Introduction
UK law on data protection
The Bach Centre, as a UK-based organisation, is bound by UK law when dealing with the data it holds on students and Bach Foundation Registered Practitioners.
What follows is a list of the key principles in UK law (courtesy of Wikipedia) followed by a description of how that principle affects what we do with the data we hold.
Data may only be used for the specific purposes for which it was collected
The Bach Centre and its Local Registrars collect BFRP data in order to:
- maintain the Bach Foundation International Register
- contact BFRPs with information relevant to their work with Dr Bach’s system
- act as a central information point so that BFRPs can contact each other through us
- provide contact information of active BFRPs to people who want help selecting remedies
Typical uses of this data include maintaining the referral lists on the web site; contacting BFRPs about registration renewal; and sending out notices when the practitioner Bulletin is published.
Information given to potential clients is restricted to that on the web site referral lists, i.e. your name, general location, referral phone number and web site and public email address, if any. In addition we may refer to other data you have supplied to ensure we offer the best possible referral service to clients with particular problems.
We do not make street addresses, private email addresses or any other information we hold available to clients.
We collect student data in order to contact students in connection with their studies. Uses include returning marked work; issuing certificates; and inviting students to register for newsletters.
Data must not be disclosed to other parties without consent
The full Register
The only people who have full access to all BFRP data on the Register are the team at the Bach Centre.
In addition, we supply a full Register of local BFRPs only to Local Registrars, appointed by the Centre for the following countries or regions:
- Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay
- Belgium and the Netherlands
- Brazil
- Japan
- Poland
- United States of America
- Venezuela
The Centre and its Local Registrars use the Register data as described in the preceding section. No other use is made of it and it is not passed to anybody else.
The ‘third-party’ list
When you first join the Register, and every time you renew your registration, we ask whether you want us to pass on your contact and referral information to carefully-selected external organisations that offer discounts, support, client referral, education and other relevant services to BFRPs, namely:
- Local Bach International Education Programme organisers
- Selected companies involved in remedy manufacture and/or distribution
- Third-party directories of practitioners
To check – or change – your current status with respect to the ‘third-party’ list contact June or Kathy at the Bach Centre.
The Bach Centre receives no payment for supplying this data, and we only supply it where we are satisfied that doing so will result in BFRPs receiving valuable and relevant support. Data goes to named list holders who are responsible for making sure it is used appropriately.
We do not allow ‘third-party’ data to be used for the routine marketing of products – and we never pass data to organisations whose services are not relevant to the work of BFRPs.
Notwithstanding the above, UK law would require the Bach Centre to disclose information where there were a legitimate overriding need to do so, such as enabling the prevention or detection of a crime.
Individuals have right of access to the information held about them
Contact Stefan at the Bach Centre if you want to check what information we hold.
Personal information may be kept for no longer than is necessary and must be kept up to date
We only keep information as long as it is needed for the purposes identified above.
We use the registration renewal process to keep your information up-to-date. In addition, you can update your records at any time by contacting the Bach Centre or your Local Registrar.
Personal information may not be sent outside the European Economic Area unless adequate protection is in place
Both inside and outside the European Economic Area, we provide data on a regional basis. This means, for example, that data on BFRPs in Europe is not sent outside Europe, data on BFRPs in North America is not sent outside North America, and so on.
The only exception to this rule is where we supply information on active BFRPs for the purpose of listing in directories of practitioners maintained by third parties. In this instance the information supplied is restricted to that which appears in the Bach Centre’s own referral lists – i.e. it is published information already in the public domain.
Where possible we encourage third-party directories to link to our referral lists instead of maintaining separate lists of their own.
Organisations that process personal information must register with the Information Commissioner’s Office
The Bach Centre is registered with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
Organisations are required to have adequate security measures in place, including technical measures and staff training
Bach Centre data is fully backed up and protected by firewall and by anti-virus software.
Bach Centre staff, Local Registrars and named third-party list holders are made aware of Bach Centre policies regarding the use of data.
Subjects have the right to have factually incorrect information corrected
Contact us if you believe we may have incorrect information on file.
Disclaimer
The information here is provided in good faith but does not constitute legal advice or opinion.