Privacy Notice - Vet Services
The Cat Clinic, 38 Blackford Avenue, Edinburgh, EH9 2PP.
Tel: 0131 466 7110, email: [email protected]
This the Privacy Notice of the Cat Clinic:
This privacy notice explains how the Cat Clinic collects and uses personal information about individuals in relation to the provision of vet services.
Notification:
The Cat Clinic is registered as a data controller with the UK Information Commissioner and the reference number is: Z716427X
The Cat Clinic processes any personal data under the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Purpose of the processing
We process personal information to enable us to provide veterinary services to customers and clients.
When you register with The Cat Clinic we are entering into a service contract together. We will ask you to provide some personal details as well as some basic information about your pet in order for us to maintain accurate clinical records, and to enable us to contact you to discuss your cat’s medical investigation or treatment.
We also require this information to meet our legal obligations both for HMRC (tax) and in order for us to provide your animal with medicines.
Categories of personal data processed
The information we collect about you will include: Title, Surname, Address including postcode and a current phone number. An email address is a useful addition to allow us to report test results or inform you of the status of ordered medications/specialist appointments etc.
Source of the information
The personal data we process in relation to the provision of vet services is provided to us directly by clients and customers.
The legal basis of the processing
We process personal data in order to perform our contract with you (this is covered by the legal basis in Article 6(1)(b) GDPR) and to comply with legal obligations (this is covered by the legal basis in Article 6(1)(c) GDPR).
For some associated services involving the processing of your personal data we will obtain your consent (this is covered by the legal basis in Article 6(1)(a) GDPR).
Retention of personal data
In accordance with current data protection legislation we have an obligation to keep our database up to date. In order to do this, we will routinely check this information with you when you visit us at the clinic and can easily amend your contact preferences at this time also.
In keeping with our legal (tax & Veterinary Medicines Directorate) obligations, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and indemnity insurer advice, we will hold your information for 7 years after our last transaction.
WHERE ARE YOUR DETAILS STORED?
Your data, and your cat’s clinical records are held on our practice management computer system. This is an internal network with password access to the computer and authorised only user ID and password access to the practice management system.
The Cat Clinic, subscribes to an effective anti-virus program at all times to monitor threats from emails/websites
The Cat Clinic website does not currently use any analytics/gather data on its users other than to monitor general traffic flow through the website.
If you have been required to sign a consent form whilst at the clinic (e.g. anaesthetic consent) these documents are required to be retained for 7 years as per our indemnity insurer recommendations and are held securely.
HOW YOUR DATA MAY BE SHARED:
We will not pass on your personal details to a third party for marketing purposes.
There are a number of instances where your personal details may be shared with a third party - as a result of a clinical investigation, medicine reminders, microchip implantation or in the completion of pet insurance claim forms. These likely events and how we use your data in each instance is detailed below. Consent will be obtained for any alternative use.
1. Medicine Reminders: The Cat Clinic routinely posts out reminder cards for annual vaccinations as we feel this is an important step in keeping your cat healthy. These reminder cards, detailing the pet’s name, the registered owners title, surname and address are printed for us by the vaccine manufacturer – Merial – before being reviewed by Cat Clinic staff and posted using Royal Mail.
Our contract with Merial states that the personal data provided should be used for no purpose other than to provide the requested service, that it should be held for no longer than is necessary and in accordance with current data protection legislation.
Merial’s privacy policy can be found at: https://merialnexus.co.uk/privacy-policy
We will ask for your consent to receive these reminders. At any stage this consent may be withdrawn or amended by contacting the clinic.
2. Reference Laboratories: Through the course of a clinical investigation we may request permission to perform tests that will be run by specialist external laboratories. In order to identify samples we must utilise some of your personal data. In this situation we provide our external labs with minimal personal details only - your Surname, the patient’s name and our patient record number.
Our agreements with the external laboratories we use state that the personal data provided should be used for no purpose other than to provide the requested service, that it should be held for no longer than is necessary and in accordance with current data protection legislation. This processing is necessary for the performance of our contract with you to provide vet services.
3. Microchip registration: On implantation, a microchip provides your pet with a unique 15-digit number code which is then required to be registered (along with your name, address and contact details) on a national database (Identibase) in order for you to be contacted in the event of your missing pet being found. If you would like us to register the microchip immediately on implantation we will require your specific consent, alternatively we can provide you with the appropriate forms and you can complete this registration yourself. Details of how Identibase use and store your details can be found at: https://www.identibase.co.uk/privacy
4. Transfer of medical records: If at any stage you choose to move to a different practice we will of course transfer the patient records promptly. As these records are combined with your personal data including title, surname, address and telephone number we will require your permission before passing this information on. Permission would be preferred in a written format (e.g. brief email) but may also be given verbally. We will not transfer financial details. In the case of an emergency or, if we are unable to contact you to obtain your permission, we will transfer the clinical history with only registered owners surname to identify the person.
In the event of your pet being referred to a specialist, as your referring veterinary surgeon we will be required to register you at the specialist clinic – providing personal data that we hold (title, surname, address, phone numbers) as well as a full clinical history of the patient to allow proper assessment and understanding of the case. This processing is necessary for the performance of our contract with you to provide vet services, however we will obtain your permission for the referral.
5. Insurance Claim Forms: If you ask us to complete a pet insurance claim form on your behalf we will be required, by your insurance company, to provide itemised invoices with regard to the specified claim as well as your pet’s medical history. These documents are required to be identified by your personal data (Name, address, phone number).
In some cases, your insurers will request further clarification of a medical history in order to process a claim. If this request pertains to a claim form we have helped complete, we will usually comply with this request without further authority from yourself.
N.B. Cat Clinic staff are unable to amend/insert any information within the Policyholder sections on these forms.
6. Pet Cremation: In the sad event of the passing of your cat, we can offer the option of having your cat cremated at a local pet crematorium. If you request for your pet to be individually cremated and to have the ashes returned to yourself we must be able to identify your pet specifically and will therefore use both your surname and pet’s name as a means of doing this.
We use CPC, based at Livingston for this service. Their privacy policy can be found at: https://www.cpccares.com/terms-and-conditions/cookies-privacy-policy/
Transfers
It may sometimes be necessary to transfer personal information overseas. When this is needed information may be transferred to countries or territories around the world. Any transfers made will be in full compliance with all aspects of the data protection law.
Your rights
You may change the permissions that you have given us in relation to how we use your personal data at any time – in writing, by email or by speaking to one of our receptionists.
The GDPR provides individuals with certain rights in relation to the personal information held about them by data controllers. The rights which are relevant to the ways in which we process personal data are listed below. Please contact us if you wish to exercise any of these rights. There is no charge for exercising these rights. We will provide information on the action taken in response to a request within one month of your request.
Access to your information – You have the right to request a copy of the personal information about you that we hold.
Correcting your information –you may ask us to correct any personal information about you that you believe is not accurate, complete or up to date.
Deletion of your information – You have the right to ask us to delete personal information about you where:
· You consider that we no longer require the information for the purposes for which it was obtained
· We are using that information with your consent and you have withdrawn your consent – see Withdrawing consent to using your information below
· Our use of your personal information is contrary to law or our other legal obligations.
Restricting how we may use your information – in some cases, you may ask us to restrict how we use your personal information. This right might apply, for example, where we are checking the accuracy of personal information about you that we hold. Where this right is validly exercised, we may only use the relevant personal information with your consent, for legal claims or where there are other public interest grounds to do so.
Withdrawing consent using your information – Where we use your personal information with your consent you may withdraw that consent at any time and we will stop using your personal information for the purpose(s) for which consent was given.
Changes to our privacy statement
We keep this privacy statement under regular review and will place any updates on this website. Paper copies of the privacy statement may also be obtained using the contact information below.
This privacy statement was last updated on 25 May 2018.
HOW TO CONTACT US
Contact us by mail to:
Jennifer Divitt-Smith, The Cat Clinic, 38 Blackford Avenue, Edinburgh, EH9 2PP.
or by email to: [email protected].
or by telephone on: 0131 4667110
Full details of your individual rights under current data protection legislation can be found at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/