Privacy & Cookies Policy

Clear Ear Clinic

Effective date: 01/07/2025

Last updated: 01/07/2025

We respect your privacy and protect your data in line with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are (data controller)

Clear Ear Clinic, 3 Kelvin Street, Manchester M4 1ET, UK

Phone: 0161 531 0428 · Email: info@clearear.clinic

We are the data controller for the personal data described here.

The data we collect

Identification & contact: name, email, phone.

Appointments: booking details, communications, reminders.

Health information (special category data): symptoms/history you tell us, clinical notes created by our clinicians.

Technical data: IP address, device/browser, pages viewed (analytics—only with your consent).

Payments: limited payment details processed by our payment provider (we do not store full card numbers).

Why we use your data (lawful bases)

To provide our services and manage appointments (contract).

To deliver safe clinical care and keep clinical records (legal obligation & Article 9(2)(h)—health/medical care).

To send confirmations, reminders and important updates (legitimate interests / contract).

To answer enquiries (legitimate interests / contract).

To improve our site and services (analytics with your consent).

To meet legal, insurance and regulatory requirements (legal obligation, legitimate interests).

We never sell your data.

Where your data goes (processors)

We only share data with trusted providers, under contracts that protect your information:

Website & hosting: Squarespace

Online bookings & reminders: Timely (GetTimely)

Email & productivity: Google Workspace

Payments: [Stripe/Square/other] (we don’t store full card data)

Consent/cookies (if used): [CookieYes/Cookiebot]

Some providers store data outside the UK/EEA. Where they do, we rely on UK adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses.

How long we keep it (retention)

Clinical records (adults): kept for 8 years after the end of care.

Clinical records (children): until the 25th birthday (or 26th if treated at 17).

Enquiry/booking data (non-clinical): usually 24 months.

Invoices/financial records: 6 years for tax.

When the retention period ends, we securely delete or anonymise the data.

Cookies & analytics

We use essential cookies to run the site. With your permission, we may use analytics cookies (e.g., Google Analytics 4) to understand usage and improve the site.

We’ll only set non-essential cookies after you choose “Accept” in the banner.

You can change your choice any time: click “Manage cookies” (or the cookie settings pill) at the bottom of the site.

Managing cookies: You can also block cookies via your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may affect site functionality.

Marketing

We don’t add you to marketing lists without your consent. You can opt out at any time (unsubscribe link or emailing us).

Children

Where a child’s data is processed, we obtain consent and information from a parent/guardian as required.

Your rights

You can:

Access the data we hold about you

Correct inaccurate data

Delete your data (where applicable)

Restrict or object to processing

Port your data (where applicable)

Withdraw consent (for things we rely on consent for, like analytics/marketing)

To exercise these rights, contact info@clearear.clinic

. We’ll respond within one month.

Complaints: You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113.

Security

We use secure systems, access controls, and encryption where appropriate. Only authorised staff and providers can access your data for legitimate purposes.

Changes to this policy

We may update this notice; we’ll post the new version here with the date updated.