Privacy Policy This document refers to personal data, which is defined as information concerning any living person (a natural person who hereafter will be called the Data Subject) that is not already in the public domain.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which is EU wide and far more extensive than its predecessor the Data Protection Act, along with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), seek to protect and enhance the rights of EU data subjects. These rights cover the safeguarding of personal data, protection against the unlawful processing of personal data and the unrestricted movement of personal data within the EU and its storage within the EEA.
I, Dr Elina Telford, am pleased to provide the following information:
Who I am I am a Clinical Psychologist and I approach my work with the utmost regard for a client’s well being and rights. I value the continuing development and maintenance of high standards of competence in my professional work and attend regular conferences to stay up to date with theory and research. Values of honesty and integrity underpin my work.
The Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) and The British psychological Society (BPS) regulate and inform our practice. You can find out more about my professional and legal responsibilities on their respective websites:- www.hcpc-uk.org.uk www.bps.org.uk
Information that I collect about you and how it is used Upon starting therapy, basic personal information will be collected for contact and identification reasons. During our therapy meetings, an assessment of your psychological health will be completed, and notes will be taken during sessions. These will include personal and sensitive details about your life. The assessment and notes are used solely for the delivery of a therapy service to you
Website Privacy I am committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of visitors to this web site. In particular I want you to know that we I am not in the business of selling, renting or trading email lists with other companies and businesses for marketing purposes. It is now a legal requirement to provide you with a detailed privacy policy so that you are clear on when and why we collect your personal information, how it is used and how it is kept secure. Please read on for further information about data use on this website.
How are cookies used? I use cookies to track your use of our website. This enables me to understand how you use the site and track any patterns with regards how you are using the website. This helps me to develop and improve my website as well as products and / or services in response to what you might need or want.
Cookies are either; – Session cookies: these are only stored on your computer during your web session and are automatically deleted when you close your browser – they usually store an anonymous session ID allowing you to browse a website without having to log in to each page but they do not collect any personal data from your computer; or – Persistent cookies: a persistent cookie is stored as a file on your computer and it remains there when you close your web browser. The cookie can be read by the website that created it when you visit that website again.
Cookies can also be categorised as follows: – Strictly necessary cookies: These cookies are essential to enable you to use the website effectively, such as when buying a product and / or service, and therefore cannot be turned off. Without these cookies, the services available to you on our website cannot be provided. These cookies do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you have been on the internet. – Performance cookies: These cookies enable us to monitor and improve the performance of our website. For example, they allow us to count visits, identify traffic sources and see which parts of the site are most popular.
Google Analytics When someone visits this website I use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. I do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website.
Mailing lists When you call or email me this is done in confidence and there are no mailing lists which you are added to.
Third Parties We do not share your data with any third parties, but as stated above I do use Google analytics to figure out how clever the marketing has been.
Access to Your Personal Information You are entitled to view, amend, or delete the personal information that I hold. Email your request to us at elinatelford@gmail.com As per my professional and legal obligations I would like to highlight some policies that relate to our working together:
Confidentiality It is my responsibility to respect your right to confidentiality by recording, processing, and storing of confidential information in a fashion designed to protect a client’s right to privacy.
It is necessary to make clear the limitations of confidentiality. Whilst the content of sessions between psychologist and client is confidential, there are exceptional circumstances that result in a legal obligation for me to break client confidentiality. These exceptional circumstances are when there appears sufficient evidence to raise serious concern about: (a) the safety of clients; (b) the safety of other persons who may be endangered by the client’s behaviour; or (c) the health, welfare or safety of children or vulnerable adults.
There are other supervening legal and ethical obligations, such as my duty to comply with criminal investigations when I am legally obliged to do so.
Your therapy and personal information are kept securely. Information but not names will be shared with my supervisor who is also accredited and who regularly reviews my practice. Confidentiality will be broken if I have concerns that you or anyone else is at risk. If this occurs it will be discussed in the session and recommendations will be discussed and documented in your notes.
As a fully accredited member of the HCPC and BPS, I adhere to their ethical framework and guidelines to ensure that you receive a professional and quality service.
Your rights You have rights relating to the information I hold to verify the accuracy or to ask for them to be supplemented, deleted, updated or corrected. You have the right to request a copy of the information that I hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information, please email or write to me via the contact details stated in this agreement. Information will be provided to you within 30 days.
I want to make sure that your information is accurate and up to date. You may ask me to correct or remove information you think is inaccurate. You have a right to request the transfer of your data to another individual or company.
How long I keep your information for - data retention Your information is kept for the time necessary to provide the therapy service requested, however outside of this I will hold your details and session notes for a period of 7 years following the end of treatment to comply with legal obligations that are placed upon me by my insurers. In the case of a child under 13 then records will be kept 7 years after they reach the age of 18. After this date, all data will be securely deleted.
Sharing of data Some clients request that I liaise with other professionals on their behalf (write to a GP, meet with carers/teachers/psychiatrists etc.). I am happy to facilitate such information sharing in circumstances whereby the individual is able to give their consent. I will only share information if expressly asked to by my client, and require written consent to do this (unless in the exceptional circumstances outlined in the confidentiality agreement).
Children and vulnerable adults in particular must be given ample opportunity to understand the nature, purpose, and anticipated consequences of any professional information sharing, so that they may give informed consent to the extent that their capabilities allow. Whilst requests of this nature are common, and often helpful, I can only agree to participate in information sharing with informed consent and when it is my professional opinion that it is in a client’s best interest.
There may be times where your information needs to be shared with 3rd parties. I will explicitly ask your consent before doing so, and the data will be sent to 3rd parties securely.
Security of your data Information will be kept securely and confidentially in line with the data retention policy as stated above.
Lawful basis for processing your information The lawful basis for my holding and using your information is in relation to the delivery of a contract to you as a health care professional. As an accredited psychologist I operate under a strict code of confidentiality.
Reviews We will review sessions regularly to ensure you feel you are getting the most out of therapy; you are not tied into any commitment you can end sessions at any time. If I consider your requirements beyond my competence I reserve the right to terminate our contract, this will be discussed in the session and recommendations would be provided.
Cancellations 24 hours notice is required to cancel your therapy session without incurring a charge. If less than 24 hours notice is provided, you will be charged the full cost of your session.
If a health or insurance company is paying for your treatment, they may make you liable for the charge. Your treatment sessions could be suspended dependant on their policy.
Privacy statement Please respect the confidential nature of sessions. The use of electronic recording devices is prohibited and we ask that mobile phones are not used during a session.
Due to the nature of our work, it is necessary to process personal information about clients. This sensitive information is held securely The notes are used solely for the delivery of a therapy service to you.
It is my responsibility to respect your right to confidentiality by recording, processing, and storing of confidential information in a fashion designed to protect a client’s right to privacy.
You have rights relating to the information your therapist hold to verify the accuracy or to ask for them to be supplemented, deleted, updated or corrected. You have the right to request a copy of the information that they hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information, please email or write to your therapist via the contact details stated in this agreement. Information will be provided to you within 30 days. You may ask them to correct or remove information you think is inaccurate. You have a right to request the transfer of your data to another individual or company.
Your information is kept for the time necessary to provide the therapy service requested, however outside of this your therapist will hold your details and session notes for a period of 7 years following the end of treatment to comply with legal obligations. In the case of a child under 13 then records will be kept 7 years after they reach the age of 18. After this date, all data will be securely deleted. Any breaches of security will be reported and individuals affected will be notified. You are advised to contact the ICO if you have any concerns about the way I process personal information.
There may be times where your information needs to be shared with 3rd parties. We will explicitly ask your consent before doing so, and the data will be sent to 3rd parties securely. Your therapist will make clear the limitations of confidentiality.
Please consult individual therapy agreements for more information or get in touch if you have any further questions.
Name: Dr Elina Telford (Registered and Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Data Protection Representative) Contact Number: 07968271890 Email: Elina.telford@gmail.com Full Address: Carlton Psychology, 8 Carlton Yard, Victoria Road, Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7RD ICO Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF Telephone 0303 123 1113 https://ico.org.uk