Privacy policy
1. Introduction
At Feed and Flow Clinic, we are committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and personal information of the families who access our services.
As a tongue-tie and lactation service, we understand that the information shared with us about parents and babies is often personal and sensitive. We are committed to handling this information respectfully, securely and in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, retain and share personal information, including clinical records, photographs and information relating to the care and support we provide.
2. Information We Collect
Depending on the services you access, Feed and Flow Clinic may collect and maintain the following information:
Personal details: Names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses.
Parent and baby information: Your baby's name, date of birth, relevant birth history, feeding history and developmental information.
Health information: Relevant medical history, symptoms, feeding difficulties, assessment findings, treatment information and details of relevant healthcare professionals involved in your care.
Clinical records: Consultation notes, assessment findings, advice provided, treatment records, consent documentation, aftercare advice and follow-up information.
Appointment information: Booking details, pre-visit forms, correspondence, cancellations and relevant communications.
Payment information: Invoices and payment records. Payments may be processed by third-party payment providers.
Photographs and images: Clinical photographs or images where appropriate for assessment, treatment, record-keeping, education or promotional purposes, subject to the consent arrangements outlined in this policy.
We aim to collect only information that is adequate, relevant and necessary for the purposes for which it is required.
3. How We Use Your Information
Feed and Flow Clinic may use your personal information to:
Respond to enquiries and manage appointments.
Provide tongue-tie assessments, procedures where appropriate, lactation consultations and related support.
Maintain accurate clinical records and document the care provided.
Provide aftercare advice, follow-up support and relevant communications.
Communicate with other healthcare professionals where appropriate and lawful.
Process payments and maintain business and accounting records.
Meet applicable legal, regulatory, insurance and professional obligations.
Address complaints, concerns, safeguarding matters or legal claims where necessary.
Support appropriate educational activities and promote our services where the necessary consent or other lawful basis has been obtained.
Conduct audits and quality improvement processes
We will not use your personal information for unrelated purposes without an appropriate lawful basis.
4. Lawful Basis for Processing Information
Feed and Flow Clinic processes personal information in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
Depending on the circumstances, our lawful bases for processing personal information may include:
Contract: Where processing is necessary to manage bookings and provide the services requested.
Legal obligation: Where information must be processed to comply with applicable legal requirements.
Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for legitimate business or professional purposes and does not override your rights and interests.
Health and care-related provisions: Where applicable, for the provision and management of healthcare or related services, subject to the relevant legal requirements.
Consent: Where consent is the appropriate lawful basis for a particular activity, such as certain uses of photographs for advertising or educational purposes.
Health information is classed as special category personal data and requires an additional condition for processing under Article 9 of the UK GDPR.
Feed and Flow Clinic will identify and apply the appropriate lawful basis and special category condition for the information processed.
Consent to clinical treatment, consent to share information and consent to process personal data are separate matters and will be handled accordingly.
5. Record Keeping, Confidentiality and Information Security
Feed and Flow Clinic is committed to maintaining accurate, complete and up-to-date records to support the safe, effective and personalised care of the families who access our services.
Clinical records are maintained in a timely manner and accurately reflect the care provided, relevant discussions, decisions made, identified needs, consent obtained and any follow-up arrangements.
Where appropriate, records may include correspondence with parents, legal representatives and other healthcare professionals involved in a family's care.
All personal and clinical information is treated confidentially and stored securely. Access is restricted to authorised individuals who require the information for legitimate clinical, administrative or legal purposes.
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration or disclosure.
Where third-party systems or service providers are used to support our operations, we take appropriate steps to ensure that personal information is handled securely and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.
6. Data Protection Principles
Feed and Flow Clinic follows the seven key data protection principles under the UK GDPR:
Lawfulness, fairness and transparency: Personal information is processed lawfully, fairly and transparently.
Purpose limitation: Information is collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.
Data minimisation: Only information that is adequate, relevant and necessary is collected.
Accuracy: Records are kept accurate and updated where necessary.
Storage limitation: Information is retained only for as long as necessary, taking account of applicable clinical, legal, professional and insurance requirements.
Integrity and confidentiality: Appropriate security measures protect information against unauthorised access, loss, damage or disclosure.
Accountability: We take responsibility for complying with data protection requirements and maintaining appropriate records of our processing activities.
7. Clinical Record Retention
Feed and Flow Clinic retains clinical records for 25 years, in line with the record-retention guidance applicable to the clinic's practice.
This includes records relating to consultations, assessments, treatment, clinical findings, consent, advice provided and follow-up care.
Records are stored securely throughout the retention period, with access restricted to authorised individuals.
At the end of the applicable retention period, records will be securely destroyed or permanently deleted, unless there is a lawful reason to retain them for longer, such as an ongoing complaint, legal claim or other applicable legal or professional requirement.
Other personal information, including routine enquiries and administrative correspondence, may be retained for shorter periods where it is no longer necessary to keep it.
8. Information Sharing, the Red Book and Healthcare Professionals
At Feed and Flow Clinic, we recognise the importance of effective communication between families and the healthcare professionals involved in their care.
The baby's Personal Child Health Record, commonly known as the Red Book, is an important means of sharing relevant information between parents, GPs, health visitors and other healthcare professionals.
Where appropriate, we encourage parents to use the Red Book to communicate relevant information about their baby's feeding, tongue-tie assessment, treatment and ongoing care. This helps support continuity of care and ensures that relevant information is available to the professionals involved in the baby's health and wellbeing.
Where further communication with a GP, health visitor or another healthcare professional is necessary, Feed and Flow Clinic may share relevant information where there is an appropriate lawful basis for doing so.
Wherever appropriate and safe, we will discuss information sharing with the parent or relevant individual beforehand and seek their consent.
Information may also be shared with relevant healthcare professionals where necessary to support safe and effective care, subject to applicable confidentiality and data protection requirements.
9. Safeguarding and Sharing Information Without Consent
Feed and Flow Clinic has a responsibility to act in the interests of the safety and welfare of babies, children and families.
There may be circumstances in which personal or clinical information needs to be shared without consent, particularly where there are safeguarding concerns, a risk of significant harm, or a legal obligation or other lawful justification for disclosure.
In such circumstances, relevant information may be shared with appropriate healthcare professionals, safeguarding teams, social care services or other statutory authorities where permitted or required by law, to protect the welfare and best interests of the baby, child or individual concerned.
Wherever possible and appropriate, we will explain the reasons for information sharing to the parent or relevant individual. However, consent will not always be required, and we may not inform the individual beforehand if doing so could increase risk, prejudice a safeguarding response or otherwise be inappropriate in the circumstances.
Any decision to share information without consent will be made carefully, taking account of the circumstances, applicable legal requirements, safeguarding responsibilities and relevant professional guidance. Only information that is relevant, necessary and proportionate to the concern will be shared, and the reasons for sharing will be documented appropriately.
Feed and Flow Clinic follows the Caldicott Principles, which promote the appropriate use and protection of confidential information. These principles include ensuring that information is accessed and shared only when necessary, that the minimum information required is used, and that the duty to protect confidentiality is balanced with the duty to share information when necessary to provide safe care or protect individuals from harm.
Our priority is to protect confidentiality while ensuring that the safety and welfare of babies, children and families remain paramount.
10. Photographs and Images
Feed and Flow Clinic may take photographs or images of a baby, their mouth or tongue, or relevant clinical findings where appropriate for clinical assessment, treatment and record-keeping purposes. Photographs or images may also be used for educational purposes or advertising and promotional activities, subject to the consent arrangements outlined below.
Written consent will be obtained before photographs or images are taken for these purposes. Where photographs or images are used for educational, advertising or promotional purposes, Feed and Flow Clinic will take appropriate steps to ensure that they are not linked to the identity of the child or family.
We recognise that photographs of babies and children, particularly images showing distinctive physical features, may still be identifiable even where names and other details are removed. We will therefore handle all images with care, respect confidentiality and take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of identification.
Photographs and images will be stored securely, accessed only by authorised individuals where necessary, and retained in accordance with our applicable record-retention arrangements and data protection obligations.
Consent for educational, advertising or promotional use may be withdrawn at any time for future use. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of any use that took place before consent was withdrawn.
11. Website Use and Cookies
Our website, https://feedandflowclinic.com, may use cookies or similar technologies to support its operation, understand website usage or improve the user experience.
Where required, consent will be requested before non-essential cookies are placed. Visitors may manage their preferences through the website's cookie settings, where available.
If our website uses third-party tools, such as analytics, embedded content or online booking services, those providers may process certain technical information in accordance with their own privacy policies.
12. Marketing Communications
Feed and Flow Clinic will only send marketing communications where there is an appropriate lawful basis and any applicable consent or other legal requirements have been met.
Individuals can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe option, where available, or by contacting the clinic directly.
Essential appointment information, clinical correspondence and service-related communications are not marketing messages.
13. Your Data Protection Rights
Subject to applicable law and certain exceptions, you may have the right to:
Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
Ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected.
Request deletion of your information where there is a legal entitlement to do so.
Request restriction of certain processing activities.
Object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interests.
Request transfer of certain information to you or another provider where the legal conditions apply.
Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.
Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
These rights are not absolute. Feed and Flow Clinic may need to retain certain clinical records or other information where required by law or applicable professional obligations.
To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details provided in this policy.
You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office. Further information is available at https://ico.org.uk/.
14. Cancellation
You my cancel a session up to 48 hours before the appointment to request a reschedule or refund . If your cancellation is less than 48 hours in advance, a refund is not available except for
extenuating circumstances. Payments are non-refundable once the consultation has taken place.
If Feed and Flow Clinic has to cancel your appointment we will try to give you as much warning as possible. We will also provide you with a full refund or option to reschedule your
appointment for a different date or time.
15. Changes to This Policy
Feed and Flow Clinic may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, working practices or legal obligations.
The latest version will be published on our website with the updated date.
We encourage families to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how their personal information is handled.
16. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how Feed and Flow Clinic collects, uses, stores, shares or protects your personal information, please contact us.
Feed and Flow Clinic
Email: feedandflowclinic@gmail.com
Telephone: 07598 744636
Website: https://feedandflowclinic.com
We will do our best to respond to your questions and address any concerns about the handling of your personal information.
*This policy is made by and for Feed and Flow Clinic and its service users to access. It should not be copied, reproduced or altered*