This Privacy Policy explains how The Functional Podiatrist (trading name of Richmond Sports Podiatry Ltd) collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you attend an appointment, purchase a product, or otherwise interact with our services.
It is written to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR 2018).
To provide care or supply products, we may collect the following categories of personal information:
- Personal details — name, date of birth, contact details, postal address
- Medical information — clinical history, test results, treatment details and notes
- Payment information — as required to process transactions
- Appointment and communications history — records of appointments, correspondence, and follow-up
This information is stored on a secure, password-protected electronic patient record and diary system.
Note — Heidi Notes (AI Clinical Notes)
During appointments we may use Heidi Notes, a secure tool that uses temporary audio recordings to generate accurate written clinical notes. Audio files are not stored or retained after note creation.
We only collect what is relevant and necessary for the purpose of your care. We process your data under the following lawful bases:
- Provision of healthcare — to deliver safe and effective assessment and treatment
- Consent — where you have opted into marketing or other communications
- Legal obligations — for example, tax, insurance, safeguarding requirements, or court orders
- Legitimate interests — to manage appointments, respond to enquiries, or follow up on treatment outcomes
You may withdraw consent to marketing at any time by contacting us using the details below.
We will never sell your personal data. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:
- Medical professionals — with your consent, to support continuity of care with your GP or specialist consultant
- Service providers — trusted third parties including orthotics laboratories, insurers, external reception services, and vetted Virtual Assistants (VAs) providing administrative support. All third parties are subject to confidentiality agreements and given access only to what is strictly necessary
- Business transfers — in the event the clinic is sold or merged, information may be transferred lawfully as part of that process
- Legal requirements — where disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or court order
We retain patient records for a minimum of 8 years after your last appointment, in line with legal and professional requirements. For patients aged 16–18 at the time of treatment, records are retained until the patient reaches the age of 25, whichever period is longer.
All personal data is stored within the United Kingdom. Where remote access is provided to support staff such as Virtual Assistants, this is strictly controlled, logged, and conducted in a manner compliant with UK GDPR.
Under UK GDPR you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
Right of Access
Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).
Right to Rectification
Request that inaccurate or incomplete information is corrected.
Right to Restriction or Erasure
In certain circumstances you may request restriction of processing or deletion, though medical records are normally exempt from erasure obligations.
Right to Object
Object to processing for marketing purposes or, in certain cases, other processing activities.
Right to Complain
Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at
www.ico.org.uk.
For the purposes of UK GDPR, the Data Controller is:
Patient Consent Statement
By registering as a patient, you consent to The Functional Podiatrist creating and storing medical records concerning your assessment and treatment in line with this Privacy Policy.
If you do not provide consent to the collection and processing of your personal and medical information, we will be unable to carry out assessment or treatment.
