Privacy notice  

The Open Practice customer privacy notice 

This privacy notice tells you what to expect us to do with your personal information. 

Jump to the relevant sections:

Contact details

Post 

The Open Practice Ltd, Jameson House, Lutyens Close, Lychpit, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 8AG, GB 

Telephone 

01256 961007 

Email 

reception@theopen-practice.co.uk 

What information we collect, use, and why

We collect or use the following information to provide patient care, services, pharmaceutical products and other goods

  • Name, address and contact details 

  • Gender 

  • Pronoun preferences 

  • Date of birth 

  • Next of Kin details including any support networks 

  • Emergency contact details 

  • Photographs 

  • Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements and medical history) 

  • Information about care needs (including disabilities, home conditions, medication and dietary requirements and general care provisions) 

  • Test results (including psychological evaluations, scans, bloods, x-rays, tissue tests and genetic tests) 

  • Insurance policy details 

  • Records of meetings and decisions 

  • Call recordings 

We also collect the following information to provide patient care, services, pharmaceutical products and other goods

  • Health information 

We collect or use the following information for safeguarding or public protection reasons

  • Name, address and contact details 

  • Emergency contact details 

  • Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements and medical history) 

  • Test results (including psychological evaluations, scans, bloods, x-rays, tissue tests and genetic tests) 

  • Records of meetings and decisions 

We also collect the following information for safeguarding or public protection reasons

  • Health information 

We collect or use the following personal information for patient app or portal functionality

  • Names and contact details 

  • Addresses 

  • Medical history 

  • Marketing preferences 

We also collect the following information for patient app or portal functionality

  • Health information 

We collect or use the following personal information to comply with legal requirements

  • Name 

  • Contact information 

  • Identification documents 

  • Insurance details 

  • Safeguarding information 

  • Criminal offence data 

We collect or use the following personal information for information updates, marketing or market research purposes

  • Names and contact details 

  • Address 

  • Marketing preferences 

  • Personal information used for administration of the research 

  • Personal information used for the purpose of research 

  • Records of consent, where appropriate 

We also collect the following information for information updates, marketing or market research purposes

  • Health information 

We collect or use the following personal information for medical research or archiving purposes

  • Personal information used for administration of the research 

  • Personal information used for the purpose of research 

  • Records of consent, where appropriate 

We also collect the following information for medical research or archiving purposes

  • Health information 

We collect or use the following personal information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims

  • Names and contact details 

  • Address 

  • Payment details 

  • Account information 

  • Purchase or service history 

  • Video recordings of public areas 

  • Audio recordings of public areas 

  • Call recordings 

  • Witness statements and contact details 

  • Relevant information from previous investigations 

  • Customer or client accounts and records 

  • Information relating to health and safety (including incident investigation details and reports and accident book records) 

  • Correspondence 

Lawful bases and data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website. 

Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are in brief set out below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website: 

  • Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where we get personal information from and who we share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for. You can read more about this right here

If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month. 

To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice. 

Our lawful bases for the collection and use of your data 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to provide patient care, services, pharmaceutical products and other goods are: 

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. 

  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object. 

  • Legitimate interest: 

  • Providing High-Quality Patient Care and Services Benefit: Collecting and using personal health information allows us to deliver safe, accurate, and effective medical care and services. This includes developing appropriate treatment plans, monitoring health outcomes, and ensuring that medications are prescribed and administered correctly. Personal data may also be used to send reminders for appointments, follow-ups, or important health-related updates. Balancing Interests: The use of data is critical to preventing errors and improving health outcomes, which directly benefits the patient. We take measures to safeguard privacy by limiting access to medical records to authorized personnel only and employing encryption and other data protection methods. 

  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability. 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for safeguarding or public protection reasons are: 

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. 

  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object. 

  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability. 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for patient app or portal functionality are: 

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. 

  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object. 

  • Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are: 

  • Providing High-Quality Patient Care and Services Benefit: Collecting and using personal health information allows us to deliver safe, accurate, and effective medical care and services. This includes developing appropriate treatment plans, monitoring health outcomes, and ensuring that medications are prescribed and administered correctly. Personal data may also be used to send reminders for appointments, follow-ups, or important health-related updates. Balancing Interests: The use of data is critical to preventing errors and improving health outcomes, which directly benefits the patient. We take measures to safeguard privacy by limiting access to medical records to authorized personnel only and employing encryption and other data protection methods. 

  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability. 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to comply with legal requirements are: 

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for information updates, marketing or market research purposes are: 

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for medical research or archiving purposes are: 

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims are: 

  • Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are: 

  • We have a legitimate interest in processing personal data to effectively handle queries, complaints, or claims. This ensures we maintain high standards of customer service, improve our processes, and protect our organization from legal or reputational risk. Balancing Interests: While using personal data for these purposes is important to us, we take care to minimise the impact on your privacy. We only collect information relevant to your case and keep it secure, ensuring it is only accessible by staff who need it to address your concern. Example: Using your contact information to follow up on a complaint and ensure your issue has been resolved satisfactorily. 

Where we get personal information from
  • Directly from you 

  • Family members or carers 

  • Other health and care providers 

  • Social services 

  • Charities or voluntary sector organisations 

  • Schools, colleges, universities or other education organisations 

  • Councils and other public sector organisations 

  • Suppliers and service providers 

  • Other medical sources of referral, e.g. GP 

How long we keep information

We follow The Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care 2016 which is generally 8 years following the end of treatment or death. 

Who we share information with 

Others we share personal information with 

  • Other health providers (eg GPs and consultants) 

  • Insurance companies, brokers and other intermediaries 

  • Charities and voluntary organisations 

  • Care providers 

  • Organisations we need to share information with for safeguarding reasons 

  • Local authorities or councils 

  • External auditors or inspectors 

  • Previous employers 

  • Suppliers and service providers 

Duty of confidentiality 

We are subject to a common law duty of confidentiality. However, there are circumstances where we will share relevant health and care information. These are where: 

  • you’ve provided us with your consent (we have taken it as implied to provide you with care, or you have given it explicitly for other uses); 

  • we have a legal requirement (including court orders) to collect, share or use the data; 

  • on a case-by-case basis, the public interest to collect, share and use the data overrides the public interest served by protecting the duty of confidentiality (for example sharing information with the police to support the detection or prevention of serious crime); 

  • If in England or Wales – the requirements of The Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 are satisfied; or 

Who we share information with

 Others we share personal information with 

  • Other health providers (eg GPs and consultants) 

  • Insurance companies, brokers and other intermediaries 

  • Charities and voluntary organisations 

  • Care providers 

  • Organisations we need to share information with for safeguarding reasons 

  • Local authorities or councils 

  • External auditors or inspectors 

  • Previous employers 

  • Suppliers and service providers 

Duty of confidentiality 

We are subject to a common law duty of confidentiality. However, there are circumstances where we will share relevant health and care information. These are where: 

  • you’ve provided us with your consent (we have taken it as implied to provide you with care, or you have given it explicitly for other uses); 

  • we have a legal requirement (including court orders) to collect, share or use the data; 

  • on a case-by-case basis, the public interest to collect, share and use the data overrides the public interest served by protecting the duty of confidentiality (for example sharing information with the police to support the detection or prevention of serious crime); 

  • If in England or Wales – the requirements of The Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 are satisfied; or 

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint to us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice. 

If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO. 

The ICO’s address:            

Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF 

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 

Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint 

Last updated 

21 November 2024