What is a Privacy Notice?

Oakdale is a 'data controller'. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you. We are required under data protection legislation to notify you regarding how we hold and use your personal information.

How do we collect your personal information?

We may collect personal information directly provided by you or your legal representative at any time you are in contact with Oakdale and we may collect, store and use your personal information whilst you are engaged with Oakdale. We may also collect your personal information from third parties such as the NHS, commissioning authorities or through your private medical insurer.

For what purpose will we use your personal information?

In most cases, we will use your personal information to provide assessment, therapy, treatment or payment purposes. In rare cases, we may need to use your personal information to protect your (or someone else's) interests or if it is in the public interest for us to do so.

Why might we share your personal information with third parties?

We will share your personal information with third parties where required by law, where it is necessary to be able to provide you with assessment, therapy or treatment, to protect your interests (or someone else's interests) or where we have another legitimate interest in doing so.

How long will we use your information?

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Details of retention periods for different aspects of your personal information are available in our retention policy.

When might we transfer your information overseas?

We may transfer the personal information we collect about you to countries within the European Economic Area (EEA). We may transfer personal information we collect about you to the United States of America or other parts of the world outside the UK where there has not been an adequacy decision in limited circumstances when a third party supplier has operations in such a country.

What are automated decisions?

Automated decision making takes place when an electronic system uses personal information to make a decision without human intervention. You will not be subject to decisions that will have a significant impact on you based solely on automated decision making, unless we have a lawful basis for doing so and we have notified you.

What is data portability?

The right to data portability allows you to obtain and reuse a copy of your personal data for your own purposes or for us to send the information to a new provider on your behalf (where technically feasible). It allows you to move data, copy data and transfer data in a safe and secure way without affecting its usability.

What are Subject Access Requests?

You have a right of access under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The right of access allows you to obtain confirmation that we are processing your personal data and to receive a copy of that personal data, together with certain supplementary information about how and why it is being used.

Health & Safety at Work statement.

At Oakdale, we are fully committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, clients, contractors, visitors, and all those who may be affected by our activities. This commitment applies across all organisations within the Oakdale Group, including Oakdale Centre CIC and Oakdale Therapies Ltd.

Our legal commitments

In compliance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and all other relevant legislation and regulatory standards, Oakdale will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that:

Working conditions are safe and risks to health are minimised or eliminated.
Appropriate policies, risk assessments, and procedures are in place, implemented, and regularly reviewed.
All employees receive the necessary training, supervision, and resources to fulfil their duties safely and effectively.
Clear lines of responsibility for health and safety are maintained across all levels of the organisation.

Protecting wellbeing

We recognise our duty of care to protect the physical and mental wellbeing of staff and clients alike. Our policies promote proactive incident prevention, learning from near misses, and continuous improvement in health and safety standards.

This is supported by structured governance including regular meetings of the Safety First Group, involvement of the Board of Directors, and annual reviews of all relevant policies and risk registers.

An open door culture

We operate an open door culture, encouraging all staff to report concerns, hazards, or unsafe practices immediately to line managers, Centre Managers or the Health and Safety Officer. All incidents will be thoroughly investigated, and findings will be used to inform improvements.

How we uphold these commitments

To uphold these commitments, Oakdale will:

Provide and maintain safe premises, equipment, and systems of work.
Ensure safe handling and use of substances under COSHH regulations.
Promote safe access, egress, and emergency planning including fire safety procedures.
Support mental health and reduce work-related stress through good management and open communication.
Comply with CQC regulations to uphold the highest standard of care and safety.

Reviewing this statement

This statement will be reviewed at least annually, or more frequently if required by changes in legislation, operational practice, or following a significant incident. All updates will be authorised by the Board of Directors and communicated to staff accordingly.