Privacy Policy

The Veterinary Health Centre Ltd (TVHC) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy (together with our Terms and Conditions and any other documents referred to in it) sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. Your consent by using our Website, registering with us and by using our Veterinary services you understand and agree that personal information you provide will be held on a database called Animana created by IDEXX Laboratories. As we require this data to treat your animals and for legal reasons it is necessary for the performance of the contract with you, we consider (under section 3, article 6 of the GDPR regulations) that formal, written consent is not required to record this data.

What information do we collect and why?

When you register your pet either in the branch or via our online web form you will be asked for some essential information including your title, first name, surname, postal address, email address, telephone and if applicable payment information. You may also be requested to give your details for other reasons. These details are collected either in person, by telephone or online, to help us:

  • Register your details as a new client or update your details if they change
  • Register your pet (s) on our system
  • Register your pet on health plans
  • Make appointments
  • Process the fees due for any treatment
  • Contact you about your pet, your account or credit status where required;
  • Ask you to complete client satisfaction surveys to offer the best service we can
  • Let you know about any changes to our services
  • Contact you to advise when your pet(s) need timely treatments in the best interests in their health
  • We will also automatically collect data such as dates and times of your visits to the Website.

Who may we sometimes share your data with?

  • Other vet practices including referral centres for your pet’s medical care in the future
  • Insurance companies who request a pet’s medical records to process an insurance claim
  • Financial data to agencies assisting us with unpaid debt such as DCS (Debt Collection Services).
  • External Laboratories
  • Our waste contractor for shredding

The data controller will ensure we have contracts with the above companies which confirm that your data will be processed following GDPR regulations.

How we protect your information.

Your data is stored securely on cloud based servers. Data is backed up regularly. Only authorised personnel have access to your information. Our IT systems are regularly reviewed and updated to the latest version software.

We endeavour to keep your data up to date and accurate. Please help us keep your data up to date by contacting us if there are any changes. We have in place strict security procedures for the storage and disclosure of your information to prevent unauthorised access.

Protecting your security

Any data no longer required will be deleted or destroyed securely and confidentially.

Statement on the use and disclosure of Personal Data

We may send you SMS, post or emails to contact you about treatments we consider your pet (s) may require in the best interests of their health, for example vaccination reminders. We may also send you health care advice for your pet(s). We consider the above communication vital to maintaining the health of your pet(s) and that it is required for us to offer the high-level service we strive for. We therefore do not consider it necessary to ask you to opt in to such communications. We will not pass your data onto third parties. You can also exercise your right not to receive these communications at any time by sending us written confirmation via post or email or contacting us on 01253 729309.

Cookies

This website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer by your browser. They are used to remember your preferences and settings, and to improve the overall performance of the website. We do not use cookies to collect personal information about you. You can choose to disable cookies at any time by changing your browser settings by clicking on the “Help” function (often in the main menu options at the top of your browser screen, and usually accessible by pressing the F1 key in Windows). However, disabling cookies may impact on the functionality of this website. For more information about cookies, please visit www.aboutcookies.org.

Rights

You have a right to access the personal data about you that is held by us. You are entitled to be provided with details of the data that we hold about you upon request. The request will be passed onto our data controller and will be made available within 30 days. You also have a right to request we delete your data. As your data must be kept by us for 7 years, for legal reasons we would consult our professional advisers regards any legal requirements to keep any data and inform you of their decision. Legally we have 30 days to exercise this.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

Any changes we may make to our Privacy Policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by email or post.

If you have any queries about data protection, please contact us on 01253 729309.