Psychological Therapy Privacy Policy

This policy was last updated January 2022.

Why do you need my personal information?

The professional regulations Dr Aaron Burgess follows (the Health and Care Professionals Council, HCPC and the British Psychological Society, BPS) require him to keep accurate records of the psychological work being undertaken. It is good clinical practice to maintain up to date records of any therapeutic work being undertaken.

The reason why it is necessary to have information about you is first and foremost to keep you safe and to prevent serious harm from occurring. It is also needed to be able to offer you a professional and safe service.

Information is also required to allow for invoicing of the service.

What information do you want from me?

Dr Aaron Burgess will gather and store personal information about you. This includes your name, address, contact details, date of birth, GP practice and details of emergency contacts. Sensitive data will also be accessed. This includes details of why you sought therapy, assessment notes and information related to your difficulties.

What will happen to information about me?

Dr Aaron Burgess will ensure that any information he holds about you is protected. He will ensure any information about you, or your family will be collected, stored, and used in alignment to The Data Protection Act (2018) and the General Data Protection Regulation (2016/679) (GDPR). Dr Aaron Burgess is also registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).

Due to this, Dr Aaron Burgess will adhere to data protection guidelines and law. Any data on you or your family is only used if it is relevant to the therapeutic work. Information held about you and your family will be accurate to the best of his knowledge and up to date. If it is necessary to store such data, it will be stored

in line with data protection regulations. The GDPR also gives you (the client) specific rights with respect to the information that is held about you and your family.

How is my data stored and where?

Dr Aaron Burgess will often use paper and pens during therapy to share his understanding of your difficulties. He may also keep brief notes about sessions. Information on paper will be stored in a locked cabinet at Dr Aaron Burgess’ office when not in use. He may need to travel with this information before and after appointments. Any information stored on computer files will be password protected. Anything that is sensitive which is emailed to you will be password protected. The password will also be emailed to you in a separate email to enhance security. Electronic equipment (laptops, phones), used by Dr Aaron Burgess are password protected and stored in his personal office when not in use for appointments.

How long will you keep my data?

Any data is kept for as long as is necessary while Dr Aaron Burgess works with you and to ensure a safe and appropriate discharge from the service. Medical data is often retained by healthcare professionals for up to 7 years. Once your data is no longer needed, it will be destroyed appropriately.

What if I am unhappy about how my data is stored?

If you are not happy with how information about you is collected and stored, please inform Dr Aaron Burgess at the earliest opportunity and he will do all he can to explain why certain data is needed and will hopefully be able to reassure you that your data is safe. He always welcomes feedback on such processes.

If you are of the thought that Dr Aaron Burgess has acted unlawfully regarding how he stores data on you, you have the right to contact the ICO. You can find out information on their website (http://ico.org.uk/concerns) or call 0303 123 1113.

What if I want to see the data kept about me?

You are entitled to request a copy of the data that is held by Dr Aaron Burgess Psychological Services. This can be requested by email at dr.aaronburgess@gmail.com. You will not be charged for this, and you have the right to ensure anything that is not correct is corrected. The notes will be reviewed by Dr Aaron Burgess to ensure no third-party information is shared with you. Please allow up to 10 working days for this.