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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 September 2026

This notice explains how The Treatment Centre collects, uses, stores and shares personal information about patients, prospective patients, parents, carers, representatives and visitors to our website.

1. Who we are

The Treatment Centre is the data controller for the personal information described in this notice.

Our address:
1st Floor, Tinner’s Court
Back Quay
Truro
TR1 2LL

Dr Anna Taylor and Dr Oliver Turner, Joint Principals, oversee data protection at the practice.

For privacy questions or requests, please contact us:

2. Who this notice applies to

This notice applies to patients and prospective patients, parents, carers and authorised representatives, people who contact or visit the practice, visitors to our website, and people who subscribe to practice news or marketing. We also provide a separate, age-appropriate Privacy Notice for Children.

3. Information we collect

Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect:

  • Your name, address, telephone number, email address and date of birth
  • Your NHS number, where applicable
  • Details of parents, carers, authorised representatives, emergency contacts and next of kin
  • Your medical and dental history, medications, allergies and care needs
  • Clinical records, diagnoses, treatment plans, consent records and appointment history
  • X-rays, photographs, digital scans, study models and other clinical images
  • Correspondence and notes of conversations about your care
  • Payment, membership-plan, insurance and account information
  • Complaints, feedback, safeguarding information and information relating to legal claims
  • Communication preferences and accessibility requirements
  • Information submitted through our website, by telephone or email, or through our online booking service
  • Technical website information, such as device and browser details, approximate location, referring website, pages visited and cookie choices

Health information is special category personal data and receives additional protection under data protection law. Where it is relevant to providing safe, appropriate and equitable care, we may also record other sensitive information, including information about disability, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. We only collect information that is relevant and necessary.

We do not sell patient information.

4. Where information comes from

We usually obtain information directly from you. We may also receive information from a parent, carer or authorised representative; another dentist, GP, hospital or healthcare professional; a referral provider; an NHS organisation or private dental-plan provider; an online booking, payment or communications provider; or a regulator, public authority or safeguarding organisation where this is lawful.

5. Why we use information

We use personal information to:

  • Register patients and manage enquiries, appointments, recalls and reminders
  • Assess oral health and provide safe dental care
  • Discuss treatment choices and record consent
  • Prescribe medication and make referrals
  • Maintain accurate and contemporaneous clinical records
  • Communicate with patients, parents, carers and representatives
  • Process payments, membership plans and insurance or NHS claims where applicable
  • Manage complaints, safeguarding concerns and legal claims
  • Monitor and improve the safety and quality of our services
  • Meet professional, regulatory, financial and legal obligations
  • Protect our website, systems, patients and staff
  • Request optional feedback about the care and service received
  • Send optional marketing where this is permitted

6. Our lawful bases

Under Article 6 of the UK GDPR, our lawful bases may include:

  • Contract: where processing is necessary to arrange or provide services you have requested
  • Legal obligation: where we must comply with healthcare, safeguarding, regulatory, tax or other legal requirements
  • Legitimate interests: for appropriate practice administration, service improvement, security, fraud prevention, debt recovery and the defence of legal claims
  • Vital interests: in a medical or other emergency
  • Consent: where we have specifically asked for it, including certain marketing or research activities

For health information and other special category data, we also need a condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR. We will normally rely on Article 9(2)(h), because processing is necessary for the provision or management of health or social care and is carried out under professional confidentiality. Other conditions may apply in emergencies, safeguarding matters, legal claims or where you have given explicit consent.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our interests are necessary and proportionate and whether they are overridden by your rights.

7. Who we share information with

Where necessary and lawful, we may share the minimum information required with:

  • Dentists, hygienists, therapists and other healthcare professionals involved in your care
  • Your GP, hospital, specialist or referral service
  • Dental laboratories and imaging providers
  • NHS organisations and payment authorities, where applicable
  • Private dental-plan and insurance providers
  • Safeguarding organisations
  • Our practice-management, online booking, reminder, email, hosting, IT and security providers
  • Payment providers and debt-recovery services
  • Accountants, lawyers, professional advisers and indemnity providers
  • Healthcare regulators and other public authorities
  • The police, courts or government agencies where disclosure is required or permitted by law

Our suppliers must protect information appropriately and may process it only for agreed purposes. We will normally tell you before sending clinical information to another healthcare provider unless doing so would be inappropriate, unsafe or contrary to a legal requirement.

8. Website, online booking and cookies

Our website uses strictly necessary technologies to operate securely and remember your privacy choices.

With your permission, we may also use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the website, Google advertising services to measure relevant advertising activity, the Meta Pixel to measure advertising and understand website interactions, and embedded video or social-media services.

These services may collect device and browser details, an IP address, approximate location, the referring website, pages viewed and interactions with the website. Non-essential analytics and advertising technologies are not intended to operate until you have made the relevant cookie choice.

You can refuse or withdraw consent at any time using Manage Consent on our website. Our Cookie Policy gives more information about the technologies in use.

Our current online booking service is available at thetreatmentcentre.portal.dental. When you follow the booking link, the information you enter is handled through that service and its own privacy information also applies.

Links to social-media platforms and other external websites take you to services operated by separate organisations. Their own privacy notices will apply when you use those services.

Please do not include detailed or urgent clinical information in a general website enquiry. Contact the practice directly if your enquiry concerns your dental care.

9. Feedback and marketing

We may invite you to provide feedback so we can monitor and improve our service. Participation is optional.

Messages about appointments, treatment, recalls or important practice information are service communications rather than marketing. We only send electronic marketing where we have an appropriate lawful basis and comply with applicable electronic-marketing rules. You can opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe option or contacting us. Opting out will not affect your dental care or essential service communications.

We do not use clinical information for advertising purposes.

10. International transfers

Some technology suppliers, including Google and Meta, may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we require an appropriate legal safeguard. Depending on the destination and provider, this may include UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses or another lawful safeguard.

You may contact us for more information about safeguards applying to your information.

11. How long we keep information

We keep information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, professional, regulatory and insurance requirements.

Clinical dental records are normally retained for 11 years after your last attendance or, for children, until at least the age of 25, whichever is later. Records may be retained for longer where required because of ongoing care, a complaint, a legal claim, safeguarding concerns or another legal obligation.

Website enquiries, marketing preferences, financial records and other administrative information are retained according to the relevant purpose and our retention schedule. When information is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised or destroyed.

12. How we protect information

We use proportionate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. These include controlled access, confidentiality procedures, secure practice-management systems, audit trails, staff training, backups and physical security.

Access is restricted to people who need the information for their work. Dental professionals and practice staff are subject to professional or contractual duties of confidentiality.

13. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

  • Ask for access to your personal information
  • Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
  • Ask us to erase information
  • Ask us to restrict how information is used
  • Object to certain processing, including direct marketing
  • Receive certain information in a portable electronic format
  • Withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent
  • Complain about how your information has been used

These rights are not absolute. For example, we may need to retain clinical information to meet legal and professional obligations. We will normally respond to a valid request within one month and will explain if we require identification, further information or additional time.

To exercise a right, email info@thetreatmentcentre.co.uk.

14. Automated decision-making

We do not currently make decisions about dental care using solely automated processing that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

15. National Data Opt-out

Where NHS confidential patient information is used for purposes beyond individual care, the National Data Opt-out may apply. You can learn more and record your choice at nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters. Your choice does not prevent confidential patient information from being used to provide your individual care.

16. Complaints

Please contact us first if you have a question or concern about how we use your information:

If you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

17. Changes to this notice

We review this notice regularly and update it when our services, suppliers or use of personal information changes. The latest version will always be available on our website. Significant changes will be brought to patients’ attention where appropriate.