Who we are
Hegarty Therapy Ltd is an Independent Speech & Language Therapy Service owned and directed by Jayne Hegarty, a fully qualified Speech & Language Therapist registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). Hegarty Therapy Ltd is registered with Companies House no. 11251847. Hegarty Therapy delivers independent speech and language therapy to children and young people in the home and/or educational setting.
Jayne is a registered Data Controller with the Information Commissioners Office (IC)). Jayne controls
and processes all personal information for Hegarty Therapy.
Hegarty Therapy operates a website at www.HegartyTherapy.com
Collection of personal information
The list below provides some examples of personal information that may be collected:
- The child’s name, age, date of birth, home address, medical history, education details, speech and language history, milestones, ethnicity.
- Parent or carer names, phone number, email address, home address, details of any speech, language or learning difficulties.
- Family structure details (e.g. details about who lives at home with the child).
Hegarty Therapy will collect personal information by written and spoken forms of communication (e.g. face-to-face discussions, phone calls, emails, website enquiries). Information is collected from parents and, with parent consent, information will be collected from professionals and other people known to the child such as teachers, nursery staff and NHS Speech and Language Therapist. Hegarty Therapy will only collect information that is relevant or required to provide Speech & Language Therapy Services.
You may use the Hegarty Therapy website without providing any personal information. However, if you wish to make an enquiry via the website, you are requested to provide relevant contact details, such as your name, email address and contact telephone number to enable us to respond to your enquiry. You may add comments or queries which might also contain personal information. If your child is subsequently seen by Hegarty Therapy these details may be added to their personal record. If your enquiry does not result in your child being seen by Hegarty Therapy then this personal information will be deleted once your enquiry has been dealt with.
Our use of personal information
Personal information collected by us is stored in a secure and confidential system and processed in confidence and is only used by us for the purpose of delivering your child’s speech and language therapy. With your consent, in order to plan and deliver Speech and Language Therapy services, information will be shared with other professionals involved in your child’s care. A record of consent is kept within your child’s casenotes. Information on client location may be shared with a trusted person to ensure the SLT’s personal safety when attending appointments. We will not disclose any personal information to any other person unless this is required by the law. We do not employ agents to process personal data, for example specialist mailing companies to send out communications. We do not give or sell client details to any third parties.
Hegarty Therapy’s lawful basis for processing personal information
The lawful basis is a “legitimate interest” under Article 6 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Hegarty Therapy cannot deliver a service to your child without processing personal information.
Information relating to a child’s health is classified as “Special Category Date” under Section 9 of the GDPR. The regulations state that health professional who are “legally bound to professional secrecy” may have a lawful basis for processing this information. Speech & Language Therapists are legally bound to keep clinical information confidential and it is under this condition that personal information is stored and processed.
How we store personal information
Hegarty Therapy stores personal information in paper and electronic formats.
Paper format: Information is stored in a locked filing cabinet. If information is taken out of the cabinet it will be kept on the therapists person at all times or in a locked location. At the end of treatment, when the child has been discharged, all paper-based information will be scanned and kept as electronic documents. Paper-based information will then be destroyed by shredding.
Electronic format: Clinical notes are completed electronically on “Write Upp”. Information is password protected and “Write Upp” complies with GDPR regulations. Personal information may temporarily be stored on a password-protected laptop or a password-protected email.
Video recordings are usually taken using parents own devices. If there is an occasion where video recordings need to be taken using the therapist’s device, they will be temporarily stored on a password-protected tablet and then deleted after use (the tablet will be stored in a locked filing cabinet).
How long we keep your personal information
Telephone enquiry: Until the enquiry has been completed. This is usually within 7 working days. If a referral is made, the information may be transferred to the child’s case notes, otherwise the information will be destroyed.
Website enquiry: Until the enquiry has been completed. This is usually 7 working days. If a referral is made, the information may be transferred to the child’s case notes, otherwise the information will be destroyed.
Email: Emails are kept for approximately 3 months. Emails will be copied and stored on “Write Upp” as part of the child’s case notes or they will be destroyed.
Case notes: Until the child’s 25th birthday or 26th birthday if they are 17 years old at the end of the treatment.
How Hegarty Therapy keeps personal information confidential and secure
- Use of password-protected documents and “Write Upp”.
- Use of virus software.
- Keeping up-to-date with information from the ICO and other relevant organisations.
- Storing the key for locked cabinets in a hidden location.
- Locking up information when it is not in use. If information is being used it is transported in a bag where the information cannot be seen.
- By completing audits.
- Reviewing and updating policies.
Your rights
- You have the right to change your preferred methods of communication (e.g. you may prefer emails to phone calls).
- You have the right to request a copy of the personal information that is held about you and your child. This is called a Subject Access Request and it is free of charge. All request will be processed and completed within 30 days of receipt.
- You have the right to ask for your record to be amended in you believe that it is wrong.
Can I request personal information to be erased?
Because information is processed on a legitimate basis, it is not possible to request erasure of personal information. However, you can request that incorrect information is changed (e.g. You can request to change your previous home address to your new home address). At the end of treatment, when the child has been discharged, all paper-based information will be scanned and kept as electronic documents. Paper-based information will then be destroyed by shredding.
You can download a PDF version of the above privacy policy here