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Data Protection
What is it?
The Data Protection Act
requires all organisations which handle personal information to comply with a number of important
principles regarding privacy and disclosure.
The Act states that anyone
who processes personal information must comply with eight principles. These
state that information must be:
·
Fairly
and lawfully processed
·
Processed
for limited purposes
·
Adequate,
relevant and not excessive
·
Accurate
and up to date
·
Not
kept for longer than is necessary
·
Processed
in line with individuals' rights
·
Secure
·
Not
transferred to other countries without adequate protection
The Act also allows people to
find out what personal information is held about them by. This could be on
computer or in some paper records, and includes credit reference details.
If members of the public think they're being prevented from seeing information
they're entitled to, they can ask us to help. As the Information
Commissioner's Office, we're responsible for looking after their rights and
making sure personal information isn't misused. Complaints are usually
dealt with informally, but if this isn't possible, enforcement action can
be taken.
All organisations must make sure that they comply with
the Data Protection Act. We provide guidance including good practice notes about
how to comply and you can also find out anything you need to know about
your legal obligations under the Act.
The data protection act is looked after by the “Information
Commissioner’s Office. They have an excellent web site that provides
all the information you need. The above text has been copied from their web
site.
Does the Data Protection Act apply to me?
The general guidelines for this are that
if you are storing any information about your clients that is used for
anything other than sales or marketing purposes then you need to be
registered. With your general use of PPS this would normally mean that you
will need to be registered – especially if you are storing clinical
notes or appointment details etc.
There is a good guide to notification
available which includes a section to help you decide if you need to be
registered. You can download this guide by clicking here notification handbook
How much does it cost?
The fee is £35 per year – this
is payable directly to the information commissioner’s office.
How do I register / notify?
You can notify on-line directly via the
web site. You can also download or request a form to complete and send off
with your payment if you prefer. When you fill in the form, you have to
declare yourself as the “Data Controller”. This is the name of
the personal ultimately responsible for the data that you are storing.
For more information visit the Information
Commissioner’s Office web site at www.ico.gov.uk
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Even if you do not need to be registered for data
protection, we think that it is a good idea to register anyway. This can
be done quickly on-line and there is a simple small annual fee to pay
after that. Not much to pay for peace of mind, and to be able to tell
your clients that their personal details are safe with you because you
are registered.
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