Privacy Policy

Who we are

Hawthorn Veterinary Clinic (“we”, “us”, “our”) is the data controller responsible for your personal data. We are an independent veterinary practice based at The Old Barn, Casterton Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 4AB. For any questions about this policy or your data, contact us at hello@hawthornvets.co.uk or on 01780 555 042.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

The information we collect

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

• Owner details — your name, postal address, email address and telephone numbers, provided when you register, book an appointment or contact us.
• Pet details — your animal’s name, species, breed, date of birth, sex, neuter status, microchip number and insurance details.
• Clinical records — your pet’s medical history, examination notes, test results, treatments, prescriptions and related clinical information.
• Financial information — records of payments, invoices and, where relevant, insurance claim details. Card payments are handled securely by our payment provider; we do not store full card numbers.
• Website data — information collected automatically when you use our website, such as your IP address and how you use the site (see our Cookie Policy).

How we use your information & our lawful basis

We only use your data where we have a lawful basis to do so:

• To provide veterinary care — registering your pet, delivering treatment, managing appointments, dispensing medication and keeping clinical records. (Lawful basis: performance of a contract.)
• To meet legal and professional obligations — for example, controlled-drug record-keeping, microchip registration requirements and RCVS practice standards. (Lawful basis: legal obligation.)
• To run our practice — sending appointment confirmations, vaccination and health-check reminders, processing payments and responding to your enquiries. (Lawful basis: legitimate interests.)
• For marketing — sending newsletters or practice news, where you have asked to receive them. (Lawful basis: consent.) You can opt out at any time.

Who we share your information with

We never sell your data. We may share it, only as necessary, with:

• Out-of-hours emergency providers such as Vets Now Peterborough, so they can treat your pet when we are closed.
• Referral practices, external laboratories and diagnostic services involved in your pet’s care.
• Microchip databases — to register your pet’s chip on a Defra-compliant database (such as Trovan / MyPet) and keep its details current, as required by law.
• Pet insurance companies, where you ask us to support a claim.
• Trusted suppliers who help us operate, such as our practice-management software, payment processor and email provider, under appropriate data-protection agreements.
• Regulators or authorities where we are legally required to do so.

How long we keep your information

We keep clinical records for a minimum period in line with RCVS guidance and our legal obligations — generally for the lifetime of your pet and for several years afterwards. Financial records are kept for at least six years to meet HMRC requirements. We will not keep your data for longer than necessary.

How we keep your data safe

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including access controls, secure systems and staff training. Where data is held by our suppliers, we require them to maintain equivalent safeguards.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
• ask us to delete your data, where there is no legal reason for us to keep it;
• object to or restrict certain processing;
• withdraw consent for marketing at any time;
• request a copy of your data in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@hawthornvets.co.uk. We will respond within one month. Please note that we may be unable to delete clinical records we are legally required to retain.

Complaints

We hope to resolve any concern you have about your data directly. If you remain unhappy, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised “last updated” date.