Privacy Policy

Your privacy

At Vision Gloucester we are committed to the highest privacy standards. However you choose to interact with us, we will only collect data that is necessary for us to deliver the best possible service and ensure you are reminded about appointments or anything else relevant to your ongoing care. This policy provides detailed information on when and why we collect your personal information, how we use it and the very limited conditions under which we may disclose it to others.

Collection of your Personal Information

In addition to your basic contact information (name, date of birth, telephone numbers and your addresses) we will collect other relevant details including current and past health and medication information, your examination results, payment details and lifestyle information. We may also store associated information received from other health care professionals as part of your ongoing care.


How we use this information

The information we collect about you is used to ensure we provide you with the best and most appropriate products and services. In addition to your ongoing eye care, we will remind you when appointments are due and suggest relevant products or services that we believe would be of interest. We use your contact information to respond to queries from you, and where appropriate your bank details to collect Direct Debit payments as agreed. We may occasionally contact you to ask for your feedback on services we have provided and to offer the opportunity to trial new products.


Our policy on storage, processing and retention of your information.

To provision and manage our services, your data is stored and processed by Optix Software Ltd within their UK facilities that are certified to ISO27001. If we collect Direct Debits from you these payments will be processed by Eyecare Payments Ltd. Any third-party company is only permitted to process your data for the specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.  We retain your information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our products and services and to maintain records to satisfy tax and other legal requirements.


How and when we may share your Personal Information

Where necessary we may disclose your information to health care professionals including the NHS. We may also pass information to external agencies and organisations, including the police, for the prevention and detection of fraud and criminal activity. Should any claim be made, we may pass your personal information to our insurers and if our business is wholly or partially transferred to a third party, your personal information may be one of the transferred assets.


Your rights with respect to the Personal Information we hold

You are entitled to access the personal information that we hold on you; any such request should be made using our contact details below. If any data we hold is inaccurate, this will be corrected promptly on request. In certain circumstances you can request that we erase your data which we will do where this would not prevent us meeting our legal and regulatory obligations.


Updating your communication preferences

You may ask that we do not send you communications using any of the contact details we hold on our records, this may include your email, SMS, telephone and postal information. You may also request we restrict our communications to clinically necessary messages. Your personal preferences can be changed at any time by using the link at the end of every email and SMS message we send or by using our contact details below.


Use of Cookies

A cookie is a small text file containing information that a web site transfers to your computer’s hard disk for record-keeping purposes. A cookie cannot give us access to your computer or to your personal information. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies; consult your browser’s manual or online help if you want information on restricting or disabling the browser’s handling of cookies. If you disable cookies, you can still view the information on our web site, but the functionality of certain areas may be reduced.


Privacy Policy Updates

We reserve our right to make any changes and updates to this privacy policy without giving you notice as and when we need to. Our most up to date privacy policy is always available on our website.


Contacting us

You can reach Vision Gloucester at our practice in 114 Northgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 1SL, or alternatively via email: info@visiongloucester.co.uk

Freedom of Information Act:

Freedom of Information Act (FOI):

Model Publication Scheme
This document complies with the requirements of the Information Commissioner’s Model Publication Scheme for Portsea Island Gloucester Ltd Trading as The Vision Centre in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and fulfils the obligations on opticians’ practices under the Act.

IntroductionThis is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by Portsea Island Gloucester Ltd.  It is a description of the information about our NHS services that we make publicly available.  It will be reviewed at regular intervals.

How is the information made available? The information within each Class is available in hard copy from:
The Vision Centre112-114 Northgate Street GloucesterGL11SL
or can be printed from this website.

This guide information
We will publish any changes we make to this guide or relevant information.  We will also publish any proposed changes or additions to publications already available. Cost of InformationFor the most part, we will only charge for hard copies, or copies onto media.  Charges are as follows and will be reviewed regularly.
• Accessed from our website – free of charge
• Single hard copies – free of charge
• As the Freedom of Information Act applies to the provision of information, a request for multiple hard copies does not fall within the provisions of the Act and will attract a charge for retrieval, photocopying and postage.  We will inform you of the cost of these charges that will have to be paid in advance.
• E-mail will be free of charge.

Your Rights to Information
• The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is designed to promote openness and accountability amongst all organisations that receive public money.
• Like all NHS contractors, since 1 January  2005 there has been a FOI obligation on optical practices to respond to requests about the NHS related information that they hold, and a right of access to that information has been established in law.
• These rights are subject to exemptions (see below) that have to be taken into consideration before releasing information.
• In addition to accessing the information identified in this guide, you are entitled to request information about our NHS services under the NHS Openness Code 1995.
• Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your clinical records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact any practice where your records are held to do this.

FeedbackIf you have any comments about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or how we have dealt with your request for information from the scheme, please write to:
The Vision Centre112-114 Northgate Street Gloucester GL11SL

Classes of InformationAll NHS information at Portsea Island Gloucester Ltd is held, retained and destroyed within NHS guidelines.  Our commitment to publish information excludes any information that can be legitimately withheld under the exemptions set out in the NHS Openness Code or Freedom of Information Act 2000, the main reasons being the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998.  This scheme has been written in accordance with those exemptions.  The information on this Scheme is grouped into the following categories:

1) Who we are and what we do
• The Vision Centre is a Retail Opticians. We provide Optical services such as Eye Examinations and Optical solutions such as spectacles and contact lenses.
• Our practice is situated at 112-114 Northgate Street Gloucester and we can be contacted on 01452 410494
• Details of the opticians and optometrists employed in our practices (stores) can be obtained by contacting us directly.
• Alternatively, details of all opticians and optometrists registered in the UK are available from the General Optical Council Tel: 0207 580 3898.
• Company Registration number 10394639

2) Financial and funding information: what we spend and how we spend it For every sight test performed on behalf of the NHS the practice receives a set fee, which is fixed nationally. This practice also carries out the following enhanced services on behalf of the NHS: Cataract direct referral scheme, Children’s school vision scheme screening follow up, Glaucoma repeat readings and enhanced case finding scheme and minor eye conditions scheme.  The fees paid by the NHS for each service are available from the practice on request. They include a contribution towards optometrists’ and staff salaries, equipment costs and other practice overheads. Information in this class will be published only where it is unlikely adversely to affect the commercial position of the firm or practice

3) Our PrioritiesTo provide our patients with high quality eye care

4) Decision Making Any decisions made about the provision of NHS-funded services will be reflected in the services we provide and in the contract(s) held with NHS England and the Local Primary eyecare Group

5) Our policies and procedures
•  Complaints
•  Data protection
•  Health and safety

Are all available upon written request from:The Vision Centre112-114 Northgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 1SL

ComplaintsIf you have a complaint about any of our products or services, please do discuss any problems with the manager at the practice in the first instance. We find that most issues can be put right at this stage.
If the matter cannot be resolved in this way or you are unsatisfied with the response you receive please contact us on 01452 410494.  A full copy of our complaints policy is available on request.

6) Lists and RegistersWe don’t keep lists and registers. Our patient records are confidential.

7) The Services We OfferAll (Company name/our practice(s)) provide NHS-funded sight tests for those who are eligible.  Patients may also be entitled to NHS vouchers that can be used against the purchase of spectacles or contact lenses as required. The practice also provides the following NHS-funded enhanced servicesGOS1 Eye ExaminationsGOS 6 Domiciliary Eye Examinations (Home Visits)Cataract Direct referral programmeSchool Vision screening follow upGlaucoma repeat reading and enhanced reporting schemeMinor Eye Conditions Scheme   Appointments for sight tests can be booked over the phone, on-line at www.visiongloucester.co.uk or by email at info@visiongloucester.co.uk by emailing e-address) or by dropping into the practice.

Opening times are normally 09.00 – 17.30 Monday to Friday and 09.00 to 17.00 Saturday. We do close on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Regular publications and information for the publicInformation about optical and ocular conditions, sight tests, spectacles, and contact lenses, can be found on our website www.visiongloucester.co.uk plus a number of websites including www.college-optometrists.org  

Some of this information is also available in patient leaflets.  These are freely available from our practices.  To request a set of leaflets by post, please write to:

The Vision Centre,112-114 Northgate Street,Gloucester GL1 1SL

Useful Resources
Websites:
•  Information Commissioner www.ico.gov.uk
•  Ministry of Justice https://www.justice.gov.uk/whatwedo/freedomofinformation.htm

Publications:
•  NHS Openness Code www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexec/codemain.htm
•  Freedom of Information Act 2000 www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000036.htm