Who we are
Our website address is: http://www.drsunita.ie.
What personal data we collect and why we collect it
Contact forms
Any information collected via our website contact or download forms is used expressly for the purposes outlined within our GP surgery. We never share this data with any third parties without your consent.
Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics to anonymously track user interactions on our website. You can choose to disable this tracking via our Cookies options.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
What rights you have over your data
If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where we send your data
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
Your contact information
We use your contact data to contact you and not for marketing purposes.
Practice Privacy Statement
This practice wants to ensure the highest standards of medical care to out patients. We understand that a General Practice is a trusted community governed by an ethic of privacy and confidentiality. Out approach is consistent with the Medical Council guidelines and the privacy principles of the Data Regulations. It is not possible to undertake the medical care without collecting and processing personal data and data concerning health. To do so would be in breach of the Medical Councils Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics for Doctors. This statement is to advise you of our policies and practices on dealing with you medical information.
Legal Basis For Processing Your Data
This practice has voluntarily signed up for the ICGP Data Protection Guidelines for GP’s. The processing of personal data in general practice is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the patient and for the provision of health care and public health. In most circumstances we hold your data until 8 years after your death or 8 years since your last contact with the practice.
Managing Your Information
In order to provide for your care we need to collect and keep information about you and your health on our records. We retain your information securely. We will only ask for and keep information that is necessary. We will attempt to keep it as accurate and up to date as possible. We will explain the need for any information we ask for if you are not sure why it is needed. We ask you to inform us about any relevant changes that we should know about you. This would include such things as any new treatment or investigations being carried out that we are not aware of. Please also inform us of change of address or phone numbers.
All persons in the practice sign a confidentiality agreement that explicitly makes it clear their duties their relation to personal health information and the consequences of breaching that agreement. Access to patient records is regulated to ensure that they are used only to the extend necessary to enable the receptionist to perform their tasks for the proper functioning of the GP practice. Patients should understand that practice staff may have access to their records for the following purposes :-
- Identifying and printing repeat prescriptions for the patient. This is then reviewed and signed by the G.P.
- Generating a sickness certificate for the patient. This is then checked and signed by the G.P.
- Typing referral letters to hospital consultants or allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapist, psychologists and dieticians.
- Opening letters from consultants and hospitals. The letters could be appended to a patients paper file or scanned to the patient electronic records.
- Scanning clinical letters, radiology reports and any other documents not available on electronic format.
- Downloading laboratory results and Out Of Hours Co Cop reports and preformation integration of these resolution into the electronic patient record.
- Photocopying or printing documents for referrals to consultants. Attendance at an antenatal clinic or when a patient is changing G.P.
- Checking for a patient if a hospital or consultant letter is back or if a laboratory or radiology result is back in order to schedule a conversation wit the GP or practice nurse.
- When a patient makes contact with a practice checking if they due for preventative services such as vaccination, ante natal visit, contraceptive pill check, cervical smear test etc.
- Handling, printing, photocopying and postage of medico legal and life assurance reports and associated documents.
- Sending and receiving information via Healthmail – secure clinical email
- Any other activities related to the support of medical care appropriate for practice support staff.
Disclosure of Information to other Health and Social Care Professionals
We may need to pass some of this information to other health and social care professionals in order to provide you with the treatment and services you need. Only the relevant part of the information will be released. These other professionals are legally bound to treat your information with the same the duty of care and confidentiality that we do.
Use of information Training, Teaching and Quality Assurances
It is usual for GP’s to discuss patient case histories as part of their continuing medical education or for the purposed of training GP’s and or medical students. In these situations the identity of the patient concerned will be revealed. In other situations however it maybe beneficial for other doctors within the practice to be aware of patients with particular conditions and in such cases this practice would only communicate the information necessary to provide the highest level of care to the patient.
Out practice may be involved in the training of GP’s and may be attached to a General Practice Training Programme. As part of this programme GP Registrars may work in the practice and may be involved in your care.
Use of Information Of Clinical Audit
It is usual for patient information to be used for clinical audit in order to improve services and standards of practice. GP’s on the specialist register of the Medical Council are required for perform yearly clinical audits. Information used for such purposes is done in an anonymised manner with all personal identifying information removed. If it were proposed to use the information in a way where it would not by annonymised or the practice was involved in external research we would discuss this further with you before we proceed to seek your written consent. Please remember that the quality of the patent service provided can only be maintained and improved by training, teaching, audit and research.
Your Right of Access to your Health Information
You have the right of access to all of the personal information held about you by this practice. If you wish to see your records, in most cases the quickest way is to discuss this with your doctor who will review the information on record with you. You can make a formal written access request to the practice and receive a copy of your medical records. These will be provided to you within thirty days without cost.
Transferring to another Practice
If you decide at any time and for whatever reason to transfer to another practice we will facilitate that decision by making available to your new doctor a copy of your records and your receipt of your signed consent from your doctor. For medico legal reasons we will also retain a copy of your medical records in this practice for an appropriate period of time which may exceed eight years.
Other Rights
You have other rights under data protection regulations in relation to transfer of data to a third country – the right to rectification or erasure, restriction of processing, objection to processing or data portability. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner.