Last updated: September 2026

Who we are

Six Ways Dental Practice (“we”, “us”, “our”) is the data controller for the personal information we hold about our patients, website visitors and the professionals who refer patients to us. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number ZB953796.

Six Ways Dental Practice
129 Gravelly Hill North, Erdington, Birmingham B23 6BJ
Telephone: 0121 373 0462
Email: info@sixwaysdental.co.uk

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact our Data Protection Lead at the practice using the details above.

The information we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Identity and contact details, such as your name, date of birth, gender, address, telephone number and email address.
• Health information, including your medical history, medications, dental history, clinical notes, X-rays, 3D scans, photographs, treatment plans and correspondence with other healthcare professionals.
• Payment and finance information, such as records of fees paid and, where you apply for finance, the information needed to process your application.
• Enquiry and referral information submitted through our website forms, by telephone, email or WhatsApp.
• Website usage information, such as the pages you visit and your device and browser type. See our Cookie Policy for more detail.

Information about your health is “special category” data under UK data protection law, and we apply additional safeguards to protect it.

Where we get your information from

Most of the information we hold comes directly from you. We may also receive information from dentists and other clinicians who refer you to us, your GP or hospital teams involved in your care, dental laboratories, and, for children, a parent or guardian.

How and why we use your information

• To provide safe, effective dental care and keep accurate clinical records.
• To arrange and remind you about appointments.
• To respond to enquiries and referrals submitted through our website.
• To communicate with other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
• To process payments and, where you choose, applications for patient finance.
• To meet our legal and regulatory obligations, including those set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the General Dental Council (GDC).
• To handle complaints, audits and quality improvement.
• To send you information about our services, but only where you have agreed to this. You can opt out at any time.

Our lawful basis

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Contract – to provide the treatment you have agreed to (Article 6(1)(b)).
• Legal obligation – to keep records and meet our regulatory duties (Article 6(1)(c)).
• Legitimate interests – to run the practice efficiently, respond to enquiries and improve our services (Article 6(1)(f)).
• Consent – for marketing communications and non-essential cookies (Article 6(1)(a)).
• Public task – where we provide NHS-funded care (Article 6(1)(e)).

We process health information because it is necessary for the provision of health care and treatment by, or under the responsibility of, registered health professionals (Article 9(2)(h)).

Website forms

Our contact form collects your name, contact details, the treatment you are interested in and your message so that our reception team can respond to you. Our dentist referral form collects the referring clinician’s details and the patient’s details, including date of birth and relevant medical history, so that our clinical team can assess the referral. Referring practitioners should make sure the patient understands that their information is being shared with us for this purpose.

Please do not include more health information in an enquiry than you need to. If you would prefer to discuss something sensitive, please call the practice.

Who we share your information with

We only share your information where it is necessary for your care, where the law requires it, or with your consent. This may include:

• Dentists, specialists, GPs and hospitals involved in your care, including the dentist who referred you.
• Dental laboratories that make crowns, bridges, dentures, aligners and other appliances.
• NHS organisations, where you receive NHS-funded treatment.
• Patient finance providers, where you apply for finance.
• Trusted suppliers who provide our practice management software, IT, website hosting and email services, under contracts that protect your data.
• Regulators, indemnity providers, and, where required by law, the police or courts.

We never sell your personal information.

How long we keep your information

We keep dental records for the periods set out in the NHS Records Management Code of Practice and professional guidance, which require clinical records to be kept for many years after your last visit, and longer for children. Website enquiries that do not lead to treatment are deleted after 12 months. Financial records are kept for the periods required by law.

Keeping your information secure

Your records are held in secure clinical systems with restricted, password-protected access. Our team are trained in confidentiality and data protection, and we have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data breach.

International transfers

Some of our suppliers may store data outside the UK. Where this happens, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or approved contractual clauses.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• access a copy of the information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
• ask us to delete your information, where we are not legally required to keep it;
• object to, or ask us to restrict, how we use your information;
• ask for your information to be transferred to another provider, where applicable;
• withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent.

To make a request, please contact the practice. We will respond within one month and there is normally no charge.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on this page.