Privacy Notice for Patients
How we use and protect any information that you give us, how long we keep it, and what your rights are.
Published 14th September 2026
This privacy notice sets out how SouthWest Dental Implant Clinic Limited, trading as QueensWood Dental Clinic, uses and protects any information that you give when joining the practice.
The practice is committed to complying with the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018, and GDC, NHS and other standards.
The person responsible for data protection is Francesca McDiarmid.
What type of information do we hold?
- Personal details such as your address, date of birth, phone number and email address
- This is for the provision of dental health care, providing treatment plans, estimates and recalls
- Details of your NHS number and entitlement to healthcare treatment and exemption status if applicable
- Personal details of family members or emergency contact details
- Medical history including your GP's name and address
- Past and present dental history including x-rays and photographs
- Information about the treatment we have proposed and provided along with its price
- Notes of conversations or incidents that might occur for which a record needs to be kept
- Records of permission or consent for treatment
- Correspondence to other healthcare professions such as referrals
- Financial information relating to your treatment
- Details of any complaints made
Why do we need to keep this information?
We need to keep records of personal information regarding our patients in order to provide safe and appropriate dental care and treatment. It is also used to maintain accurate treatment records.
We also need to process personal data about you if we are providing care under NHS arrangements and to ensure the proper management and administration of the NHS.
Our legal basis for processing data is:
- Consent
- Legitimate interest. Processing is necessary for the performance of our care for patients and for defence of legal claims
- Data relating to your health care records is classed as special category data. Our legal basis for processing this is that it falls under legal claims or judicial acts, and health and social care, under Article 9 UK GDPR (f, h).
What do we do with your information?
We will only share your information if it is done securely and it is necessary for us to do so.
Your personal information may be securely shared with other healthcare professionals who need to be involved in your care, for example if we refer you to a specialist, need laboratory work undertaken, or need to consult with your doctor.
We may also share your personal information securely with third parties where we are required by law or regulation to do so. This may include:
- The General Dental Council
- The CQC, HIW, HIS or RQIA
- Dental payment plans or insurers
- NHS bodies, if NHS dental care and treatment is provided
How do we store your information?
Your information is stored securely at the practice on protected computer systems. Computer information is backed up regularly and may be securely stored away from our premises.
Retention periods
- We are required to retain your dental records, x-rays and study models while you are a patient of this practice, and after you cease to be a patient for a minimum of 11 years.
- There are several other documents that we may collect that have a variety of retention dates, for example the NHS PR form, used to declare payment exemptions, which needs to be kept for 2 years minimum.
- We have a retention schedule listing all documents and the timeframes for disposal. Retention periods may be changed from time to time based on business or legal and regulatory requirements.
Your rights under GDPR
Access
You have a right to access the information that we hold about you and to receive a copy. You can make a request by contacting the practice or by emailing info@queenswood.dental.
Rectification
You have a right to correct any information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. Please contact the practice to request a change in information.
Erasure
You have a right to request that we delete your personal information, although you should be aware that, for legal reasons, we may be unable to erase certain information, for example information about your dental treatment. Please contact the practice to make this request.
Restriction
You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information, for example sending you reminders for appointments or information about our service. Please contact the practice to make this request.
Portability
You have a right to data portability. This could include supplying your information to another dentist. Please contact the practice to make this request.
Concerns
If you have any concerns about how we use your information, and you do not feel able to discuss it with your dentist or anyone at the practice, you can contact our Data Protection Officer by email at info@queenswood.dental.
You can also seek advice from the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, or start a live chat or call the helpline on 0303 123 1113.
Privacy notice for children
This section covers the information we hold about patients under 18.
What information do we hold about children?
- Personal details such as your address, date of birth, phone number and email address. This is for the provision of dental health care, providing treatment plans and recalls.
- Personal details of family members or emergency contact details
- Medical history including your GP's name and address
- Information about the treatment we have proposed and provided
- Notes of conversations or incidents that might occur for which a record needs to be kept
- Correspondence to other healthcare professions such as referrals
Why do we need to keep a child's information?
We need to keep records of personal information regarding our patients in order to provide safe and appropriate dental care and treatment. It is also used to maintain accurate treatment records.
We also need to process personal data about you if we are providing care under NHS arrangements and to ensure the proper management and administration of the NHS.
What do we do with a child's information?
We will only share your personal information with another dentist or doctor, such as for an orthodontic referral. We will not share your personal information with anyone else unless needed for legal reasons.
How do we store a child's information?
Your information is stored securely at the practice on protected computer systems. Computer information is backed up regularly and may be securely stored away from our premises.
Retention periods for children
We will retain your dental records for 11 years, or until you reach the age of 25, whichever is longer.
Concerns about a child's information
If you have any concerns about how we use your information, and you do not feel able to discuss it with your dentist or anyone at the practice, you can contact our Data Protection Officer by email at info@queenswood.dental.
You can also seek advice from the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, or start a live chat or call the helpline on 0303 123 1113.
Cookies on this website
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Strictly necessary cookies keep the site working and remember the choice you make about the ones below. These are set whatever you decide, because the site cannot work without them.
Analytics and advertising cookies are set by Google. They tell us which pages people read, how they found us, and whether someone who booked an appointment arrived through one of our adverts, so we can make the site more useful and spend our advertising budget sensibly. They are only set if you choose Accept when you first arrive. Until you do, nothing is stored and no cookie is written.
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Neither Google nor Tawk.to is told who you are. Neither has access to your dental records, and nothing you do on this site is linked to your patient file. Anything you type into the chat window is of course seen by whoever answers it, so please do not send clinical details that way.
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Changing your mind about cookies
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Approval
Approved by Francesca McDiarmid and James McDiarmid. Published 14th September 2026.