Privacy Policy | Balance Acupuncture

Last updated: January 2025

Who we are

Balance Acupuncture is a sole-trader acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine practice operated by Sue [Surname], trading as Balance Acupuncture. Our website address is www.balanceacupuncture.uk.

For the purposes of data protection law, Sue [Surname] is the data controller. You can contact us at:

Email: info@balanceacupuncture.uk
Telephone: 07747 065296

What information we collect

We collect personal information in the following ways:

Contact enquiries: When you use our contact form or email us, we collect your name, email address, telephone number, and the content of your message.
Clinical records: When you become a patient, we collect detailed health and medical information necessary to provide safe and effective treatment. This includes your medical history, current health complaints, medications, lifestyle information, and clinical notes from each treatment session.
Payment information: We record treatment fees paid for accounting purposes. We do not store card details — payments are made by cash or bank transfer only.
Website usage: Our website does not use tracking cookies or analytics tools that collect personal data without your consent.

Why we collect your information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

To respond to your enquiry or appointment request
To provide acupuncture and herbal medicine treatments safely and effectively
To maintain accurate clinical records as required by our professional membership body (the British Acupuncture Council)
To issue receipts and process insurance claims where applicable
To contact you regarding your appointments

We will only contact you for marketing purposes (such as newsletters or health information) if you have explicitly given us your consent to do so. You may withdraw this consent at any time.

Our legal basis for processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), we rely on the following legal bases for processing your personal data:

Contract: Processing necessary to provide the treatment services you have requested.
Legitimate interests: Responding to enquiries and maintaining business records.
Legal obligation: Maintaining clinical records as required by our professional obligations.
Consent: For any marketing communications, where you have opted in.

For special category health data (your medical and clinical information), our legal basis is Article 9(2)(h) — processing necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, medical diagnosis, and the provision of health care treatment.

How we store and protect your information

Your clinical records are stored securely in an encrypted, password-protected system. Paper records, where used, are kept in locked storage. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure.

Clinical records are retained for a minimum of eight years from the date of your last treatment, in accordance with professional guidance from the British Acupuncture Council. After this period, records are securely destroyed.

Contact enquiry data (from our website form) is retained for up to two years, or until the purpose for which it was collected has been fulfilled.

Who we share your information with

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

With other healthcare providers (such as your GP), where clinically necessary and with your consent
With your private health insurer, to process a claim you have initiated
Where we are legally required to do so (for example, by a court order)
With our website contact form processor (Formspree), solely for the purpose of delivering your message to us — Formspree processes data in accordance with their own privacy policy at formspree.io

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right of access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).
Right to rectification: You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: You may ask us to delete your data, subject to our legal and professional obligations to retain clinical records.
Right to restriction: You may ask us to restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
Right to data portability: You may request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@balanceacupuncture.uk. We will respond within one month.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us in the first instance — we will do our best to resolve any issue promptly.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. For significant changes, we will notify existing patients by email.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at info@balanceacupuncture.uk or call 07747 065296.