Privacy and Complaints
Privacy
Privacy Notice
Data controller:
Lauren Wong (Registered Nurse and IBCLC)
8 Calder Gardens
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU72XE
Lauren Wong is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office
www.ico.org.uk
ICO, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
Complaints can be made to the ICO, if you are unhappy with how I have handled your personal data. You can also complain to me, Lauren Wong, directly.
1. Relevant personal data may be obtained during a consultation and by phone, text, messenger and email. Information and photos are obtained from the baby’s parent or carer with parental responsibility. I may use your contact details for purposes of follow up, obtaining payment and notifying you of changes to the privacy notice. Please be aware that communications by text, email and messenger may not be secure due to the technology being used. Notes are stored electronically; prior to being stored they may be handwritten and stored securely.
2. During a consultation, I will take notes. Electronic records are encrypted and stored on a password-protected device, with security software installed. Notes are taken in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) Code, being clear, accurate and relevant to my practice. These records, which will contain your personal/medical information and that of your baby, include summaries of our consultations and communication via text, messenger and email. Storing all of the information recorded during the consultation and afterwards, helps me to plan care appropriately and to demonstrate that care provided has been necessary, justified and safe. I will not disclose your Personal Information unless compelled to, in order to meet legal obligations, regulations or valid governmental requests.
3. I may use anonymous information from your notes (e.g. to consider whether the treatment provided had a beneficial outcome) in my own supervision and with discussion with other tongue tie practitioners- no identifying data will be shared. Six-monthly audits will monitor that care is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led in accordance with the Care Quality Commissions’ standards (www.cqc.org.uk). Results of audit will be anonymous and may be compiled into a report or shared amongst a wider audience, for example amongst other tongue tie practitioners. Peer review audits can be used for revalidation purposes (a three-yearly process for midwives to maintain professional registration with the NMC). Audit reports will be maintained for CQC inspection. Audit in areas such as those considered adverse incidents could be conducted with other private practitioners so we may draw on findings at both a local and national level. The wider the clinical audit the more accurate the results.
4. I will use your personal data when forming and enforcing the contract between us, to comply with legal or regulatory obligations such as in suspected cases of potential risk to yourself or others, and to inform your GP if tongue tie division has been performed (posted letter via Royal Mail).
5. Medical records will be kept for 25 years (legal requirement for nurses).
6. Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. These include the right to request access, correction, objection or restriction to processing, and withdrawing consent (https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/).
7. With your consent, data may be shared with other health care professionals (GP, Health Visitor, Midwife) to enable you to gain extra care and support. In cases of suspected potential harm to yourself or others, I may contact other professionals without your consent (GP, Health Visitor, Midwife, child protection services, emergency services or non-emergency police). This may be by phone call or posted letter (via Royal Mail).
8. I am insured with Hiscox (Professional Indemnity). Relevant information would be shared with them, and my legal support, in the event of a claim being made against me.
9. I accept payment by bank transfer- your data would be stored via the transfer made.
10. Access to your data is free, please contact me at the above address.
Complaints
As an independent nurse providing a frenulotomy and feeding support service, I strive to provide the best possible service for my clients. However, I recognise that there could potentially be a situation where you may feel that I have not met your needs.
If you have any complaint or concern about the service you have received from me, you are entitled to ask for an explanation. I will try to resolve your concerns in the first instance.
My promise to you
I will:
Listen to your complaint or concern.
Respond by establishing a clear, appropriate plan of action, and provide you with relevant support and advice.
Improve the service however I can.
How to make your complaint
I hope that I can resolve your problem easily and promptly, often at the time the problem arises. If your problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint I would like you to do so as soon as possible, as it will be easier to establish what happened.
Please make your complaint in writing, or by phone or email, to Lauren Wong:
8 Calder gardens
Leighton Buzzard
Bedfordshire
LU72XE
07930 324007
info@laurenwong.co.uk
Please be assured that any complaint you make, written or verbal, will be treated in strict confidence and have no effect upon the level of treatment and care that you receive from Lauren Wong.
If you would prefer a family member, friend or advocate to make the complaint on your behalf, they may do so and I will work with them to resolve the problem. Whilst I can receive a complaint on your behalf, I cannot provide any medical information to a third party without your authority. To discuss or provide confidential information I would require a note signed and dated by you, in order to authorise this.
What happens next?
Your complaint will be acknowledged within two working days of receiving it. This may be a phone call from Lauren Wong to you (or your advocate) to make sure I fully understand your complaint.
I aim to make a full response to you within the next 21 working days, During that time I will conduct an investigation to find out what has happened and whether there is any action that can be taken to put things right. If at the end of those 21 working days we I am still conducting my investigations I will notify you of the position and keep you fully informed until my investigations have been concluded.
As a result of the investigation I will:
Find out what has happened and what went wrong
Make it possible for you to discuss the problem with myself, if you would like this
Identify what I can do to make sure that problem does not happen again
Getting further help with your complaint
I hope that through my complaints procedure we can resolve your problem satisfactorily. I believe that this will give me the best chance to put the matter right with you and the opportunity to improve my services for other clients.
If I am unable to resolve your complaint, you are entitled to contact the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (020 7333 9333). As a registered nurse (PIN 98I6788E) I am regulated by the NMC. https://www.nmc.org.uk/concerns-nurses-midwives/concerns-complaints-and-referrals/
The Care Quality Commission does not investigate complaints against practitioners, but you can contact them for the following purpose: “CQC want you to tell them about your experiences of care. It helps them to decide when, where and what to inspect, and to take action to prevent poor care happening to others in future. CQC also want to hear about good experiences of care. However, it is important to know that CQC cannot make complaints for you or take them up on your behalf because as a regulator the CQC does not have the powers to investigate or resolve them.” https://www.cqc.org.uk/get-involved/share-your-experience/peoples-experience-care-what-we-want-know-why
Thank you,
Lauren Wong