1. Who we are

This privacy policy explains how Devon Orthodontics collects, uses, stores and protects personal information.

Devon Orthodontics is the group name for the orthodontic practices owned by Ansa Akram, including:

Devon Square Orthodontics
29 Devon Square
Newton Abbot
Devon
TQ12 2HH

Ocean Orthodontic Clinic
91 Marldon Road
Torquay
Devon
TQ2 7EG

In this policy, “we”, “our” and “us” refers to Devon Orthodontics and the practices within the group.

We take the privacy and confidentiality of our patients, website users and professional contacts seriously. We process personal data in accordance with UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Who is responsible for your information

The practice owner and practice director are responsible for ensuring that personal information is handled securely and appropriately.

Our data protection contact is:

Email: [Insert group email address]
Telephone: [Insert group telephone number]
Postal address: Devon Orthodontics, [Insert main correspondence address]

You can contact us using the details above if you have any questions about how your personal information is used, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights.

3. What information we collect

We may collect and use personal information about patients, parents or guardians, website users, referring dentists, suppliers and professional contacts.

This may include:

• Your name, date of birth, NHS number, address, telephone number and email address.
• Details provided through website forms, referral forms, email enquiries or telephone calls.
• Medical, dental and orthodontic history.
• Clinical records created by dentists, orthodontists and other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
• Radiographs, clinical photographs, intra-oral scans, study models and treatment planning records.
• Treatment plans, consent forms and notes of discussions about your care.
• Appointment dates, attendance history and correspondence.
• Details of complaints, feedback or patient surveys.
• Financial information, including fees charged, payments made and payment arrangements.
• Information required for NHS treatment, where applicable.
• Technical information collected when you use our website, such as IP address, browser type, device type, approximate location, pages visited and website usage data.

4. Why we use your information

We use personal information to:

• Provide orthodontic consultations, treatment and ongoing care.
• Assess your suitability for NHS or private orthodontic treatment.
• Keep accurate clinical and administrative records.
• Contact you about appointments, reminders, recalls and treatment updates.
• Communicate with parents, guardians, carers or other authorised representatives where appropriate.
• Respond to enquiries submitted through our website, by telephone or by email.
• Manage referrals from dentists or other healthcare professionals.
• Process payments, issue invoices and manage outstanding balances.
• Meet legal, regulatory, NHS, tax, accounting and professional obligations.
• Maintain patient safety and ensure high standards of care.
• Investigate complaints, concerns or incidents.
• Improve our services, website, communications and patient experience.
• Send marketing communications only where we have consent or another lawful basis to do so.

5. Our lawful basis for using your information

We only use personal information where we have a valid lawful basis.

Depending on the circumstances, we may use your information because:

• It is necessary to provide orthodontic care or services you have requested.
• It is necessary for the performance of a contract with you.
• It is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.
• It is necessary for our legitimate interests, such as managing appointments, improving services, maintaining records and communicating with patients.
• You have given us consent, for example for certain types of marketing, research, education or optional communications.
• It is necessary for the provision of healthcare or treatment.

Health information is classed as special category data. We process this information only where permitted by law, including where it is necessary for the provision of healthcare or treatment, the management of healthcare services, or where we have your explicit consent.

6. Orthodontic and clinical records

To provide safe and effective orthodontic care, we keep detailed records about your treatment. These may include:

• Clinical notes.
• Medical and orthodontic histories.
• X-rays and clinical photographs.
• Digital scans and study models.
• Treatment plans and consent records.
• Records of appliances, retainers or other treatment provided.
• Correspondence with you, your dentist, your doctor, hospitals or other healthcare providers.

These records help us provide appropriate care, monitor treatment progress, meet professional standards and comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

7. NHS patients and NHS information

Where orthodontic care is provided under the NHS, we may need to share relevant information with NHS bodies, NHS payment authorities and other organisations involved in the administration or delivery of NHS care.

For NHS patients, statutory forms and relevant treatment information may be processed so that NHS eligibility, treatment and payments can be managed correctly.

8. National data opt-out

Health and care information may sometimes be used for purposes beyond individual care, such as improving quality and standards of care, planning services, monitoring safety and supporting health research.

Where confidential patient information is used for these wider purposes, it will only be used where allowed by law. In many cases, information will be anonymised so that individuals cannot be identified.

You can choose whether your confidential patient information is used in this way. You can find out more or register your choice through the NHS “Your Data Matters” service.

9. Website enquiries and contact forms

When you contact us through our website, by telephone or by email, we collect the information you provide so that we can respond to your enquiry.

This may include your name, email address, telephone number, message details and any other information you choose to provide.

Information submitted through enquiry forms may be used to respond to your request and may also be recorded within our practice management systems where appropriate.

We will not use enquiry form information to send marketing communications unless you have given consent or we are otherwise permitted by law to do so.

10. Marketing communications

We may use your contact details to tell you about services, updates or information that may be relevant to you.

Where required, we will ask for your consent before sending marketing communications. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.

We will not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

11. Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve the way the site works, understand visitor behaviour and measure the performance of our content and marketing.

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They may help us understand how visitors use our website, which pages are popular and how users interact with our content.

We may use analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, to collect information in an aggregated or anonymised form where possible. This may include information such as pages visited, time spent on the website, browser type, device type and approximate location.

Where required, we will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device. You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings.

12. Call tracking and recorded calls

We may use call tracking technology to help us understand how patients and website visitors contact us.

This may collect information such as the telephone number used, the time and date of the call, the page visited before making the call, and other technical information. Calls may be recorded for training, monitoring, quality assurance or record-keeping purposes where appropriate.

Where calls are recorded, callers will be informed where required.

13. Who we may share information with

Your information is normally used only by people working within Devon Orthodontics and its practices. This may include orthodontists, dentists, therapists, nurses, treatment coordinators, reception staff, administration staff and practice management.

Where necessary, we may share relevant information with:

• Your dentist or doctor.
• Hospitals, community orthodontic services or other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
• Specialist dental, orthodontic or medical services to which we refer you.
• Orthodontic laboratories.
• NHS bodies, NHS payment authorities or commissioners.
• The Department for Work and Pensions or its agencies, where relevant to NHS charge exemptions or remissions.
• Private orthodontic schemes or payment providers where you are a member or customer.
• Debt collection agencies or legal advisers where fees remain unpaid.
• Accountants, insurers, professional advisers and IT support providers.
• Website, hosting, analytics, email, call tracking and practice management software providers.
• Regulators, law enforcement agencies, HMRC or other public authorities where required by law.

We only share information where there is a valid reason to do so. We limit any information shared to what is necessary for the purpose.

14. Keeping your information secure

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information.

These may include:

• Secure practice management systems.
• Access controls and staff confidentiality obligations.
• Secure storage of paper and electronic records.
• Computer audit trails and routine back-ups.
• Secure cloud services with appropriate contractual safeguards.
• SSL encryption on our website where information is transmitted online.
• Staff training on confidentiality, data protection and information security.

Only authorised members of the team may access your information, and only where they need it to carry out their role.

15. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to provide care, meet legal and regulatory requirements, support complaints handling, and defend or bring legal claims.

Clinical and orthodontic records may need to be kept for extended periods in accordance with professional, legal, NHS and insurance requirements.

Non-clinical records may be kept for 10 years after your last visit to the practice, or until you reach the age of 25, whichever is longer, unless a longer retention period is required.

Where you ask us to delete information, we will consider your request. However, we may be unable to delete certain information, such as clinical records, where we are legally or professionally required to retain them.

16. Your rights

You have rights in relation to your personal information. These include the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Ask us to erase certain information, where the law allows.
• Ask us to restrict how we use your information.
• Object to certain types of processing.
• Ask for information to be supplied electronically to another provider where applicable.
• Withdraw consent where we rely on consent to use your information.
• Object to direct marketing at any time.

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details in this policy. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

17. If you do not want us to use your information

If you do not want us to use your personal information as described in this policy, please discuss this with a member of our team.

In some cases, if you object to the way we collect or use information, we may not be able to continue providing orthodontic care or certain services.

18. Complaints

If you are unhappy with the way we handle your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concern.

You can contact our data protection contact at:

Email: [Insert group email address]
Telephone: [Insert group telephone number]
Address: [Insert postal address]

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection. The ICO provides a complaint route for concerns about how personal data has been handled.

19. Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or the way we use personal information.

The version published on our website will apply from the date shown at the top of the policy.

20. Contact us

For questions about this privacy policy or how we use your information, please contact:

Devon Orthodontics
Email: [Insert group email address]
Telephone: [Insert group telephone number]
Postal address: [Insert main correspondence address]