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Privacy Policy

The Urology and Men’s Health Clinic (“we”, “us”, “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it and your rights. The policy covers data collected via our website, by phone, email and during clinical care.

If anything here is unclear, or you want to exercise your rights, please contact our Data Protection Lead (details at the end).

Data controller and contact details

Data controller: The Urology and Men’s Health Clinic Address: 29 Corporation St, Birmingham B2 4LS, United Kingdom Phone: 0121 716 9044 Email: info@urologyandmenshealth.co.uk

What personal data we collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on the service and interaction:

a) Identity & contact data

  • Name, date of birth, address, phone number, email.

b)Clinical & health data (special category)

  • Medical history, diagnoses, test results, imaging, prescriptions, procedure notes, allergies, referrals, clinic letters and other health records.

c) Appointment & administrative data

  • Appointment dates/times, booking notes, cancellations, invoicing and payment records.

d) Device & usage data

  • IP address, browser type, pages visited and referral data (collected via website analytics).

e) Communications

  • Messages, emails, phone call records (where necessary to manage care or appointments) and patient feedback.

f) Other

  • Identity checks, insurance details (if you use private insurance), and any information you provide voluntarily (e.g., testimonials published only with consent).

Legal bases for processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under UK/EU data protection law. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

For ordinary personal data
  • Performance of a contract / to take steps before entering a contract — e.g., to provide appointments, diagnostics and treatment.
  • Legal obligation — where required by law (e.g., record keeping, safeguarding, reporting certain infections).
  • Legitimate interests — for clinic administration, preventing fraud, or maintaining IT security (we balance these interests against your rights).
For special category (health) data
  • Provision of health or social care (Article 9(2)(h)) — processing is necessary for medical diagnosis, provision of healthcare, and management of health or social care systems and services.
  • In some cases we may also rely on explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a)) for activities such as optional research, publishing testimonials, or marketing, where consent is appropriate.
Consent for cookies & marketing
  • For non-essential cookies and direct marketing (where required), we will ask for your consent and provide an easy way to withdraw it.

How we use your personal data (purposes)

We use data for clear healthcare and operational purposes, including to:
  • Provide clinical care, diagnostics and treatment.
  • Manage appointments, referrals and follow-up.
  • Communicate test results, appointment reminders and necessary clinical information.
  • Process payments, invoices and insurance claims.
  • Comply with legal and regulatory obligations (e.g., safeguarding, public health reporting).
  • Improve services, carry out clinical audit and quality assurance.
  • Respond to complaints and legal requests.
  • Send marketing information only where you have opted in (you may withdraw consent at any time).

Who we share data with

We only share personal data when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. Typical recipients include:
  • Healthcare professionals and hospitals involved in your care.
  • Laboratories, imaging centres and pathology providers for tests.
  • Insurance providers when you request us to liaise with them.
  • IT and administrative processors who host patient records or appointment systems (under data processing agreements).
  • Regulators and statutory bodies where we are required to do so (e.g., CQC, public health authorities).
  • Legal advisers or external investigators, where required by law or to protect our legal position.
We will not sell your personal data to third parties.

International transfers

Where we transfer data outside the UK/EEA (for example, if a service provider’s systems are hosted outside the UK), we will put appropriate safeguards in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or other legal mechanisms to ensure your data remains protected.

Data retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described and in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements. Typical retention periods (subject to clinical and legal review):
  • Clinical records (adults): retained for a minimum of 8 years after last contact.
  • Clinical records (children): retained until the patient reaches age 25 (or longer if clinically justified).
  • Appointment, billing and audit records: usually retained for 7 years (tax/accounting and management needs).
  • Telephone recordings / CCTV: retained for limited periods (e.g., up to 30 days) unless needed for an incident investigation.
  • Marketing consents / preferences: retained until consent is withdrawn or for evidence of consent.
If you require a different retention schedule for legal reasons, please contact us. We will dispose of data securely when it is no longer needed.

Your rights

You have rights under data protection law. In summary, you can (where applicable):
  • Access the personal data we hold about you (subject access request).
  • Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Erase data (right to be forgotten) subject to legal and clinical record-keeping obligations.
  • Restrict processing in certain circumstances.
  • Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
  • Data portability — receive certain information in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Withdraw consent for processing where we rely on consent.
To exercise any right, contact our Data Protection Lead at [DPO email]. We will respond promptly and within statutory timescales. If you are unhappy with our response, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) — https://ico.org.uk/.

How we secure your data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including encrypted systems for medical records, secure backups, role-based access controls and staff training in data protection and confidentiality. Where we use third-party processors, we require contractual assurances on security and confidentiality.
No system is 100% secure, but we regularly review and update our controls. If we become aware of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and, where required, the ICO.

Children and vulnerable people

Our services are aimed at adults. Where services are provided to children or those lacking capacity, we follow legal requirements on consent and act in the patient’s best interests. We process the minimum necessary personal data in such cases.

Marketing and communications

We will only send direct marketing (email or SMS) where you have given consent. You can opt out at any time via the unsubscribe link or by contacting us. Marketing is not a precondition of using our services.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Below is a short overview.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser. They help the site function and improve your browsing experience.

Our cookie types

  • Essential cookies: Required for the website and booking system to function (no consent needed).
  • Performance & analytics cookies: Help us understand site usage (e.g., Google Analytics). We use these only with consent.
  • Functional cookies: Remember choices such as language or region settings.
  • Marketing cookies: Used by third parties for advertising and tracking (only with consent).

Managing cookies

You can control cookies in your browser settings and delete cookies at any time. For the best experience, we recommend allowing essential cookies. We provide a cookie consent banner onthe first visit to manage preferences. For guidance on changing browser settings, see.

Third-party cookies

Third-party services (e.g., Google Analytics, maps, booking providers) may set cookies. Their use is subject to their privacy policies. We do not control third-party cookie behaviour. Please review those providers’ notices for details.

Research, audit and anonymised data

On occasion we may use anonymised or pseudonymised patient data for audit, service improvement or approved research. Where data is not fully anonymous and the work goes beyond routine care, we will seek appropriate approvals and, where required, explicit consent.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top will be updated. Significant changes that affect how we use your data will be communicated directly where possible.

Contact, complaints and further information

For questions about this policy, to exercise your rights, or to make a complaint:
Email: info@urologyandmenshealth.co.uk
Phone: 0121 716 9044
Address: 29 Corporation St, Birmingham B2 4LS, United Kingdom
If you remain dissatisfied after internal review you can lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/ or call 0303 123 1113.

A final note

This policy aims to be clear and practical. It is not legal advice. We recommend a review by your legal adviser to ensure full alignment with your services, third-party contracts and local regulatory requirements.