Privacy Policy

1. Purpose

Alan James Clinics is committed to protecting personal information and handling patient data lawfully, fairly and transparently.

This Privacy Policy explains how personal information may be collected, used, stored, shared and protected when patients use our website, patient portal and clinical services.

2. Who We Are

Alan James Clinics is the data controller for personal information processed in connection with our services, except where another organisation acts as an independent data controller.

Contact details are available on the clinic website.

3. Information We May Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of information:

3.1 Identity and contact information

• Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Email address
• Telephone number

3.2 Health and clinical information

• Symptoms or medical history provided by you
• Appointment reasons
• Test requests and results
• Consultation notes where applicable
• Relevant information needed to provide safe care

3.3 Booking and account information

• Appointment dates and times
• Patient portal account details
• Authentication identifiers
• Booking preferences and update requests

3.4 Payment information

• Payment confirmations and transaction references
• Limited billing information

We do not store full payment card details on our systems.

3.5 Technical information

• Device/browser information
• IP address
• Security logs
• Cookies or similar technologies where used

4. How We Collect Information

Information may be collected when you:

• Use our website
• Create or use a patient account
• Make a booking
• Contact the clinic
• Submit forms or update requests
• Attend an appointment
• Use diagnostic or clinical services

5. How We Use Information

We may use personal information to:

• Arrange and manage appointments
• Provide healthcare and related services
• Maintain patient records
• Process payments and refunds
• Communicate with you about bookings or care
• Respond to enquiries and complaints
• Improve website security and service quality
• Meet legal, regulatory and professional obligations

6. Special Category Health Data

Health information receives additional legal protection. We process health data only where there is an appropriate lawful basis, including healthcare provision, explicit consent where required, or compliance with legal obligations.

7. Systems and Service Providers

We may use trusted service providers to help operate our services, including categories such as:

• Practice management and patient record systems
• Payment processors
• Authentication providers
• Secure communication providers
• Website hosting providers
• Laboratories or referral partners where relevant

Those providers are expected to process data securely and only for appropriate purposes.

8. Sharing Information

We may share information where appropriate with:

• Clinicians involved in your care
• Laboratories processing requested tests
• Regulators or public authorities where legally required
• Professional advisers or insurers where necessary
• Technology providers acting on our behalf

We do not sell personal data.

9. Legal Bases for Processing

Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more lawful bases including:

• Performance of a contract
• Provision of health or social care
• Legal obligation
• Legitimate interests
• Consent where required

10. Data Retention

We keep records only for as long as reasonably necessary for clinical, legal, tax, regulatory and operational purposes.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of service provided.

11. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure.

No online system can guarantee absolute security, but we aim to apply appropriate protections.

12. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights to:

• Request access to your information
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request erasure in some circumstances
• Restrict or object to certain processing
• Request portability where applicable
• Withdraw consent where consent is relied upon

Requests may require identity verification.

13. Cookies and Website Technologies

Please see our separate Cookie Policy for information about cookies and similar technologies.

14. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your information is handled, please contact the clinic first so we can try to resolve the matter.

You may also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

15. Related Internal Policies

This website Privacy Policy is supported by Alan James Clinics’ internal Data Protection Policy, Privacy Notice and Confidentiality Policy. Full internal policy documents may be available on request where appropriate.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. The latest version will be published on our website.

17. Contact Details

Please use the contact details published on the Alan James Clinics website for privacy queries or data requests.