BUCKINGHAM & HICKSON
Optometrists (Ophthalmic Opticians)
0191 548 5015
OUR PRACTICE
Taking care of your eyesight for over 50 years
Established in the 1960s in Sea Road we moved to our present location in Fulwell Road in 1991. The practice is much larger on than it would appear from outside. Everything is on the ground floor with easy access for all, including wheelchairs.
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Recently we merged with our Grangetown practice.
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We are an independent, family run practice - Vicki and Ian Hickson are both experienced Optometrists and are supported by Debbie, our practice manager and Emma and Jane our Optical Assistants. Stephanie Cairns is our Locum Optometrist whose speciality is helping people with visual impairment.
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Ian is a Trustee of the local charity 'Sense Ability Matters'
PRIVACY NOTICE FOR PATIENTS OF BUCKINGHAM & HICKSON
Why we collect and process your personal data
Buckingham & Hickson is a registered data controller. This privacy notice sets out our privacy policy.
We collect and process patients’ personal data for the purposes of healthcare and marketing.
Our legal bases for processing personal data for healthcare purposes, including appointment reminders, include public task or legitimate interests.
When we provide services under the NHS General Optical Services contract (such as a sight test funded by the NHS), our legal basis for processing personal data in respect of that service is public task
Otherwise our legal basis is legitimate interests
Our condition for processing special category data is the provision of health or social care.
We process our patients' personal data for marketing purposes with their consent or to meet a legitimate interest. This means we can tell you about eye care products and services that may be relevant to you. If you do not want us to process your personal data for marketing purposes, please let us know and we will stop.
The data we may collect and process
The personal data of patients that we may collect and process includes:
Your name, contact details and personal identifiers (such as date of birth and NHS number)
Your general and ocular health history, your family medical and ocular history, and any relevant signs or symptoms you tell us about
Details of medicines, spectacles and contact lenses prescribed for you
Details of examinations and other healthcare checks and treatments we provide
Information relevant to your continued care from other people who care for you or know you well, such as other health professionals and relatives
How we hold and share your personal data
We process your personal data in strict confidence. We keep your personal data securely in our filing and electronic systems. Patient records are only accessible to the healthcare professionals working at the practice and those under their supervision.
We will usually keep any personal data we hold about you for ten years after our last contact with you before we delete it. This is the period recommended as good practice by the College of Optometrists. If we collected the data when you were aged under 18 we will keep it until your 25th birthday, in line with NHS requirements. In some cases we may need to retain personal data for a longer period, and will explain our reasons for doing so on request.
In the course of processing your personal data we may share it with:
The healthcare professionals working at this practice and those under their supervision
Healthcare professionals and those under their supervision at other optical practices, but only if you have specifically asked us to pass your personal data (such as your prescription) to them
Your GP, ophthalmologists and other healthcare providers and commissioners, and suppliers of optical appliances or similar products, in connection with your ongoing healthcare treatment
Software providers for our patient record and invoicing systems, and financial institutions, so that we can keep patient records up to date and arrange payment for services provided to you
Your rights
You have legal rights in respect of the personal data we hold about you. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published guidance on the full range of rights. The rights that are most relevant to the way in which we use your personal data include:
The right to be informed about how we use personal data – this privacy notice gives that information
The right to object – if you object to us processing your data for marketing purposes, or for healthcare purposes where our legal basis is legitimate interests (see ‘why we collect and process your personal data’, above), we will then stop doing so, unless we are processing the data in respect of a legal claim or can otherwise show that our legitimate interest in processing the data overrides your rights and interests
The right of access – if you ask us for the personal data we hold about you we will provide it within a month, free of charge (unless we have already provided it to you, in which case we may have to charge you the administrative cost of providing it again).
The right to rectification – if you ask us to correct personal data about you that is inaccurate or incomplete, we will do so within a month (unless we need longer, in which case we will discuss this with you)
The right to erasure – also known as the ‘right to be forgotten’. If you ask us to delete your personal data, we will do so if there is no compelling reason to continue processing the data. We will not usually delete healthcare data before our usual time limit (see ‘how we hold and share your personal data’ above) where we have a duty to keep accurate records – for example, to comply with a legal obligation, or in connection with a legal claim. If you ask us to delete such data we will discuss this with you
Contacting us and the ICO about your personal data
Please speak to us first if you have any questions or concerns about the way in which we process personal data. You can contact our Data Protection Officer Ian Hickson via contact@sunderlandoptician.co.uk.
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You have the right to complain to the ICO if you have a concern about our handling of your personal data which you do not think we can resolve. You can contact the ICO here.
NCRS Privacy Notice
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National Care Records Service (NCRS) Pilot – Optometry and Dentistry
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This Privacy Notice explains how and why clinicians and health workers within an optometry or dentistry setting may need to access a patients information held within their National Care Record.
To access the National Care Record, the optometry and dentistry practices involved in this pilot must comply with NHS Information Governance requirements. This includes being clear and open with you about how they will use patient data held on an NHS system and provide assurance it will only be accessed in the circumstances set out below.
We are required under data protection legislation to notify you of the information contained in this Privacy Notice.
What is the National Care Record?
The NHS National Care Record Service (NCRS) is an electronic summary of key clinical information (including medicines, allergies and adverse reactions) about a patient, sourced from the GP record. It is used by authorised healthcare professionals (e.g. dentists and opticians) to support the patient’s care and treatment.
What information will be accessed?
The National Care Record contains important information about:
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current medication
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allergies and details of any previous reactions to medicines
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the name, address, date of birth and NHS number of the patient
Who will have access?
Patient records are only accessible to the healthcare professionals working at the practice and those under their supervision. This is known as a "legitimate relationship".
A patient will be asked for their permission before the National Care Record is viewed. This will be recorded on a patient's record held by the practice and will be checked at each appointment.
If it is not possible to ask for the patient's permission to view the National Care Record, those healthcare professionals involved in the care may act in the best interests of their patients.
What is the legal basis for processing personal data?
Our legal bases for processing personal data for healthcare purposes is:
Public Task: When we provide services under the NHS General Optical Services contract (such as a sight test funded by the NHS).
Consent: We process personal data with a patient's permission which can be withdrawn at any time.
The further lawful basis for processing more sensitive personal data (relating to health) known as Special Category Data is the provision of health or social care.
Who will personal information data be shared with?
Personal data will be shared internally for the purposes of managing relationships with patients to delivering the services and facilities with which patients engage.
In some circumstances we may need to let a patient's GP practice know we’ve prescribed an item or given a particular service.
Securing and Protecting Personal Data
We only use information that may identify a patient in accordance with Data Protection legislation. The legislation requires us to process personal data only if there is a legitimate basis for doing so and that any processing must be fair and lawful.
Within the health sector, we also must follow the common law duty of confidence, which means that where identifiable information about a patient has been given in confidence, it should be treated as confidential and only shared for the purpose of providing direct healthcare.
We also ensure any patient data we hold is kept in secure locations, restrict access to information to authorised personnel only and protect personal and confidential information held on equipment such as laptops with encryption (which masks data so that unauthorised users cannot see or make sense of it).
Right to Opt Out or Withdraw Consent
Should a patient not want their confidential patient data accessed as part of this pilot, they can exercise their right to withdraw their consent at any time.
To withdraw consent, please speak with a member of the practice or call the practice to notify them of your wishes. There are possible consequences of not sharing such as the effect this may have on your care and treatment, but these will be explained to you to help with making your decision.
How long is personal information held for?
All records held will be kept for the duration specified by national guidance from NHS England, Records Management Code of Practice - NHS Transformation Directorate (england.nhs.uk). Confidential information is securely destroyed in accordance with this code of practice.
Patient Rights
Should a patient wish to exercise their legal rights in respect of the data held about them, please contact the practice Data Protection Officer.
Further information about patient rights can be obtained from The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published guidance on the full range of rights.
Concerns or Complaints
Any questions or concerns about the way in which personal data has been handled, please contact the practice.
Should this not be resolved, an individual has the right to complain to the Information Commissioner if they feel the handling of their personal data infringes data protection legislation.
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate)
COMPLAINS PROCEDURE
If you’re unhappy with any aspect of the care we provided, please let us know as soon as possible. Most problems can be resolved quickly, but if you still have concerns and would like to make a complaint, this document sets out how to complain, what will happen and how long it should take us to investigate and respond to you.
How to complain
Complaints should be directed to our complaints manager using the contact details below. Please be as specific as possible about your complaint, and let us know if you think there is a way we can resolve the situation to your satisfaction.
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Complaints Manager: Mrs. D. Northway
Email Address: contact@sunderlandoptician.co.uk
What will happen
When we receive your complaint, we will:
Make a written record of your complaint, and let you know we have received it.
Investigate your complaint thoroughly.
Respond to you in writing within 10 working days or, if this is not possible, as soon as reasonably practical. If the investigation takes longer than expected, we will keep you informed.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
We treat all complaints in strict confidence so if you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we will need their permission before we can respond. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable of providing this because of physical and mental illness.