dentist.

If you do not agree

If you do not wish us to use your personal information as described, you should discuss the matter with your dentist. If you object to the way that we collect and use your information, we may not be able to continue to provide your dental care.

If you have any concerns about how we use your information and you do not feel able to discuss it with your dentist or anyone at the practice, you should contact The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF (0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745).

CCTV Privacy Notice

This notice explains how Wells Hill Dental Surgery uses CCTV, and how we look after any images we record of you.

Who is responsible for CCTV

Wells Hill Dental Surgery, Lewin House, The Street, Radstock, BA3 3FJ, is the data controller for our CCTV system. Our Data Controller is Bogdan Neacsu, who can be contacted at bogdanneacsu@yahoo.com.

Why we use CCTV

We use CCTV to:

• Promote the safety and security of our patients, staff and visitors
• Protect the practice's property and assets
• Help prevent, detect and investigate crime, vandalism or anti-social behaviour

We have carried out a Data Protection Impact Assessment to make sure our use of CCTV is necessary, proportionate and respects your privacy, and we review this regularly.

Where cameras are located

Cameras are in place in public and communal areas of the practice, including reception, waiting areas, corridors, the decontamination room, staff entrances and the exterior of the building.
Cameras are not used in private areas such as toilets. In clinical treatment areas, cameras (where present) are used only for safety and security purposes — never to record treatment or private conversations without your explicit consent.

Audio recording

Our CCTV system records video only. It does not record audio or private conversations anywhere on the premises, including in dental treatment rooms.

Signage

Clear signs are displayed around the practice to let you know CCTV is in operation, why it is used, and how to contact us for further information.

How long we keep footage

Footage is stored securely on an encrypted system and is normally kept for no longer than 30 days, after which it is automatically overwritten. We may keep footage for longer where it is needed for an ongoing investigation, legal proceedings, or as evidence.

Who can access footage

Access to CCTV footage is restricted to authorised staff and is only used for legitimate reasons, such as investigating a security incident, responding to a data subject access request, or providing evidence to the police or our insurers. We only disclose footage to third parties where there is a lawful basis to do so.

Your rights

If you have been recorded by our CCTV system, you have the right to:

• Request access to footage of yourself (a subject access request)
• Request that we correct or delete your data, where appropriate
• Object to our processing of your data in certain circumstances

To make a request, please write to the Practice Manager or our Data Controller using the contact details above.

Complaints

If you have a comment, suggestion or complaint about how we use CCTV or process your data, please contact Bogdan Neacsu at the practice. If you remain unhappy with our response, or need independent advice, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

• Telephone: 0303 123 1113
• Website: www.ico.org.uk