Privacy notice
How we collect, use and protect your information.
Last updated: 19 July 2026
This notice explains what personal information The Communication Clinic collects, why we collect it, how we look after it and what rights you have. It is written to meet our obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Who we are
The Communication Clinic is an independent speech and language therapy practice run by Claire, South Woodford, London E18 2HD. For any question about your data, contact compliance@thecommunicationclinic.co.uk or call +44 (0) 7956 328 622. We are the data controller for the information described here.
As a health practice we are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Z341645X
What we collect
| Information | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Your name, email address and phone number | To respond to your enquiry and arrange appointments |
| Your child’s name, date of birth and background | To assess and plan appropriate therapy |
| Clinical notes, assessment results and reports | To deliver safe, effective therapy and record what was done |
| Correspondence with nurseries, schools, NHS therapists and other professionals | To coordinate your child’s care — only where you have agreed |
| Payment records | To take payment and meet HMRC record-keeping duties |
| Website analytics (only if you accept optional cookies) | To understand how the website is used |
Information about your child’s health is special category data and receives extra protection in law. We treat it accordingly.
Our lawful bases
- Contract (Article 6(1)(b)) — to provide the therapy service you have engaged us for.
- Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) — to keep clinical and financial records we are required to keep.
- Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) — to respond to enquiries and run the practice.
- Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) — for optional website analytics, and for sharing information with third parties such as schools.
- For health data we additionally rely on Article 9(2)(h) — the provision of health care and treatment by a professional bound by a duty of confidentiality.
Who we share information with
We do not sell your data and we do not share it for marketing. With your permission, we may share relevant information with your child’s nursery or school, NHS speech and language therapy services, GPs, paediatricians or ENT consultants. We also use service providers who process data on our behalf under written contracts — for example our website host, email provider and the provider that delivers our contact form.
We may disclose information without consent only where the law requires it, or where there is a serious safeguarding concern about a child. Safeguarding concerns are handled in line with our professional duties as an HCPC-registered clinician and may be reported to the relevant local authority.
Where your data is held
Data is stored within the UK or European Economic Area wherever possible. If a provider processes data outside those areas, we ensure an appropriate safeguard is in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or the International Data Transfer Addendum.
How long we keep it
- Children’s clinical records: retained until the child’s 25th birthday (or 26th if the last entry was made when they were 17), in line with NHS records-management guidance.
- Enquiries that do not lead to treatment: deleted within 12 months.
- Financial records: six years, as required by HMRC.
How we protect it
Records are held securely with access limited to The Communication Clinic Staff. This website is served over HTTPS, and the contact form transmits your message over an encrypted connection. Please do not send detailed medical information by email — ordinary email is not a secure channel.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- be told how your data is used (this notice);
- request a copy of the data we hold (a subject access request);
- have inaccurate data corrected;
- ask for data to be erased, where no legal duty requires us to keep it;
- restrict or object to processing;
- data portability;
- withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis we relied on.
To exercise any of these, email compliance@thecommunicationclinic.co.uk. We respond within one month and there is normally no charge. A parent or person with parental responsibility can usually exercise these rights on behalf of a younger child; older children may exercise their own rights where they understand what is involved.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please tell 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/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this notice
We review this notice regularly. Any significant change will be reflected in the “last updated” date at the top of this page.