This Privacy Policy forms part of our terms and conditions and is designed to help you understand how I collect, use, share and safeguard information.
I am a fully qualified Occupational Therapist. I am a member of The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT)) and registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council ( HCPC).
Data collected is held on the grounds of being for legitimate business interests or to fulfil a contractual obligation.
Occupational Therapy problems can be complex, and a wide range of information may be collected (via spoken and/or written channels) in order to best meet the needs of your child, and to maintain a high quality service which meets best practice requirements.
Examples of data collected can include the following:
Contact details: Name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address.
Personal details: date of birth.
Other contacts: name and contact details of GP and any other relevant healthcare professionals involved.
Parent/guardian details.
Description of family.
Educational placements.
Pre- and post-natal history: This can include information relating to mother’s pregnancy, and child’s birth.
Developmental data: developmental milestones, feeding history, growth charts.
Medical details: such as any relevant illnesses, medications, and relevant family history.
Reports from other relevant medical and allied health professionals such as: Psychology, CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services), Speech and Language therapy, Physiotherapy, Paediatricians.
Information will be collected as part of a case history form prior to, or on the date of the initial assessment. In addition to this, I need consent from you to collect information from other relevant professionals working with your child such as schools, medical professionals and allied health professionals.
Personal information collected by me via email, telephone contact or face-to-face is stored and used by myself for the purpose of delivering your child’s Occupational Therapy.
With your consent, information about your child’s Occupational Therapy needs will be shared with other relevant professionals involved in your child’s case where it is in the child’s best interests. For example, I may share targets with your child’s teacher and NHS Occupational Therapist (if applies). Unless I am required to do so by law, I do NOT disclose any personal information collected to any person other that as set out above. I do not give or sell details to any third parties.
I act as a Data Controller of your information and undertake to protect your personal and sensitive data in a manner that is consistent with the requirements of the Data Protection Act/General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). I will take reasonable measures to ensure the secure storage of your data.
Your information will be used to enable me to provide my services to you. I use information collected to:
Use in reports, prepare and plan therapy sessions, decide on targets, formulating relevant advice, compiling strategies and activity ideas. In addition to this I will use your personal information to contact you to make appointments, to send you invoices and send you information about your child’s Occupational Therapy e.g. updates of progress, reports, resources etc. The information will also be used to contact relevant professionals about your child’s Occupational Therapy performance skills.
All information about your child’s Occupational Therapy is stored in a secure electronic cloud based system called WriteUpp which is compliant with general data protection regulations. I am the only one able to access your child’s notes on WriteUpp using a password known only to me.
During assessment and therapy sessions I may write notes by hand or on a note pad and then enter this information onto your child’s electronic record. The written notes contain non patient identifiable information and are destroyed after use.
Specific data in relation to Occupational therapy skills may be collected and held, such as assessment forms, reports, case notes, e-mails and text messages. Audio and video files may also be collected and stored. Any written notes including relevant Educational Plans, progress notes from educational staff and school reports, may be held and scanned on to the WriteUpp system.
Disclosure
I do not share personal information with companies, organisations and individuals unless one of the following circumstances apply:
With your consent:
I will only share your Personal Identifying Information to third parties when we have express written permission by letter or email to do so. Third parties may include: hospitals, GPs, other allied health professionals, educational facilities.
For legal reasons:
I will share personal information with companies or organisations if disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary to:
Meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.
Initiate or meet any safeguarding requirements
To establish, exercise or defend my legal rights, or if otherwise legally permitted.
Prior to initial assessment or consultation a consent form will be provided. The consent form will need to be signed by the parent/carer prior to commencing the service. Copies of the signed consent forms will be securely stored.
Should a client wish to withdraw their consent for data to be processed, they can do so by contacting me.
Data protection principles state; information must not be retained longer than needed for purpose.
The retention schedules defined in the Record Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care Records (2016) Appendix 3 are considered best practice. Current guidance states it is advisable that records for children and young people should be retained up until their 25th birthday, or, till their 26th birthday, if 17 at the conclusion of their treatment.
It is a legal requirement for all Occupational Therapists to be registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC). The HCPC has clear standards of conduct, performance and ethics that all registrants must adhere to. These standards affect the way in which we process and share information. Specifically:
Standard 2: Communicate appropriately and effectively
“You must share relevant information, where appropriate, with colleagues involved with the care, treatment or other services provided to a service user”
Standard 10: Keep records of your work
“You must keep full, clear and accurate records for everyone you care for, treat, or provide other services to. You must complete all records promptly and as soon as possible after providing care, treatment or other services. You must keep records secure by protecting them from loss, damage or inappropriate access.”
Data Protection Law lays down wide-ranging rules, backed up by criminal sanctions, for the processing of information about identifiable, living individuals. It also gives individuals certain rights in relation to personal data held about them by others. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller.
My lawful basis for processing and storing personal information is one of legitimate interest. I need to process your child’s personal information in order to deliver a high quality Occupational Therapy service; I have a legitimate interest to process and store your child’s data. Data relating to an individual’s health is classified as ‘Special Category Data’ under section 9 of the GDPR. The regulations specify that health professionals who are “legally bound to professional secrecy” may have a lawful basis for processing this data. Occupational Therapists are legally bound to keep client information confidential and it is under this condition that we process and store personal information.
I am committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your child’s record. I actively implement security measures to ensure his/her information is safe. I will not release your personal details to any third party without first seeking your consent unless this is allowed for or required by law.
Data protection legislation gives you, the parent/carer, various rights. The most important of these are as follows: – You have the right to a copy of information we hold about your child – You have the right to ask for your record to be amended if you believe that it is wrong.
Please contact me directly if you would like to access your child’s notes and I will explain the process and where to send a letter (a request cannot be made via email as written signature is required). There is a £10 administration fee. Further information about data protection and your rights is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office on 03031231113.
Independent Occupational Therapist
Updated: March 2025
To be reviewed: March 2026
