Section 1 – Privacy Policy

I comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and am a registrant of the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). This policy explains what personal information I keep, how I use it and how I keep it secure. For the purposes of the General Personal Information Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018, the personal information “controller” is Dr Charlotte Haylock - Charlotte Haylock Psychology. 

Dr Charlotte Haylock is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. I will only use information provided to me for specified and lawful purposes as provided under the Data Protection Act and will handle this information both respectfully and responsibly.

Information I collect from you via the website:

I may collect and process the following data about you:

• Information that you provide by completing the contact form on the website drcharlottehaylock.com.

• Information that you provide by completing the registration form on the website drcharlottehaylock.com.

Cookies:

This website is run via Squarespace which uses cookies to help the site run effectively and to improve user experience. I have taken the following actions in order to maintain GDPR compliance:

• Disabled the activity log - so I don’t collect or view visitors’ IP addresses or other personal data.

• Disabled Squarespace analytic cookies - so I don’t place non-essential cookies on visitors’ browsers.

• Displayed a cookie banner - so you can opt into or out of the use of cookies.

For more information about the use of cookies, including cookies used on squarespace.com, and their web and mobile apps, visit the Squarespace Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.

Financial Information:
I keep financial information including bank statements for 7 years as advised by HMRC. If you decide to make payments by BACS be aware that your account name and reference may be viewed by employees of the bank.

Referral information:

You may be referred to me through a third party. Written referral information I receive typically includes, but is not limited to, name, address, phone number, date of birth, occupational/employment, medical information as well as well as clinical information and case formulation. This information enables me to ensure that the service provided is both safe and appropriate for the situation and enable delivery of the service.

Where instruction from a referring party has been received by Dr Charlotte Haylock to provide services, I will seek your explicit consent to share your information. If I am asked to provide a written assessment, update and discharge reports to the referring party, then explicit consent will be sought from you.

As part of service provision, Dr Charlotte Haylock may then collect data from additional sources including, but not limited to, professional practitioners providing the service, and treating practitioners.

Data created by Dr Charlotte Haylock may include, but not be limited to, assessment findings, communication and observation notes, written reports and electronic communications.

Dr Charlotte Haylock has used all reasonable care in compiling the content of this website but cannot accept liability for any errors or omissions. We will update material errors in the information if we are made aware of such errors, promptly.

Data will only be held and processed where it is necessary except where such action will be overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms which require protection of personal data.

How your data is stored:

Dr Charlotte Haylock works primarily on a paperless basis.  All data is stored within an encrypted Proton Mail drive area and is password protected. Please note that Proton Mail meets Data Protection 2018 requirements for data protection because it is end-to-end encrypted with cryptographic signatures on all files and folders. Information held electronically will be stored in password or fingerprint protected files held on secure devices that only Dr Charlotte Haylock has access to.

Some data is also stored within the Zoom video conferencing platform. Upon agreeing to a Zoom appointment, you consent to your name being entered on Zoom for scheduling. Please familiarise yourself with Zoom prior to remote appointments, for information on their privacy policy, further data they require from users and how they process user data see https://zoom.us/privacy.

Clinical information transmitted by Dr Charlotte Haylock to treatment providers, organisations and individual parties is sent via PDF attachments which are password protected. Please note that I use Proton Mail which is end-to-end encrypted and zero access encrypted. To find out more, visit https://proton.me/mail/security.

If you are paying with private insurance, please note that invoices and requests for further coverage of treatment are emailed to your insurance provider. These emails are not always encrypted, and files are not always password protected. Please note that the information included in these invoices contain your dates of treatment, home address, phone contact, date of birth and insurance information.  When making a request for further coverage for sessions I may also include brief clinical information in order to justify the need for more treatment.  

Data is also stored within Quickbooks Intuit with a 2 Factor Identification login. Quickbook’s Intuit relies on advanced, industry-recognised security safeguards to keep all financial data private and protected. QuickBooks Online is a VeriSign SecuredTM product. VeriSign® is the leading secure sockets layer (SSL) Certificate Authority. With password-protected login, firewall protected servers and the same encryption technology (128 bit SSL).

As part of service provision, I work alongside another psychology practice that may be privy to a small amount of information about you required for billing. This includes your name, the session number and the date of the session. This information will be kept confidential and you can find their privacy policy here.

Sharing information:

You have the right to access all information held about you. Where Dr Charlotte Haylock is holding data related to the provision of professional services, this data may be requested by the referring party (data controller). We may require valid forms of identification to process your request. Please note it can take up to one month for this data to be provided.

Data security breaches:

Dr Charlotte Haylock takes management of your data extremely seriously and takes all reasonable steps to appropriately secure your data. If a data security breach occurs, you will be notified at the earliest opportunity (either directly or via a referring party where applicable), and information will be provided regarding the nature of the breach and action being taken. Notification to parties such as the ICO and law enforcement agencies will be given as appropriate.

Retention and destruction:

Clinical information will be retained for a minimum period of eight years as a regulatory requirement. In the case of a child record, the records will be retained until the 25th birthday (or 26th birthday if the patient was 17 at the conclusion of the treatment).

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at drcharlottehaylock.com
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how I have used your data.

The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk

Review:

This policy may be updated as required to ensure its compliance with data protection legislation and to exercise best practice.

Section 2 – Policies, Procedures & Consent for Treatment

General Consent for Treatment:

You must provide your consent to receive psychological therapy and treatment. In the initial meeting, I will assess and formulate a verbal treatment plan and discuss this with you. If you agree, you may ‘OPT IN” indicating that you understand and agree that you will participate in the planning of your therapy and treatment. Please know that you are welcome to change your mind at any time, withdraw your consent and terminate therapy.

By opting in you also acknowledge that you have both read and understood all the terms and information contained herein. Ample opportunity has been offered for you to ask questions and seek clarification of anything that remains unclear.

Confidentiality:

All information disclosed within sessions and the written records pertaining to those sessions are confidential and may not be revealed to anyone without your permission. In certain circumstances, I may ask for your permission to communicate with other treatment providers, family members or friends but will not do so unless you have given your informed consent. As such, you do have the right to deny consent.

There are certain exceptions to your rights to confidentiality including instances where disclosure is required by court order, if there are concerns about the safety of a child or vulnerable adult or where there is concern for a significant risk of harm to self or others. In such instances I have a duty of care to prevent you from injuring yourself or others and to ensure that you are directed towards the proper psychiatric or medical care. For this purpose, I may also contact the police, hospital, or other crisis services, or an emergency contact whose name you have provided. This is, however, very rare and in any circumstances like this, I will make every reasonable effort to discuss the situation with you first.

As a clinician I am required by my registration boards to participate in regular supervision to maintain the highest standard of care and ethical conduct. Your clinical information may therefore be shared with clinical supervisors in individual supervision and peer supervisors within group supervision.

Communication & Emergency Situations:

I welcome communication by email, but my mailbox is not monitored at all times, and I do not provide an emergency service. Please be aware that communication by email must not be urgent in nature, as there is no way for you to know that I have received your message. When you send me an email, I aim to respond within 3 days. If you need to contact someone for urgent help, you are advised to contact your GP, call 111, or use helplines such as the Samaritans (116123). In the event of an emergency, you are advised to attend A&E, or to call emergency services on 999.  

Fees & Payment:

Fees differ depending on the time and length of your appointment as well as the type of therapy you require. The cost of your session(s) will be determined at the time of scheduling and will generally be between £120-£160.

If you are paying for your therapy yourself, you will be required to either make payment in advance of each session via bank transfer, or to pay an invoice sent to you around the time of each session. Bank details will be provided to you at the scheduling stage and will be included on your invoice. Unless payment arrangements are made, session fees which remain unpaid for a period of 30 days or more past the indicated session date will incur a late charge of £50.00. This £50 fee will thereafter be applied for every 30 days of non-payment and will only cease when payment arrangements are agreed upon or when your balance is paid in full.

If you are paying with private insurance, I will directly invoice your insurance carrier. If your insurance carrier declines payment for any reason (e.g., insurance excess, expiration of authorised sessions, missed appointments, member contribution, etc.) you will be responsible for payment and will be invoiced directly.

Appointments & Cancellation Policy:

Sessions are 50 minutes long and I maintain a standard 48-hour cancellation & rescheduling policy. Payment will be required for appointments that are cancelled or rescheduled with less than 48 hours’ notice.  If you are a private insurance holder, you are directly responsible for payment for any late cancellations or non-attendance, as your insurance carrier does not pay for missed appointments.

It is expected that the session will begin at the agreed time. If you arrive late, the session cannot be extended beyond the agreed finish time. If you do not arrive or email within 15 minutes of the agreed appointment start time, this will be considered a cancellation without the required 48-hour notice being provided.

Either you or Dr Charlotte Haylock reserve the right to end the therapy at any time. Sessions that have been attended up until therapy is ended, and any sessions that were not cancelled with more than 48 hours’ notice will be charged in full. You are not obligated to go ahead with therapy following your initial assessment session. If you decide to go ahead, we will agree to commit to regular sessions at an agreed frequency. If any concerns arise about the work, I invite you to discuss these with me. The number of sessions is based on individual circumstances, and we can agree this together at the early stages of our work, or keep it open ended if you prefer.

Sessions are conducted via the Zoom video conferencing platform. You are responsible for ensuring that you have a private space in your home where you can speak freely and where other people will not enter the room during the session. In some cases, we might discuss whether the setting is suitable for a confidential appointment, and if it is not, we may end the session early at full cost.