PERSONAL STATEMENT
In order to comply with the new data protection laws (GDPR) I am now required by law to state how information collected from you and about you is stored and dealt with. I am also regulated by the Codes of Ethics of The Craniosacral Therapy Association and the Shiatsu Society and Shiatsu International.
PURPOSE OF TAKING AND HOLDING INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
In order to fulfill my ‘contract’ to you for the provision of craniosacral therapy and/or shiatsu and/or Shin Tai treatments, I need to take from you certain information relating to name, address, telephone numbers, email address, date of birth, life information including information relating to past and current life circumstances, and health and medical information. The purpose of taking this information from you is to enable me to gain sufficient understanding of your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health to enable me to help you to the best of my ability and fulfill my ‘contract’ with you.
If you do not wish me to hold information about you, it may be difficult for me to fulfill my ‘contract’ with you to provide treatments and should such a situation arise, and after discussion with you, I may not be able to give a treatment to you.
WHAT INFORMATION IS ASKED FOR AND STORED?
Full name, current address, telephone numbers, email address, date of birth, reason for treatment and family circumstances.
In addition to medical information, I ask about significant life events, emotional states and mental health information and contextual information such as family circumstances and work.
Information is taken and stored for the specific purpose of enabling me to provide a service to you and is not used for any other purpose such as sending marketing information.
Information about when treatments take place or are planned to take place are also taken and stored. Eg appointment times and dates and if necessary the location of the treatment for example for a mobile treatment.
Information received from you via contact form on the website, via email or via text is stored in electronic form accessed via pc, iPad, or iPhone. The pc, iPad and iPhone are password/pin protected and the passwords and PIN numbers are known only to me.
HOW AND WHERE IS THE INFORMATION STORED?
Personal Information for the purpose of giving treatments are handwritten and stored in paper form. The information is stored in a locked cabinet in the treatment room at our premises. The treatment room is also locked when not in use. The only person who has access to your personal information is me.
In the rare circumstance where I travel to another clinic or do a house visit, your written notes may be taken with me but exclude the personal identifying information, ie your name, address, email, date or birth, occupation. This minimises the risk that personal information relating to you will be able to be identified to you should the information be mislaid or lost.
Appointment dates and times are in electronic form on my personal iPad and protected with a PIN number only known to me. The calendar is synchronised with my iPhone which is also protected with a PIN number only known to me.
HOW LONG IS INFORMATION HELD?
I am required by my Code of Ethics and insurance to keep the information for a specific length of time (currently 7 years after the last visit for most adults and up to 21 plus 7 years for most children; 15 years rather than 7 for adults or children who lack ‘capacity’).
Your personal information is destroyed by shredding.
For legal reasons, it may be difficult for me to destroy information before the 7-year threshold.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Your information is confidential and not shared with any other person unless I am required under law to do so. In these latter circumstances, if I am required by law to divulge your personal information, this will be after discussion with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and/or the Shiatsu Society and/or the Craniosacral Therapy Association and if necessary a specialist lawyer in the field of GDPR.
I may also share your information if I have your express permission by you to do so after discussion and full agreement with you. This may be, for example, where you wish me to share your information with doctors, medical professionals, and/or dentists, counsellors or other therapists.
In the case of testimonials appearing on the website, these are only included on the website after express permission is given by you and after discussion with you. You have the right to ask for testimonials to be removed.
