Earlam & Christopher is an opticians practice providing eye care services. We are the Data Controller for the personal data we process.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number ZB859816.
If you have any questions about how we use your information, you can contact us using the details below or via our Data Protection Officer.
Address: 51 Bridge Street, Taunton, TA1 1TW
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01823 272061
Data Protection Officer contact:
[email protected]
We collect and process personal information so that we can provide our services safely and effectively.
This includes your basic personal details such as your name, address, date of birth, and contact information. Where relevant, we may also collect your NHS number. In order to provide appropriate care, we maintain clinical records which include information about your eye health, prescriptions, and any relevant medical history. We also keep records of your appointments and interactions with the practice.
We use your personal data to provide eye care services, maintain accurate clinical records, manage appointments, and communicate with you about your care. We also process information where necessary to meet our legal and regulatory obligations.
We may contact you about products and services that are relevant to your eye care. Where required, we will do this with your consent, and you can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
We process your personal data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
Where we provide NHS-funded or commissioned services, we process your information as part of a task carried out in the public interest. Where we provide private services, we process your information as part of our contract with you. We may also use your information for the purposes of managing your care, including appointment reminders and recalls, where it is in our legitimate interests to do so. In some circumstances, we are required to process information to comply with legal obligations.
Where we process health information, this is done for the provision of health care in accordance with data protection law.
We may share your information where this is necessary to support your care or the services we provide. This can include sharing with NHS organisations such as hospitals or GPs, other healthcare professionals involved in your treatment, suppliers of optical appliances, and trusted service providers who support our systems and operations.
We use diagnostic equipment supplied by specialist manufacturers. With your consent, anonymised information obtained from diagnostic imaging and other clinical equipment may be used for purposes such as research, product development, quality improvement, and the advancement of clinical technologies. Information used in this way is anonymised before use and cannot be used to identify individual patients.
We only share information where there is a lawful basis to do so and ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place.
The NHS provides a National Data Opt-Out which allows patients to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for purposes beyond their individual care, such as planning and research.
Where we use patient data for these purposes, we will respect your opt-out preferences in line with NHS requirements.
The National Data Opt-Out does not apply to information used for your individual care and treatment. It also does not apply to information that has been anonymised so that individuals can no longer be identified.
You can find out more or set your preference at:
https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/
We do not routinely transfer personal data outside the UK. Where this is necessary, for example where systems are hosted by external providers, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK data protection law.
We retain personal data in accordance with applicable legal, regulatory and professional requirements, including guidance issued by the College of Optometrists and other relevant professional bodies.
The length of time records are retained will depend on the type of information involved and the purpose for which it was collected. Clinical records are retained for as long as necessary to support patient care, meet professional obligations, and comply with legal requirements.
Further information about specific retention periods is available on request
We take the security of your information seriously and have measures in place to protect it from unauthorised access, loss, or misuse.
These measures include secure systems, appropriate access controls, and the secure storage of paper records. Staff are trained in data protection and confidentiality to ensure your information is handled appropriately at all times.
Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include the right to access your information, to request correction of inaccurate data, and in certain circumstances to request that your data is erased or that processing is restricted.
You also have the right to object to processing in some situations and to request that your data is transferred to another organisation where applicable.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided above.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, please contact us in the first instance so that we can try to resolve your concerns.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our services or legal obligations. The most up-to-date version will always be available.
