Privacy Policy

THE PEAKS DENTAL & IMPLANT CENTRE

14 Arundel Street, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne OL5 0LS Tel: 01457 838995 | reception@thepeaksdental.com

PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: April 2025

1. Introduction

The Peaks Dental & Implant Centre ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website at thepeaksdental.com or attend our dental practice.

We are the data controller responsible for your personal data. Remote Management Solutions Limited, trading as The Peaks Dental & Implant Centre, is registered in England & Wales (Company No. 09774719).

Please read this policy carefully. If you have any questions, contact us at reception@thepeaksdental.com.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

We may collect the following personal information that you voluntarily provide to us:

Full name, date of birth, and contact details (address, phone number, email address)
Medical and dental history, including health conditions, medications, and treatment records
NHS or private patient registration details
Payment and billing information (processed securely; we do not store full card details)
Information submitted via our website contact or appointment booking forms
WhatsApp messages sent to our practice number

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

IP address and browser type
Pages visited and time spent on the site
Referring website addresses
Device and operating system information

This information is collected using cookies and similar technologies. Please see Section 8 (Cookies) for more detail.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

To provide dental treatment, book appointments, and manage your patient records
To communicate with you about your care, appointments, and follow-up treatment
To send appointment reminders and recall notifications
To process payments and manage billing
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including those set by the General Dental Council (GDC)
To respond to enquiries submitted via our website or WhatsApp
To improve our website and services
To send you information about our treatments or promotions (only where you have consented)

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

Contract: To fulfil our obligations in providing dental treatment
Legal obligation: To comply with GDC, NHS, and other regulatory requirements
Legitimate interests: To improve our services and communicate with patients
Consent: For marketing communications and non-essential cookies (where applicable)
Vital interests: In emergency situations where your health or safety may be at risk

Where we process special category data (such as health information), we do so on the basis of providing healthcare and complying with healthcare law.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your data with:

Dental laboratories (e.g., for crowns, dentures, and implant work) on a strictly confidential basis
Specialist referral clinics or hospitals where required for your treatment
NHS bodies or insurance providers (e.g., Denplan) as part of your dental plan administration
IT and software providers who support our practice management systems, under data processing agreements
Regulatory bodies such as the GDC, Care Quality Commission (CQC), or NHS if required
Law enforcement or other authorities where required by law

All third parties are required to handle your data securely and in accordance with applicable data protection law.

6. Data Retention

We retain patient records in accordance with NHS and GDC guidelines. Adult dental records are typically retained for a minimum of 10 years after the last treatment. Records for children are retained until the patient reaches the age of 25, or for 10 years after the last treatment, whichever is longer.

Website enquiry data is retained for no longer than necessary to respond to your enquiry. Marketing consent records are retained until you withdraw consent.

7. Your Rights

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

Right of access: To request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification: To request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure: To request deletion of your data in certain circumstances
Right to erasure: To request deletion of your data in certain circumstances
Right to restriction: To ask us to limit how we use your data
Right to data portability: To receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
Right to object: To object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
Rights related to automated decision-making: We do not make automated decisions that significantly affect you

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us in writing at reception@thepeaksdental.com or at our practice address. We will respond within one month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We use:

Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly
Analytics cookies: To understand how visitors use our site (e.g., Google Analytics)
Marketing cookies: To deliver relevant content (only with your consent)

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality. For more information, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

9. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, or destruction. These include secure clinical record systems, restricted staff access, and encrypted communications where appropriate.

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as completely secure. If you have concerns about the security of information you have provided, please contact us immediately.

10. Third-Party Websites

Our website may contain links to external websites, including our social media profiles (Instagram). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

11. Children

We provide dental treatment to children as part of our services. Where we collect personal data relating to a child under the age of 16, we do so with the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian, who is responsible for the child's treatment decisions. Children's dental records are protected in accordance with Section 6 (Data Retention) of this policy.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The most current version will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review it periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

The Peaks Dental & Implant Centre

14 Arundel Street, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne OL5 0LS

Telephone: 01457 838995

Email: reception@thepeaksdental.com

Website: www.thepeaksdental.com

Data Protection Queries: Please mark correspondence 'Data Protection / Privacy'.