Dr Francesca Sawer and her associates at The Allergy Psychologists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), as is required by the law to practice in the UK and operate in accordance with their regulations.
All clinicians are also all registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) which is the UK’s independent body tasked with upholding information rights, data privacy for individuals, and promoting openness by public bodies.
The Allergy Psychologists is a trading name for Minster Psychology Ltd.
Company number: 16773581
Minster Psychology Ltd is the Data Controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
All confidential information is held in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy outlines how we store your information.
How and Why We Store Sensitive Information
The personal information we ask for is because we need it to provide a service to you. We aim to only ever collect the minimum amount of information needed.
All information discussed during your therapy is strictly confidential, however there are rare exceptions where confidentiality may be broken. This includes if your therapist thought that either you or another person was at risk of harm, or if you were to disclose information about a crime.
Children and Young People
Dr Francesca Sawer and associates will often see children (under the age of 18) without their parents and this is often encouraged so that children can talk privately. Information is not routinely shared with parents, unless there are concerns about risk or harm (as above), or if it is felt that this will be important for the child’s care, in which case this will be discussed with the young person and their family.
Our aim is always to balance children’s privacy and therapy effectiveness, with our duty to keep them safe. We will always base our decisions on a case-by-case basis, informed by a child’s capacity and consent.
Storage of Records
To provide the safest care for you or your child, there is a minimum amount of data that will be collected via an initial registration form.
Any other notes in relation to sessions and reports (if necessary or requested) are stored in the same way. Please note that it is necessary to keep some brief notes to provide the best care and it is a requirement of the governing body.
Retention of Records
Session notes, registration forms and identifiable information will be kept for a minimum period of 7 years after you (if you are the patient) or your child (if they are the patient) turns 18. After this period, they will be deleted or destroyed.
Access, Correction, and Deletion of Data
If you would like to see your session notes, please discuss this with your Dr Francesca Sawer or your therapist. In some cases, this may need to be considered in line with professional guidance.
If factual errors or omissions have been made in either the registration forms you have provided, or in reports or correspondence, you may request that this information be amended.
Requests for deletion of information will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may not be possible where there are legal or professional obligations to retain records.
You also have the right to complain to the ICO if you believe your data has been handled improperly.
Ending or Pausing Therapy
When you finish sessions or if you put sessions on hold, no further session notes will be taken and no further liaison with other professionals will take place, except where there is serious risk or where this has been explicitly been discussed and agreed.
Third-Party Record Systems
Very brief session notes for those working with Dr Francesca Sawer are held on a Kiku , a secure and encrypted clinical notes system. Their privacy policy can accessed at: https://www.wearekiku.com/privacy-notices for more information.
Appointments are booked via Appointedd. Appointedd stores the personal data required to manage reservations and appointments, such as name, contact details, and appointment information. Appointedd’s privacy policy can be accessed at: https://www.appointd.com/privacy-policy.
Billing is managed using FreeAgent. FreeAgent stores personal information necessary for invoicing and record-keeping, including contact details and transaction data. FreeAgent’s privacy policy can be accessed at: https://www.freeagent.com/privacy.
Remote Sessions
If your sessions are conducted remotely, your therapist will ensure that sessions are conducted in a confidential setting. We use video-calling software that offers end-to-end encryption to further protect your privacy.
While reasonable steps are taken to protect confidentiality, we cannot guarantee the security of third-party technology. Clients are responsible for ensuring they are in a private and confidential space during remote sessions, and we cannot be held responsible for any breaches as a result of this not occurring.
Contact Forms
By completing our enquiry forms, you freely give the following information name, email, and any details supplied with your enquiry. This information is used to process your enquiry only.
Your personal information is stored securely and deleted when no longer required. We do not share enquiry information with third parties and do not add individuals to mailing lists.
Visiting The Website
When you visit our website, we may collect your IP address and use cookies to track website usage. Google Analytics is used to monitor engagement and website performance. This involves the processing of personal data such as IP addresses, which may be anonymised.
You can view Google’s privacy policy on their website here.
You may block cookies through your browser settings if you wish.
External Website Links & Third Parties
Although we only look to include quality, safe and relevant external links, users are advised to adopt a policy of caution before clicking any external web links mentioned throughout this website. We cannot guarantee or verify the contents of any externally linked website despite our best efforts. Users should therefore note they click on external links at their own risk and we cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any external links mentioned.
