What guidance does Core Speech follow regarding the collection and handling of personal information?

Core Speech follows the following professional and national guidelines which influence how we handle your personal information:

• Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

• Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)

• General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018 

• Data Protection Act 1998

Why does Core Speech collect personal information?

The personal information that Core Speech processes falls under the ‘health and social care’ purpose under the GDPR guidance.  

Core Speech needs to collect personal information about you, or a child under your care, for the purposes of providing appropriate and individualised treatment.

To provide a thorough assessment, diagnosis, and therapy for a child under your care, we are required to collect personal information to assist in clinical decision making.

What personal information will Core Speech collect?

Core Speech will collect personal information about you, or a child under your care, including but not limited to:

• Identifiable information (e.g., name, contact details, address)

• Developmental history

• Medical history

• Social demographics (e.g., who lives at home with the child)

You can choose what personal information you disclose to Core Speech; however, if you do not provide relevant or complete information this may impact on the assessment and subsequent therapy that is provided which may result in an inappropriate or ineffective service.

How will Core Speech collect my personal information?

Core Speech will collect different levels of personal information from you at various times when you engage with our service.

If you make an enquiry using the ‘Contact Us’ form on our website you will be required to provide contact details, (including a name, telephone number or email address) to enable us to respond to your enquiry.

Following your initial enquiry, if you decide to continue with Core Speech you will be sent an Intake Form which will gather additional information about you or a child under your care.

How will Core Speech store my personal information?

Core Speech is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) as a Data Controller. You can view Core Speech’s registration on the ICO website

Core Speech is responsible for keeping your information safe and confidential according to GDPR guidelines.

All soft-copy documents (including intake forms, session notes, and correspondence) are stored electronically as password protected files on password protected devices.

All hard-copy documents (including assessment forms) are stored in a filing cabinet that is locked until they can be scanned and uploaded to a secure electronic storage system. Once a document has been securely stored electronically, all hard copies will be shredded and destroyed.

What other precautions will Core Speech take to keep my information safe?

Core Speech uses electronic communication (email) to provide correspondence including appointment bookings, invoices, and reports.

Documents containing personal identifiable or sensitive information (including reports) will be password protected. The password will be provided to the recipient separately.

Core Speech will never share your personal information with a third party, unless you have requested us to do so, and we have written consent to do this. Core Speech will require written consent to liaise with other medical or educational professionals (e.g., teachers, NHS SALT services) regarding a child under your care. Written consent can be provided during the initial assessment or at any subsequent time by completing a consent to liaise form.

You have the right to withdraw consent for Core Speech to liaise with other professionals at any time. If you would like to withdraw consent, please sent a request in writing to emma@corespeech.co.uk. Please note that withdrawing consent to liaise with other professionals may negatively impact multidisciplinary team working and effect the therapy outcomes for a child under your care.

The only other circumstance in which Core Speech would share personal information without your prior written consent is if it is in the public interest, such as if it is necessary to protect public safety to prevent harm to other people. This includes situations which are deemed to be a safeguarding concern.

How long will Core Speech retain a copy of my personal information for?

In accordance with Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy (RCSLT) guidelines, all records will be kept securely until the service user is 25 years old. After this time, all records will be destroyed.

What rights to I have regarding personal information held by Core Speech about me or a child under my care?

You have several rights with regards your information:

• The right to see a copy of the information we hold about you.

• The right to have inaccurate or incomplete information corrected by us.

• The right to object to any information you think is inaccurate.

If you would like to see the information that Core Speech holds on file, please send a request in writing to emma@corespeech.co.ukaddressed to the Data Controller. We may contact you to discuss this request prior to releasing any information.

 Core Speech will respond to all requests within 1 month of receipt.