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Last Reviewed:  27/01/2022

Next Review:  27/01/2023

We protect your data as well as your pets

Knutsford Veterinary Surgery understands the importance of looking after the personal information that we hold to enable us to provide you with veterinary care for your pets and in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations. Below we explain why we collect personal information, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others, how we keep it secure and how long we store it.

About us

Knutsford Veterinary Surgery is the trading name of The Company [Paws Direct Ltd, company number 07856473]. Our registered address is Knutsford Veterinary Surgery, Fryer’s Nursery, Manchester Road, Knutsford, WA16 0SX. We are registered for VAT purposes with registration number 129583094.

Our appointed ‘Data Protection Officer’ is the Practice Manager, Ms Sarah Albiston who may be contacted at Knutsford Veterinary Surgery on the above address, by telephone on 01565 337999 or by email practice.manager@knutsfordvetsurgery.co.uk if you have any questions regarding this policy.

Lawful basis for collecting your data

As we collect personal data, under the new GDPR regulations, the practice is considered to be a ‘data controller’. Organisations are permitted to process data if they have a legal basis for doing so. We process data to allow us to fulfil our contract to provide your pet with both emergency and preventative health care. This contract is entered into when you register with the practice and agree to our terms and conditions by doing so. Similarly by registering your details for the gold plan, a contract has been entered into.

As your chosen veterinary surgery, we have a legitimate interest in processing your data to allow us to better perform our services and communication for the benefit of our clients such as:

As your chosen veterinary surgery, we have a legitimate interest in processing your data to allow us to better perform our services and communication for the benefit of our clients such as:

  • Reminders for preventative health care including postal reminders, emails and text messages when vaccinations, parasite control treatments or appointments are due
  • To contact you with practice updates such as changes to our opening hours or the provision of emergency services over a holiday period. News relating to our staff and the services we provide and in some cases updates of animal health concerns in the local area
  • The processing of insurance claims on your behalf
  • Reunification services to include microchip registration for cats, rabbits and exotic pets
  • Laboratory testing and crematorium services
  • In relation to a contract or agreement which you have entered into such as joining our healthcare plan or taking out a finance agreement

Marketing

In addition to our contractual services, we would like to process your personal information, with your consent, to send you information regarding offers or promotions we think will be of interest to you. You will be asked for your consent when you register with the practice and we will refresh your consent on a regular basis. You can change your mind at any time by speaking to the staff in our practice, or emailing us.

Where does the information we collect come from?

We ask for information about you when you register your pet for veterinary care, if you use our online booking system or if you register to receive our newsletter. We also collect data when you use our website.

The type of information we collect

The personal information we request might include your title, name, gender, address, email address, mobile telephone number and landline telephone number. From our website we may additionally collect for example, your IP address and information regarding what pages are accessed and when.

CCTV

We are dedicated to the improvement of clinical and customer care. We digitally record images and audio on our premises to assist with staff training, for the safety of pets, clients and staff and the security of our premises. These may form part of your pets clinical record.

How long will we store your data?

We review our data retention periods for personal information on a regular basis. We will store your personal data for as long as you are a client of ours and thereafter for as long as any legal claim may be made against the practice or our colleagues and to comply with our legal and regulatory requirements including for HMRC and RCVS. This will usually be six years. We will pseudonymise or anonymise your personal information where possible and anonymised data may be used in historical statistical or clinical analysis.

Where we store your personal data

As part of the services we offer to you, the information which you provide to us is stored within our practice management system, EzyVet.

We do not transfer your personal data outside the EU. If you access our services while you are outside the EU, your information may be transferred outside the EU to provide you with those services.

Disclosure of your information

We will not sell or rent your information to third parties.

We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

We may pass your information to our third-party service providers for the purposes of providing services to you (for example to have laboratory tests performed). However, when we use third party service providers, we disclose only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the service and we have a contract in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own direct marketing purposes. We will not release your information to third parties unless you have consented us to do so, or we are required to do so by law, for example, by a court order or for the purposes of prevention of fraud or other crime.

Who we do share information with and why

Laboratories and animal crematorium

So that we can arrange tests, treatments and services and obtain results on your behalf. Personal information we share includes:

  • Your name
  • Your address

Email providers, printers, text messaging services

To allow us to send reminders for preventive healthcare, information on relevant health issues or direct marketing if you have consented to us doing so we share:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Your email address
  • Mobile number
  • Telephone number

Referral services

Should we need to refer your pet to a specialist for further treatment, with your consent, to enable us to book appointments, share tests, treatments and services, we would give the following personal information:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Your email address
  • Mobile number
  • Telephone number

Moving practice

If you wish to leave us and register with another vets, we will send your personal information and clinical summary for each registered pet after seeking permission from you to do so including:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Your email address
  • Mobile number
  • Telephone number

Insurance providers

To enable us to obtain permission to carry out investigations or treatments at your insurance company’s expense and to arrange payment for the services and treatments we have provided to your pet we would use:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Your email address
  • Mobile number
  • Telephone number
  • Your insurance policy number

Banks and payment service providers

To enable us to take payment for our services and to provide refunds where required we share:

  • Your name
  • Your account details
  • Your address

Credit reference and fraud prevention agencies

We may share your personal information with and obtain information about you from credit reference agencies or fraud prevention agencies. This includes:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Your email address
  • Your date of birth

Debt collection agencies

In some circumstances, we may engage a debt collection agency to recover debt on our behalf. This includes:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Your outstanding balance
  • Mobile number
  • Telephone number

Law enforcement agencies

If we receive a request in writing from a law enforcement agency, we may be required to provide your personal information. This might include:

  • Your name
  • Your address
  • Your email address
  • Mobile number
  • Telephone number
  • Location information
  • Bank, debit or credit card details
  • Insurance policy number

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites run by other organisations. We cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other sites, even if you access them using links from our website.

If you linked to our website from a third-party site, we cannot be responsible for the privacy practices of the operators of that third-party site and recommend that you check their policy.

Keeping your data secure

We recognise the importance of keeping your personal data safe and we have in place security measures and policies to prevent personal data from being lost, used or accessed without our permission. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to know it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and the ICO of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and the ICO of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

Your rights

In certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. These include the right to:

  • Request access to your personal data
  • Request correction of your personal data
  • Request erasure of your personal data
  • Object to processing of your personal data
  • Request restriction of processing your personal data
  • Request transfer of your personal data
  • Right to withdraw consent

You can see more about these rights at:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/

If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact our practice manager using the details at the start of this policy and to help us deal with your request efficiently, please provide:

  • Sufficient information to allow us to identify you
  • Evidence of your identity and your address (for example, a copy of your driving licence or passport)
  • As much information about your request including, if applicable, dates, specific documents or animal names

This privacy policy was published on the 28th January 2022. Please note that we may update this policy from time to time and so we advise you to check this page periodically to ensure that you are happy with any changes. By using our website, you’re agreeing to be bound by this policy.

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