Privacy Policy

Welcome to our website. If you continue to browse and use this website, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by our Privacy Policy and the following terms and conditions of use, which govern the Chiltern Medical Clinic’s relationship with you in relation to this website. If you disagree with any part of these terms and conditions, please do not use our website.

WHO WE ARE

The Chiltern Medical Clinic is owned and operated by a limited company called Medical Skin Clinics Ltd. The registered address is: 1 Thames Court, High Street, Goring on Thames, RG8 9AQ, United Kingdom. The company registration number is: 09696225.

The website we operate is www.chilternmedical.co.uk. Any use of ‘we’, ‘us,’ ‘our,’ ‘the Clinic’ and ‘Chiltern Medical Clinic’ refers to Medical Skin Clinics Ltd.

Medical Skin Clinics Ltd is the data controller in relation to the processing of personal information that you provide us when using our services.

You can contact our Data Protection Officer at

Or write to:

Data Protection Officer
Medical Skin Clinics Ltd / The Chiltern Medical Clinic
1 Thames Court
High Street
Goring on Thames
RG8 9AQ

WEBSITE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The use of this website is subject to the following terms and conditions:

• The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
• The information on this website is provided ‘as is’, with no warranty or representation of any kind, express or implied, including those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, or arising from a course of dealing, usage or trade practice.
• The Chiltern Medical Clinic has made all reasonable efforts to ensure that information provided through this website is accurate at the time of inclusion; however, it accepts no liability for any inaccuracies or omissions in this website. The information available on this site may be incomplete, out of date or inaccurate. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law. For up to date information, please contact us via the Contact Page or by calling either clinic on 01491 873 989 or 0118 958 2016. The Chiltern Medical Clinic reserves the right to make changes and corrections at any time without notice.
• It is a condition of allowing you free access to the material on this website that The Chiltern Medical Clinic will not be liable for any loss or damage of any kind, including direct, indirect, special and consequential loss or damage, arising from the use of this information obtained either directly or indirectly from this website, except that The Chiltern Medical Clinic does not exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence.
• Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
• This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.
• All trademarks reproduced in this website, which are not the property of, or licensed to the operator, are acknowledged on the website.
• Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence.
• From time to time, this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
• Your use of this website and any dispute arising out of such use of the website is subject to the laws of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The Chiltern Medical Clinic is committed to safeguarding and preserving the privacy of our patients and website visitors. This Privacy Policy document (the “Policy”) explains what happens to any personal data that you provide to us, or that we collect from you whilst you visit our site and how we use cookies on this website.

YOUR DATA

Under data protection legislation, the data that organisations hold about you can be categorised as follows:

Personal Data: This is data related to an identifiable person or data that can be used to identify a distinct individual. Examples of personal data we collect and process include names, email addresses, location, telephone numbers, ID numbers and online identifiers. Where this policy states “your data/your personal data” we are referring to Personal Data unless otherwise stated.

Sensitive Personal Data: Sometimes referred to as “Special Category Data”, this is data that is deemed to be more sensitive than the above personal data. For example, medical records, genetics, biometric data, details of ethnicity, sexual orientation. We only use this data for the purposes of your treatment and to ensure your care and safety as a patient. We will usually ask for your consent to collect or process this data, though there may be instances where we are required or permitted to do so by applicable law (e.g. to comply with public health requirements). We never use your sensitive personal data for marketing purposes.

THE LEGAL BASES WE RELY ON

Under data protection legislation, organisations must have one of a number of reasons for processing your personal data. Below we outline the bases we use and an example of the purpose for which it is used:

Consent: In some situations, we ask for your consent to process your data for the purpose we have identified.

• For example, we ask you to tick a box on our enquiry form to receive our special offer or newsletter emails.
• As a patient you may be asked for consent to allow us to collect sensitive personal data about you to ensure your safe treatment and care.

Contractual obligations: Sometimes we may need your data to fulfil our obligations.

• For example, if you wish to book an appointment we may need your payment details, address and contact details to process payment and secure your booking.

Legal compliance: There may be some situations where we are required by law or regulatory bodies to process your data

• For example, we may require you provide proof of ID and age where the law requires.
• Gathering information as part of investigations by regulatory bodies or in connection with legal proceedings or requests.

Legitimate interests: In some situations, we require your data to pursue our interests in a way which might reasonably be expected as part of running our business and which does not significantly impact your rights or freedom.

• For example, we will use the contact details you provide, to call/SMS/email you regarding your enquiry and provide you with targeted relevant information.
• We may combine and anonymise your data with that of other customers to identify trends and help make improvements to our service and business.

WHEN DO WE COLLECT YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

• When you visit our website
• When you communicate with us by phone or email or instant messaging systems
• When you engage with us on social media
• When you interact (open/click) with our emails
• When you request further information from us
• When you arrange appointments with Clinic staff
• When you attend appointments and as part of the consultation process
• When you make payments to us or require a refund
• When you fill in any forms online or in the Clinic
• When you’ve connected with us via a third party (e.g. Facebook/Instagram).
• When you complete any surveys we send you
• When you review our services
• When you refer a friend
• When you visit our clinics we operate CCTV systems for security purposes

WHAT PERSONAL DATA DO WE COLLECT?

• Whilst using our website you may voluntarily submit information to us via an enquiry form. This may include your name, email address, phone number and postcode. We require this information to contact you regarding your enquiry and to better understand demand for our services.
• Details of your interactions with us through phone calls, in clinics or online. For example, we may make note of conversations on the phone.
• Copies of documents you provide to prove your age or ID where the law or company policy requires.
• Payment details.
• Details of your visits to our websites, including how you arrived, which pages you visited, time spent, links clicked and technical information about your device and internet connection.
• Personal details which help us make suggestions. For example, you may indicate that you have a particular skin condition or concern, which we will use to recommend treatments.
• Information gathered by the use of cookies. Learn more about how we use cookies below.
• Your reviews, survey responses and comments.
• Information that you provide when you communicate with us by any other means.

USE OF YOUR INFORMATION

We want to give you the best possible experience from your very first interaction with us. One way to achieve this is to better understand who you are by collecting data about you.

We use this to make improvements to our service and to communicate information that you are likely to be interested in.

There are many cases where we are required to collect and process data about you either to fulfil our contractual obligations to you or to comply with the law.

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To contact you regarding your enquiry – we have to collect and process your data in order to fulfil your request for further information or to book an appointment.
• To provide you with further information about the subject of your enquiry so you understand your options and can make an informed decision.
• To remind you by email to book subsequent appointments for a treatment you have previously had which requires ongoing review.
• To provide information to you relating to products or treatments that may be of interest to you. Such additional information will only be provided where you have consented to receive such information.
• To tailor the content of our communications to make them more relevant to you.
• To contact you regarding your appointments and treatments – we want to make sure you don’t miss your appointments.
• For business performance analysis – to ensure we continue to provide the best service.
• To make sure we’re speaking to the right person – to help prevent and detect fraud.
• To take payment and process refunds.
• To provide customer service and support.
• To inform you of any changes to our website, services or goods and products.

HEALTH INFORMATION COLLECTED DURING PROVISION OF TREATMENT OR SERVICES

Sensitive personal data (including information relating to your health) will only be disclosed to third parties in accordance with this Privacy Policy. That includes third parties involved with your treatment or care, or in accordance with UK laws and guidelines of appropriate professional bodies. Where applicable, it may be disclosed to any person or organisation that may be responsible for meeting your treatment expenses or their agents (such as the NHS). It may also be provided to external service providers and regulatory bodies (unless you object) for the purpose of clinical audit to ensure the highest standards of care and record keeping are maintained.

Medical professionals working with us: We share clinical information about you with our medical professionals as we think necessary for your treatment. Medical professionals working with us might be our employees, or they might be independent consultants in private practice. In the case of independent consultants, the consultant is the data controller of your personal data, either alone or jointly with us and will be required to maintain their own records in accordance with Data Protection Laws and applicable clinical confidential guidelines and retention periods. Where that is the case, we may refer you to that consultant to exercise your rights over your data. Our contracts with consultants require them to cooperate with those requests. In all circumstances, those individual consultants will only process your personal data for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy or as otherwise notified to you.

External practitioners: If we refer you externally for treatment, we will share with the person or organisation that we refer you to, the clinical and administrative information we consider necessary for that referral. It will always be clear when we do this and we will ask for your consent beforehand.

Your GP: If the practitioners treating you believe it to be clinically advisable, we may also share information about your treatment with your GP. You can ask us not to do this, in which case we will respect that request if we are legally permitted to do so, but you should be aware that it can be potentially very dangerous and/or detrimental to your health to deny your GP full information about your medical history, and we strongly advise against it.

Your insurer: We share with your medical insurer information about your treatment, its clinical necessity and its cost, only if they are paying for all or part of your treatment with us. We provide only the information to which they are entitled. If you raise a complaint or a claim we may be required to share personal data with your medical insurer for the purposes of investigating any complaint/claim.

The NHS: If you are referred to us for treatment by the NHS, we will share the details of your treatment with the part of the NHS that referred you to us, as necessary to perform, process and report back on that treatment.

Medical regulators: We may be requested – and in some cases can be required – to share certain information (including personal data and sensitive personal data) about you and your care with medical regulators such as the General Medical Council, for example if you make a complaint, or the conduct of a medical professional involved in your treatment is alleged to have fallen below the appropriate standards and the regulator wishes to investigate. We will ensure that we do so within the framework of the law and with due respect for your privacy.

From time to time we may also make information available on the basis of necessity for the provision of healthcare, but subject always to patient confidentiality.

In an emergency and if you are incapacitated, we may also process your personal data (including sensitive personal data) or make personal data available to third parties on the basis of protecting your ‘vital interest’ (i.e. your life or your health).

We will use your personal data in order to monitor the outcome of your treatment by us and any treatment associated with your care, including any NHS treatment.

We participate in audits and initiatives to help ensure that patients are getting the best possible outcomes from their treatment and care. The highest standards of confidentiality will be applied to your personal data in accordance with Data Protection Laws and confidentiality. Any publishing of this data will be in anonymised, statistical form. Anonymous or aggregated data may be used by us, or disclosed to others, for research or statistical purposes.

HOW WE PROTECT YOUR DATA

We take the security of your data seriously and take all appropriate steps to protect it from unauthorised access, loss and misuse. We never sell any of your personal data for any purpose. We never give your details to third parties to use your data to enable them to provide you with information regarding unrelated goods or services. Any sensitive personal data we may collect (such as medical records) is never used for marketing purposes and access to such data is further restricted.

HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

We only keep your data to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected. At the end of the period, your data will either be deleted or anonymised so that it can be used in a non-identifiable way for statistical analysis which helps us make improvements to our service and business.

STORING YOUR PERSONAL DATA

In operating our website, it may become necessary to transfer data that we collect from you to locations outside of the European Union for processing and storing. By providing your personal data to us, you agree to this transfer, storing and processing. We do our utmost to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to make sure that your data is stored securely.

Unfortunately, the sending of information via the internet is not totally secure and on occasion such information can be intercepted. We cannot guarantee the security of data that you choose to send us electronically (e.g. via email) – sending such information is entirely at your own risk.

WHO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL DATA WITH

We will never sell or share your data to any third parties. We want to maintain your trust as a reputable company and believe this is essential to ensure this.

However, we do use third parties to support, manage or deliver some of our day to day business services.

As a result, we may share non-sensitive personal data with the following type of companies we work with:

• Companies that help us deliver our emails and electronic communications to you.
• Companies that support our website, phone handling and other IT/business systems.
• Companies that provide analytics services.
• Facebook and Instagram to show you our services that might interest you whilst you’re browsing the internet or on social media platforms. This is based on your acceptance of cookies on our websites.

We select these companies carefully and take precautions to keep your data safe and protect your privacy:

• We only provide the data they need to perform the services we require.
• They may only use your data for the purposes we specify and agree with them.

THIRD PARTY LINKS

On occasion we include links to third parties on this website. Where we provide a link it does not mean that we endorse or approve that site’s policy towards visitor privacy. You should review their privacy policy before sending them any personal data.

WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS?

You have many rights relating to your personal data including:

• The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
• The right to request the correction of inaccurate data about you. If we hold inaccurate or out of date information about you, you can request that we change or update it.
• The right to request that we delete your data or stop processing it – in some instances such as where we no longer need it, we can delete your personal data.
• The right to stop direct marketing – You have the absolute right to stop our use of your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In this instance we must always comply with your request.
• The right to withdraw your consent – Whenever you have given us your consent to use your personal data, you have the right to change your mind and tell us.
• Please note there may be instances where we refuse your request for any of the above (unless otherwise stated) where we have a strong overriding reason or are legally obliged to.

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, have a complaint or questions about this Policy, please see the ‘WHO WE ARE’ section for contact details.

DISCLOSING YOUR INFORMATION

We will not disclose your personal information to any other party other than in accordance with this Privacy Policy and in the circumstances detailed below:

• In the event that we sell any or all of our business to the buyer.
• Where we are legally required by law to disclose your personal information.
• To further fraud protection and reduce the risk of fraud.

USE OF COOKIES

Cookies provide information regarding the computer used by a visitor. We may use cookies where appropriate to gather information about your computer in order to assist us in improving our website.

We may gather information about your general internet use by using the cookie. Where used, these cookies are downloaded to your computer and stored on the computer’s hard drive. Such information will not identify you personally; it is statistical data which does not identify any personal details whatsoever.

Third parties featured on our website may also use cookies, over which we have no control. Such cookies (if used) would be downloaded once you click through to the third party website.

You can adjust the settings on your computer to decline any cookies if you wish. This can be done within the ‘Settings’ section of your computer. For more information please read the advice at AboutCookies.org.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect how we use your personal data. We will notify you by e-mail (if we hold your email details) of any significant changes but we encourage you to review this policy regularly to stay informed of how we use your data.

COMPLAINTS

If you have concerns about aspects of the way your data has been handled or used by us and are not satisfied with our response, you can report your concerns to the UK Information Commissioner Office (ICO). Details of how to do this are on the ICO website https://ico.org.uk.

ANY QUESTIONS?

We hope this Privacy Policy has been helpful in setting out the way we handle your personal data and your rights. If you have any questions that haven’t been covered, please contact us using the details provided in the WHO WE ARE section of this policy.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The contents of this website belong to Medical Skin Clinics Ltd, a British statutory corporation, and its licensors 2002-2019.

This policy was last updated on 12 February 2019.