Pearl Dental Care Centre processes personal information that relates to patients and is therefore required by law to comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 (GDPR), which protects your privacy and ensures that your personal information is processed fairly and lawfully.
Our Commitment to Patients
Pearl Dental Care Centre is committed to ensuring that it complies with the Data Protection Act and applies ethical principles to all aspects of its work to protect the interests of patients and maintain the confidentiality and security of any personal information held in any form by the practice.
Why Does the Practice Hold Personal Information About Me?
We keep information about you to:
• ensure the dental team can contact you easily;
• provide you with the best possible dental care;
• provide care for you under the NHS and enable administration of the NHS.
What Personal Information is Kept?
Personal information includes facts (e.g. treatment you have had) and opinions (e.g. any concerns you or your dentist might have about your dental health). To provide the best possible care for you, accurate and comprehensive personal information is required. The following records are kept and updated regularly:
• personal information and contact details, including your name, address and date of birth;
• dental, social and medical histories (e.g. past or current medical conditions, current
medication, the name of your GP);
• results of the examination of your mouth and oral health, including x-rays and clinical
photographs;
• information about appointments;
• any treatments and their costs;
• any proposed care, including advice we give to you and referrals you might need;
• any concerns you or your dental team might have;
• details of your consent for specific procedures;
• correspondence with other healthcare workers that relates to your care.
How is My Personal Information Processed?
Sharing Relevant Information
To provide you with appropriate care, we might need to share personal data with:
• another dentist or health professional who is caring for you;
• your GP;
• a laboratory;
• NHS payment authorities;
• the Inland Revenue;
• the Benefits Agency, if you are claiming exemption or remission from NHS charges;
• a private dental scheme, if you are a member.
In these cases, only the minimum information required will be shared. Rarely, the law requires us to pass on information to prevent serious crime or injury. Where possible, we will inform you of requests to share personal information.
Storage and Retention of Personal Information
We keep patient records for adult patients for a minimum of 11 years and for child patients for either 11 years or until the child is 25 years of age, whichever is longer.
Personal information is stored on a secure password-protected practice computer system. Only authorised practice staff have access to these systems. Back-ups of these data are made regularly, in line with the Data Protection Act
Your Right to Access Personal Information
You have the right, under the Data Protection Act, to request a copy of the information held on you by our Practice. If you would like to make a request, please send this in writing to the Practice Manager at the address below:
Pearl Dental Care Centre, 269 Kenton Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 0HQ
We will respond to your request within 30 days of its receipt.
If you have a query or would like more information, please contact our receptionist on 020 8907 3440 or write to the Practice Manager at the address above.
Dear Patient Following the government announcement on 4th January 2021 regarding a national lockdown, we would like to reassure our patients that our practice will remain open for on going and emergency dental treatment. We hope you and your loved ones are keeping well at this time. Pearl Dental Care Centre opened on Monday 15th June 2020 following government guidelines where we initially prioritised seeing patients for urgent dental care. We are pleased to inform you that we have resumed dental and hygienist services as normal. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our surgery. Our practice follows infection control guidelines produced by multiple governing bodies. In light of the current situation we have ensured that our infection control procedures are stringent and adhere to recommendations. At Pearl Dental Care, we pride ourselves on our levels of high-quality care and unparalleled expertise. Building on this existing foundation, we have incorporated protective screens in reception, wider use of disposable PPE during treatments, and higher frequency practice cleaning post treatment and throughout the practice as a response to COVID19. Please be rest assured that we will not be compromising on the safety of our staff or patients, therefore in addition to the strict protocols issued to us by the health care authorities, our practice has also: To ensure a safe environment we are screening all patients that attend and updating medical history information prior to the appointment so that we can provide the best possible care. Please note: we have implemented a new process whereby we will be sending out each patient a text message appointment reminder which includes a link to a confidential and secure portal to update your medical history and fill out a COVID questionnaire, which can be done in the comfort of your own home. We have implemented this new feature to minimise time spent at the surgery, ensure a contactless process and adhere to NHS England guidelines. You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We have implemented these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example: We will allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as reducing the number of patients in the reception area at any one time. How you can help: We would like to thank you all and are humbled by your support and patience during this difficult time and look forward to welcoming you back to our practice. Should you have any queries please call the practice on 020 8907 3440. Kind Regards, Dr A Soneji & Dr J L Soneji and the Pearl Dental Care Team
Pearl Dental Care Centre
269 Kenton Road
Kenton
Harrow
HA3 0HQ
Contact No: 020 8907 3440
www.pearlsmile.co.uk
pearlsmile@hotmail.co.uk