Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy in Swindon and Online is confidential. We value your privacy and adhere to strict regulations to keep all personal information secure.
The GDPR replaces the 1998 Data Protection Act to ensure your personal and sensitive, confidential data is kept private and held securely. It is there to protect your rights as a consumer of a service or product that might involve your identifiable data. It also covers any session records, or emails we exchange.
How long will you hold my information for?
I am regulated by the NCH, an organisation that stipulates I must hold your data for 8 years after your final session. Unless you are a child, in which case I must hold your data until your 25th birthday, unless you are 17 when treatment ends and then I must keep it until your 26th birthday.
What if I don’t want my records to be held for that long?
Under the GDPR you can make a request in writing to me, for all your records to be deleted. In this case all your paper records would be shredded with a shredding machine and any electronic data such as emails or text messages would be permanently deleted from the devices they are stored on. I would have to save the request for deletion you made but would not save any other data.
What information do you collect and why do you need to record this information?
I collect information about why you are using my service, a small amount of medical information and a small amount of information about your important others, alongside brief session notes. This information enables me to provide a high quality service to you, ensuring I am equipped with the knowledge of our previous discussions prior to each session. I collect your contact details such as your name, address, telephone number and email address. I collect this information for appointment reminders and rearrangements. Your contact details / address and doctors details will only be used with your explicit consent.
What lengths are made to ensure my information is held securely?
- Hardcopy documents – Are all stored in a locked cabinet in a locked room.
- Text messages – My mobile phone is secured with a pin code.
- Emails – My email account requires a user name and password.
- Electronic documents – Any electronic documents are stored on a password protected computer.
Is what we discuss kept confidential?
Everything we talk about during our sessions are strictly confidential between you and me. To ensure I am doing my job effectively and that I have the right support, I may discuss elements of our sessions with my supervisor. During these discussions I do not disclose any details that may identify you to my supervisor, and my supervisor also adheres to the GDPR.
What if I see you outside of the session?
If we see each other outside of a session I may smile but will not engage in any further conversation to ensure your confidentiality. You are welcome to share with other people about the therapy you are receiving, but I am obligated by GDPR law to ensure your confidentiality is protected.
What about other Health and Social Care Professionals?
As I adhere to the GDPR, any contact relating to you with other health care professionals would only be made with your signed consent. For example, if I were to write to your GP to notify them of your treatment with me, and then notify them of the treatment ending.
Exceptions:
In order to safeguard you and the people around you, if you were to disclose that you were going to carry out harm to yourself or someone else, then under my “Duty of Care” I am obligated by law to inform the relevant authorities. This is to support you to live well, and I would always aim to discuss this with you prior to contacting anyone.
