Privacy Notice
Bech Psychology Ltd (‘we’) is a company offering counselling psychology services. This privacy notice explains what type of personal information we collect about our past, present, and future service users (clients or patients) (‘you’).
We also include in this privacy notice the reasons for processing your data, the lawful basis that permits us to do so, how long we keep your data for, and your rights regarding your data.
Data protection principles
Under GDPR, all personal data obtained and held by us must be processed according to a set of core principles. In accordance with these principles, we will ensure that:
processing is fair, lawful and transparent
data is collected for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes
data collected is adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purposes of processing
data is kept accurate and up to date. Data which is found to be inaccurate will be rectified or erased without delay
data is not kept for longer than is necessary for its given purpose
data is processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of personal data including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage by using appropriate technical or organisation measures
we comply with the relevant GDPR procedures for international transferring of personal data
What personal data we process
Bech Psychology Ltd collects and processes personal data from therapy and coaching clients.
Data processed when you make an enquiry, but are not yet a client:
Name and age
Contact details such as telephone number and email address
Personal data from emails and text messages
Country of residence
Reasons for accessing therapy/coaching
Data processed when you become a client:
Full name
Date of birth
Contact details such as home address, email address, and contact telephone number
Country of residence
Next of kin contact details
GP contact details
Health Insurance details such as health insurer name, health insurance membership number, preauthorisation number, excess amount
Referral letter from other health professionals
Personal data from emails and text messages
Session notes
Letters regarding your treatment
Outcome measures
Video (third party platforms)
The lawful basis for processing personal data
We process your data to comply with a legal obligation and to perform the contract we have with you. We process certain information for our and your legitimate interest.
What we do with your personal information
We will only collect and use your personal data as necessary to provide the services you have requested from us.
If you do not provide the personal data requested, we may be unable to provide a therapy or coaching service to you.
How long we store personal data
We will only store your personal data for as long as it is necessary. We must comply with our regulator and professional body guidelines regarding retention periods for health records.
Enquiries about our services:
Enquiries received by mail or text message are stored for up to 6 months. This allows us to provide better service upon a returning enquiry.
For therapy or coaching clients:
All personal information is stored for a period of 7 years after the end of therapy in compliance with professional guidelines and obligations. After this time, this data is deleted at the end of each calendar year.
Data used for accounting purposes is stored in accordance with HMRC regulations, which is 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to, or longer if certain circumstances apply as defined by HMRC.
With whom we might share personal information
At Bech Psychology Ltd we take your privacy seriously. We hold information about each of our clients and the therapy/coaching they receive in confidence. This means that we will not share your personal information with anyone else. However, there may be exceptions to this, for instance, when there may be a need to liaise with other parties/external organisations:
If you are referred by your health insurance provider, or if you are claiming through a health insurance policy to fund therapy, then we will share personal data (such as name, date of birth, address, insurance policy number and preauthorisation number) and appointment schedules with that organisation for the purposes of billing. We may also share information about your treatment with your health insurance provider to provide treatment updates in order for them to process your claim.
If you are referred by your GP, Psychiatrist, Occupational Health Physician, or other health care providers, we may share personal information with the referrer or other health care professionals involved in your care/treatment in order to provide treatment updates.
Personal data included in invoices (such as name, date of birth, address, insurance policy number and preauthorisation number) is shared with our accountant (and HMRC if necessary due to tax-related queries), who is also bound by confidentiality and data protection regulations.
Under certain circumstances, we may have to share your information with a Court of Law or the police (if necessary to protect you or someone else from harm). Examples of disclosing information about your treatment or health are:
Where there is a legal duty, for example a Court Order.
When it is necessary to protect you or others from harm.
If your health is in jeopardy, we may share your contact information and some information about your health with an emergency healthcare service, your GP, or your next of kin.
Whenever we share information about you, we only provide the information necessary for the purpose at such time.
Subcontractors or employees within our company will have access to your data which is relevant to their function. All subcontractors or employees with such responsibility have been trained in ensuring data is processed in line with GDPR and data protection laws.
How we ensure the security of personal information
All personal data provided is stored and processed in compliance with the UK’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act.
All records are stored electronically on secure systems. We have implemented processes to protect your data from loss, damage, or inappropriate access.
Where we use third party applications, we ensure these comply with UK GDPR regulations.
When data needs to be shared with you or others (as mentioned above), personal data will be sent by email in password protected and/or encrypted links.
Your rights as a data subject
You have the following rights in relation to the personal data we hold on you:
the right to be informed about the data we hold on you and what we do with it
the right of access to the data we hold on you. More information on this can be found in our separate policy on Subject Access Requests
the right for any inaccuracies in the data we hold on you, however they come to light, to be corrected. This is also known as ‘rectification’
the right to have data deleted in certain circumstances. This is also known as ‘erasure’
the right to restrict the processing of the data
the right to transfer the data we hold on you to another party. This is also known as ‘portability’
the right to object to the inclusion of any information
the right to regulate any automated decision-making and profiling of personal data.
More information on each of these rights can be acquired by contacting our Data Protection Officer (see below).
Complaints
Bech Psychology Ltd tries to meet the highest standards when collecting and processing personal information. For this reason, we take any complaints we receive about this very seriously. We encourage people to bring it to our attention if they think that our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate.
If you are not satisfied with the response from Bech Psychology Ltd, or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you have the right to raise your complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Contact information for ICO:
Website: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
Telephone: +44 (0) 303 123 1113
Updates to this privacy notice
We keep this privacy notice under regular review, and we will place any updates on this webpage. This privacy notice was last updated on 18th March 2024.
Data Protection Officer
Anna Malena Bech