Dr Ricky Barrows is the director of Progressive Psychology Ltd. A company offering clinical psychological, psychotherapy and psychoeducation services via https://www.drrickybarrows.com

This privacy policy explains how your personal information is collected and used.

Why and what information is collected

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.

Use of email addresses and contact information

Email addresses and contact information will only be used in relation to the services you are using or subscribed to. Typically this remain as personal communications between you and Dr Ricky Barrows. Your information will not be shared or sold to third parties.

Personal data related to services

Information about you is collected when you register for services.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) stipulates that organisations need to have lawful basis for processing personal data. There are six types of lawful basis and organisations need to use the one most appropriate to the service they are offering.

The lawful reason most appropriate for the majority of our data processing is called ‘legitimate interests,’ which means that a legitimate purpose for processing your information is needed. The legitimate purpose is to ensure there is the necessary information to tailor services to meet your needs. Therefore, what information is collected will depend on your needs and level of engagement.

For non-therapeutic services, the following personal information may to be requested:

  • First name or given name
  • Family name or surname
  • Address
  • Age & Date of Birth
  • Telephone numbers
  • Email addresses
  • Banking details

 

If you wish to receive a psychological assessment or engage in treatment, additional information of a more personal and sensitive nature may be required. This will allow for a greater degree of informed and professional decisions regarding your care and treatment plan. This information may include:

  • Identity information such as:
    • Gender (or preferred identity)
    • Sexual orientation
    • Occupation
    • Ethnicity
    • Religious orientation
  • Information about your close relationships & children
  • Emergency contact information
  • General practice details
  • Medical conditions
  • Prescribed medication
  • Psychological history and current difficulties

 

It is routine to record the time of your appointments, session notes, and any report written about you. Copies of reports, letters and emails relating to your care may also be kept.

Such information is classified as ‘special category data’ and needs to have further justification for processing. This comes under Article 9(2)(h) of the GDPR which states:

“processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services on the basis of Union or Member State law or pursuant to contract with a health professional and subject to the conditions and safeguards referred to in paragraph 3”

It is also a typical part of practice to video record sessions to review later for the purposes of supervision, teaching and research. This is not mandatory and you are able to opt out and choose the how this information is used. This is not part of your clinical care records and will not be retained in the same way. Please refer to the consent form your therapist provided you with.

How information about you in stored

Your privacy is taken seriously. There is a commitment to taking reasonable steps to protect any individual identifying information that you provide.

All personal information provided is stored on encrypted hardware and is in compliance with EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) rules.

How long your information is kept for

Retention of information has been set out by the governing bodies – the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and British Psychological Society (BPS) – which indicate a minimum term of seven years or as long as is needed.

Who your personal information is shared with

Your information is considered confidential and, in most cases, not share information without your consent. Some of your information may need to be shared with outside organisations if they are directly involved in your care. For instance, your insurer if they are funding your treatment, your GP to inform them of your treatment or for joint working, or your the occupational health department at your place of work if they referred you. In such cases, you will be aware of this communication and what information is likely to be shared. It is customary to refrain from sharing personal information, events or history in any detail. It is also customary to for correspondence, such as letters or reports, to be seen and approved by you before sending them.

Your information may be shared with members of staff in order for them to carry out their job. All staff are required to work to strict professional and contractual codes of confidentiality and, where possible, for information to be anonymised so that individuals cannot be identified. For example, using your initials or a code instead of your name, which is common practice for collecting, storing and analysing psychometric data.

If your health or life is considered to be jeopardy, relevant information may be shared with emergency healthcare services, such as the local Mental Health Crisis Team, or your emergency contact. It is common practice for such communication to be discussed with you first.

If there is intent to cause harm to another person, group, or organisation (e.g. terrorism), the law may require the sharing of your information without consent or knowledge.

How you can access your information, correct it and request information to be deleted

You can find out what personal information is held about you by making a ‘subject access request’ or ‘Right of Access’ under the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation. The request needs to be in writing.

You will then be supplied with:

  • A description of all data held about you
  • Inform you how it was obtained (if not supplied by you)
  • Inform you why and for what purposes it is being held
  • What categories of personal data is concerned
  • Inform you who it could be disclosed to
  • Inform you of the retention periods of the data
  • Inform you around any automated decision making including profiling
  • Let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible electronic form unless otherwise requested

 

You may be contacted in order to ensure your personal information is accurate and up to date.

You may ask for inaccurate information to be corrected or removed.

Other websites

www.drrickybarrows.com contains links to other websites. This privacy policy only applies to this website, therefore, it is encouraged to read the privacy statements on other websites you visit.

Complaints or queries

The collection and use of personal information is carried out under a high level of standards. Complaints are taken seriously and you are encouraged to contact the Data Protection Officer using the details below with any concerns. Therefore, if you think there is anything about the collection or use of information you believe is unfair, misleading, or inappropriate, please make contact with the Data Protection Officer. Suggestions for improving services are also welcome.

Contact details for Data Protection Officer:

The Data Protection Officer for Progressive Psychology Ltd is the company Director (Dr Ricky Barrows).

If you are not satisfied with the response from Data Protection Officer, or believe it is not being processed in accordance with the law, you have the right to raise your complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

ICO contact information:

  • Website: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
  • Email: casework@ico.org.uk
  • Telephone: +44 (0) 303 123 1113

Changes to this privacy notice

This privacy policy is under regular review and was last updated on 28th September 2023.