Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

STI Clinic London ("we", "us", "our") is a private sexual health clinic located at 20 Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, London SW7 3DL. We are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and operate in accordance with UK data protection laws.

Data Controller: STI Clinic London
Contact Email: info@sticlinic.co.uk
Phone: 020 7183 0494

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information

When you use our services, we may collect:

• Full name and date of birth
• Contact details (email address, phone number, postal address)
• Gender and preferred pronouns
• Emergency contact information (if provided)
• Payment information (processed securely, not stored by us)

Medical Information

As a healthcare provider, we collect special category (sensitive) data including:

• Sexual health history and test results
• Information about symptoms
• Previous STI diagnoses and treatments
• Relevant medical history
• Information about sexual partners (anonymised for contact tracing purposes only)

Website Information

When you visit our website, we may collect:

• IP address and browser type
• Pages visited and time spent
• Referral source
• Device information

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Healthcare provision: To provide you with medical services, including testing, diagnosis, and treatment
• Communication: To contact you about appointments and deliver test results securely
• Legal obligations: To comply with healthcare regulations and statutory reporting requirements
• Service improvement: To improve our services and patient experience
• Public health: Anonymised, aggregated data may be used for public health monitoring (without identifying you)

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contract: To provide healthcare services you have requested
• Legal obligation: To comply with healthcare laws and regulations
• Vital interests: To protect your health or that of others in emergencies
• Legitimate interests: To improve our services and communicate with you
• Consent: Where required, we will obtain your explicit consent

5. Confidentiality Commitment

6. Data Sharing

We may share your information with:

• Laboratory services: UKAS-accredited laboratories process your samples (identified by reference number, not name)
• Healthcare professionals: Other clinicians involved in your care (with your consent)
• Regulatory bodies: The CQC for regulatory purposes
• Public health authorities: For notifiable disease reporting (as required by law)

We never sell your data or share it for marketing purposes.

7. Data Security

We implement robust security measures to protect your information:

• Encrypted storage and transmission of all personal and medical data
• Secure, access-controlled clinical systems
• Staff training on data protection and confidentiality
• Regular security audits and assessments
• Strict access controls (only authorised personnel can access your records)

8. Data Retention

We retain your medical records in accordance with NHS guidelines:

• Adult medical records: Retained for 8 years after last contact
• Records relating to children: Retained until the patient's 25th birthday (or 26th if seen at age 17)
• Sexual health records: Retained for 8 years in accordance with healthcare regulations

After the retention period, records are securely destroyed.

9. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Right to restrict processing: Request limitation of how we use your data
• Right to data portability: Receive your data in a portable format
• Right to object: Object to certain processing of your data
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time (where consent is the legal basis)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@sticlinic.co.uk.

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site
• Preference cookies: Remember your preferences

You can control cookies through your browser settings.

11. Children's Privacy

We provide services to young people in accordance with Gillick competence guidelines. Young people who are deemed competent can consent to their own treatment and have the same rights to confidentiality as adults.

12. 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 revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

14. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

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