All personal data is handled in the strictest confidence. As a health professional, Katrina Fowler is bound by a code of ethics and safe practice that does not permit your data to be shared with anyone else. Please be assured that all measures have been taken to ensure all patients and enquiries are treated in the safest manner possible.

The Purpose of this Privacy Notice.

The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (the GDPR). This privacy notice provides you with details of how your personal data will be collected and processed, consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

Information About Katrina Fowler Acupuncture (KFA)

Main addresses : 

48 High St. Dunstable

LU6 3HD

Data Protection Officer: Katrina Fowler

Email address:KatrinaFowlerLac@gmail.com

Telephone number: 07529901849

Postal address: 3 Jackson’s Close

Edlesborough 

Lu6 2RF

Whose information does this privacy notice apply to?

This privacy notice applies to information collected from:

  • patients;
  • prospective patients;
  • former patients;
  • people who subscribe to newsletters;
  • visitors to KFA’s website

What is personal data?

Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller’s possession or likely to come into such possession. Examples of personal data KFA may hold about you include your contact and appointment details.

Special category data is a sub-category of personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation. Examples of special category data KFA may hold about you include your patient notes.

How does KFA process your personal data?

KFA complies with obligations under the GDPR by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data. KFA uses your personal data for the purposes set out below.

Sections 1 – 12 apply to patients, prospective patients, former patients and visitors to the clinic

  1. KFA uses your name, address, telephone number and email address to make and rearrange appointments.   KFA will also monitor any emails sent, including file attachments, for viruses or malicious software. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send KFA is within the bounds of the law. KFA uses your name, address, telephone number and email address, only if KFA has your explicit consent, to send you marketing materials.  
  2. Some patients and prospective patients return pre- 1st appointment questionnaires or tell about their medical conditions and medication by email or online enquiry forms. KFA will also monitor any emails sent to us, including file attachments, for viruses or malicious software. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send is within the bounds of the law.
  3. KFA keeps a permanent attendance register which records all appointments for patients attending the clinic to keep a record of when you were treated for tax purposes and to secure potential evidence in the event of a criminal prosecution, civil litigation, insurance claim or complaint to my regulatory body, the Acupuncture Society.
  4. KFA uses your presenting complaint and symptoms reported by you for the purposes of making a full traditional diagnosis, formulating treatment strategy and treatment planning.
  5. KFA may use your date of birth to help identify patients with the same name to avoid mistakes being made as to safe and appropriate treatment, for identification purposes if referring a patient to another health practitioner, and for identification purposes if writing to a registered medical practitioner so that they correctly identify the patient.
  6. KFA uses any relevant medical and family history you have stated for making a full traditional diagnosis, formulating treatment strategy and treatment planning.
  7. KFA uses your GP’s name and address in the event that we need to contact your GP including in an emergency. We use our clinical findings about your health and well being for making a full traditional diagnosis, and formulating treatment strategy and treatment planning.
  8. KFAkeeps a record of and refers to that record of any treatment given and details of progress of your case, including reviews of treatment planning to enable us to: review the full traditional diagnosis, treatment strategy and planning; and to secure evidence in the event of criminal proceedings, civil liitagation, an insurance claim or a complaint.
  9. KFA records and uses any information and advice that we have given, especially when referring patients to any other health professional, to help you receive the most appropriate treatment and to secure evidence in the event of criminal proceedings, civil litigation, an insurance claim or complaint.
  10. KFA keeps accident records for any patients, visitors or staff who are involved in accidents at the clinic in accordance with UK Health and Safety legislation. Diseases and dangerous occurrences Regulations to comply with the law and to secure evidence in the event of criminal proceedings, civil litigation an insurance claim or complaint.
  11. In the event of an adverse incident occurring to any patients we report the matter to the Acupuncture Society and to our insurance company.

Sharing your personal data

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential, and will be shared:

  • with named third parties with your explicit consent;
  • with the relevant authority such as the police or a court, if necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject e.g. a court order;
  • with your doctor or the police if necessary to protect yours or another person’s life;
  • with the police or a local authority for the purpose of safeguarding a children or vulnerable adults; or
  • with my regulatory body, the Acupuncture Society, or my insurance company in the event of a complaint or insurance claim being brought against me; or my solicitor in the event of any investigation or legal proceedings being brought against me.

For further details about the situations when information about you might be shared please see the Information Commissioner’s website at https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/personal-information/sharing-my-info/

Data Security

KFA has put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way. Special attention is taken to protection of clinical data.  Most of your clinical notes are kept in a password protected Practice management software, Cliniko. All paper notes are securely locked.

How long do we keep your personal data?

KFA keeps your personal data for no longer than reasonably necessary.

KFA keeps patient records for a period of 7 years in accordance with the British Acupuncture Code of Professional Conduct https://www.acupuncture.org.uk/public-content/effective-practice/bacc-professional-codes.html

At any time you may request that changes are made to your contact details.

Your rights and your personal data

Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have certain rights with respect to your personal data as set out below.

  • The right to request a copy of your personal data which KFA holds about you.
  • The right to request that we correct any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date.
  • The right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for us to retain such data.
  • The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time. This right does not apply where we are processing information using a lawful purpose other than consent.
  • The right to request that we provide you with your personal data and where possible, to transmit that data directly to another data controller, (known as the right to data portability), (where applicable) [This right only applies where the processing is based on consent or is necessary for the performance of a contract with you and in either case the we are processing the data by automated means].
  • The right, where there is a dispute in relation to the accuracy or processing of your personal data, to request a restriction is placed on further processing.
  • The right to object to the processing of personal data, (where applicable) [This right only applies where processing is based on legitimate interests (or the performance of a task in the public interest/exercise of official authority); direct marketing and processing for the purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics].
  • The right to be informed if your data is lost. We shall also inform the Information Commissioner’s Office in accordance with the time limits in the GDPR.
  • The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

For further details about these rights please see the Information Commissioner’s website at https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/is-my-information-being-handled-correctly/

Further processing

If KFA wishes to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Privacy Notice, then KFA will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, KFA will seek your prior consent to the new processing.

In the event that Katrina Fowler becomes incapacitated, access will be granted to and safeguarded by

Louise England, acupuncturist. 


16 North Star Drive
Leighton Buzzard
LU7 3DP

07933046232

Contact Details

To exercise all relevant rights, queries of complaints please in the first instance contact Katrina Fowler, KatrinaFowlerLac@gmail.com