This data privacy and protection statement explains how Julie Lloyd, Clinical Psychologist looks after your personal data in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws.  By providing your personal data, you acknowledge that I will only use it in accordance with this Statement.  It is assumed that by contacting me and/or further engaging with the contracted service that you are consenting to this Statement.

Data protection laws require that the personal data I hold about you must be: used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way; collected only for valid purposes that I have clearly explained to you and not used in a way that is incompatible with those purposes; relevant to the purposes I have told you about and limited only to those purposes; accurate and kept up to date; kept secure and confidential and kept only as long as necessary for the purposes I have told you about.

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The data I collect about you

When you contact me, you will be asked to provide personal data such as your name, postal address, GP details, telephone number and email. You will be asked a little about the difficulties that you are facing to help me understand your needs and determine if I may be able to help you and enable us to agree a course of action.  If you chose not to proceed with my service, your details will be safely deleted after 12 months; they will be kept for this time in case you chose to re-contact my service after a chance to consider whether or not you wish to engage my services. If you would like your details destroyed before the 12 months, please let me know (contact details above).  If we agree to proceed further then the following sensitive personal data may be collected from you: Signed therapy agreement; therapy records (e.g. therapist notes, letters, reports, assessments, reports/letters you or other agencies provide relevant to psychological treatment, outcome measures). If you are referred by another agency, then I will also collect and process personal data provided by that organisation.   This may include basic contact information, referral information and previous assessments and reports relevant to psychological treatment.

  

How information is used and stored

Your privacy is taken seriously.  Your personal information is only used in order to arrange and provide the psychological services requested, to process payment for such services and provide you with information about my services.  Without the personal information requested, I may be unable to provide a service to you. 

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Your contact information and any information you or other relevant agencies provide electronically for the purposes of your psychological treatment will be kept on password protected computing devices with appropriate antivirus and malware protection.  Your therapy records (e.g. therapist notes, letters, reports, assessments and outcome measures as well as reports/letters you or other agencies provide relevant to psychological treatment) will be kept on paper and stored in a locked cabinet.  Personal information is minimised in email communication.  Any letters or reports written regarding your therapy will be sent in the post whenever possible.  If requested, they can be sent via email in an attachment. Basic contact information will be stored on your therapist’s (passcode protected) mobile phone, until 6 months after the end of your therapy when it will be deleted.

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Upon the conclusion of therapy, the paper file is placed in a secure archive and kept for up to 7 years from the last appointment unless you and your therapist agrees otherwise (or unless there are exceptional reasons such as those linked to legal processes). This is so that should you choose to return for a further appointment/course of therapy, if our services are still being provided, then this information can be accessed as needed. When our services cease to be provided, records will be securely destroyed (unless there are exceptional reasons such as those linked to legal processes).

 

Third Parties

Client details are kept strictly confidential. Contact information is known only to your therapist.  Information on the assessment and therapy process is only accessible to your therapist. I may ask you for contact details for your GP (or other relevant health provider) and your permission for me to contact them, usually by letter, to inform them that: you are being seen by the service, a brief outline of reasons why and any other pertinent information. Usually, you will be asked if you wish to receive a copy of the letter also.

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If your treatment has been instructed by a Court (or other relevant agency), relevant clinical information from your therapy records will be shared with appropriate relevant services (e.g. the Court or Social Worker) as required and with your agreement.

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There are some instances when previously confidential information must be shared with appropriate agencies. For example, information has to be shared; for safeguarding purposes (i.e. if there is information to suggest a risk of actual or potential harm to yourself or any other person); when disclosure if in the public interest; to prevent a miscarriage of justice; or when there is a legal duty to do so (such as a Court Order).  Any proposed disclosure is usually discussed with you first, where appropriate and unless doing so could increase the risk posed to yourself or another person.  If you are involved in processes such as Court or employment proceedings, then previously confidential information could be shared with relevant agencies.  This is usually done with your agreement and discussed and agreed at the beginning of the work or earliest opportunity.

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Anonymised, non-identifying information about you is verbally shared with one/two other colleagues in a confidential setting for the purpose of clinical supervision of the therapist you see.  Clinical supervision is mandatory for Clinical Psychologists and ensures that the work provided is as clinically appropriate as possible, working with the aim of achieving the best outcome for you in the time available. Any notes from this, to help the therapist in their provision of your therapy, will be entered into the paper file and again shredded after 7 years.

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Contact by me

I may need to contact you for the following reasons: To set up/change appointment times; to send you venue information and other information related to your appointment/s and therapy and; to help solve any payment problems that might arise.

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You will be asked your preferred method of contact (Post, Email, Telephone and if I can leave a voicemail and please tell us of any restrictions you would like to impose, to protect your privacy as much as possible). 

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Your rights with regard to your data. 

You have the right to access the data I hold about you.  I will usually share this within 30 days of receiving a request.  There may be an administration fee for supplying this information to you.  I may request further evidence from you to check your identity.  A copy of your personal information will usually be sent to you in a permanent form (printed copy).   You also have the right to: have inaccuracies corrected; have information deleted; prevent marketing; complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe there to be a breach of data protection laws; be informed of data breaches without undue delay and; prevent automated decision-making and profiling (N.B. we do not do this type of processing). Note these rights are not absolute and can be overridden by other interests in extremely rare and special circumstances e.g. Court subpoenas. The right to have information deleted is also not absolute and specific circumstances must apply.  I reserve the right to refuse a request to delete a client’s personal information when this is therapy records.  Therapy records are retained for a period of 7 years in accordance with the guidelines and requirements for record keeping by the British Psychological Society (BPS, 2000) [1] and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC, 2017) [2]. 

 

You have the right to end therapy at any point and to request no further contact. You may request the deletion of your contact details from our computer records and the shredding of your paper file. Usually this record of the therapy provided will continue to be kept securely and is to be shredded after 7 years unless you agree otherwise.

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You have the right to ask what information is kept on you and to change your mind about what is kept & how you are contacted. Those individuals who accept this policy have the right to change their mind at a later date and request deletion of their contact details. They should do so by making written contact by email or post.

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Registration reference with the ICO is ZA536439

 

[1]The British Psychological Society (2000). Clinical Psychology and Case Notes: Guidance on Good Practice. Leicester: Division of Clinical Psychology, BPS.

[2]Health and Care Professions Council (2017). Confidentiality – guidance for registrants. London: HCPC.

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Acknowledgement and consent

Here is a copy of the consent form I ask people to sign once we have agreed to work together.

 

By signing this form you are acknowledging that:

•        You understand and agree to abide by the terms of this therapy agreement

•        You have had an opportunity to discuss and clarify any questions you may have about this document

•        This document constitutes a binding agreement between you and Julie Lloyd

 

Print Name.            

Signature.                               

Date

                                                                                                                                                                                             

Signed by Psychologist

 

Print Name.                                      

Signature.                               

Date

 

Julie Lloyd

Clinical Psychologist                                                             

 

Health and Care Professions Council Registered Clinical Psychologist (Registration number PYL16156)

Associate Fellow of The British Psychological Society (BPS) (Registration Number 010663)

Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) Practitioner registered with the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (membership number ACAT 01357)