We’ve got a new look and have updated our website and our web address. You can now find us at www.scottishdental.nhs.scot

Privacy policy

Our approach to your privacy

We want you to feel confident about sharing your personal data with us and to know that your information will be handled correctly. We work to be clear about what we do with your personal data, to keep your information secure and to earn your trust.

This notice tells you about who we are and what we do with your data.

What is this privacy notice for?

Scottish Dental is the name of the web-based portal allowing individuals [over 18] to access information about:

  • NHS Dental Care Services, including Statement of Dental Remuneration
  • NHS Dental Care health information
  • NHS Dental Care legislation, training and guidelines
  • The oral health improvement programmes run by Public Health Scotland

Who we are

Scottish Dental is a website provided by NHS National Services Scotland (NHS NSS for short) in support of the Scottish Government programme. NHS NSS are part of NHS Scotland and provide support services on behalf of the Scottish Government. NSS operates this website on behalf of the Scottish Government and is the data controller.

The term “data controller” means that we are responsible for what happens to your personal data when you use this service.

In providing this service we use the services of other organisations as listed below. These organisations are “data processors”. A processor is an organisation responsible for processing personal data on behalf of a controller.

Microsoft Azure – Microsoft Azure provides IT systems that we use to host the service portal. Microsoft Azure Cloud Services provide the platform that the Scotland Innovates portal operates upon. Microsoft Azure does not have direct access to your personal information.

The service collects some personal data when you use the website. The rest of this privacy notice tells you more about what we collect and what we do with it.

(Note: Sometimes we refer to your information as “personal data”)

The data we need and how we will use it

The Scottish Dental website collects the following personal data about you on this website:

Data that we collect about you by automatically logging some technical information about all visits to the site. This includes, for example, the type of device you use to access the site and the IP address used to connect your device to the Internet, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, and operating system you are using. In this document, we refer to the information we collect as Technical Information. Technical information is not normally used in a way that can be used to identify you as an individual.

Any information, which you provide via this website is not made available to any third parties.

We collect some data about the use and performance of the service – we use cookies to do this. In general, we use information from cookies to maintain consistency within a user’s session and to give us information on how the service is used to enable us to make informed improvements to it. Please see our cookie statement for details on the purpose and use of the individual cookies that we use.

Retaining your data

We retain logging information in connection with the use of the website to support service performance improvements and to measure the performance of the site. This information is not used to identify you and is stored in an aggregated form.

Cookies on Scottish Dental

Cookies are files saved on your phone, tablet or computer when you visit a website.

We use cookies to store information about how you use the Scottish Dental website, such as the pages you visit. We will not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you.

However, if you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by our websites, or indeed any other website, you can do this through your browser settings. The ‘Help’ function within your browser should tell you how.

Alternatively, you may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers. You will also find details on how to delete cookies from your machine as well as more general information about cookies.

Please be aware that restricting cookies may impact on the functionality of our website.

If you wish to view your cookie code, just click on a cookie to open it. You’ll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.

For information on how to do this on the browser of your mobile phone you will need to refer to your handset manual.

To opt-out of third-parties collecting any data regarding your interaction on our website, please refer to their websites for further information.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect data about how you use Scottish Dental. This information helps us to improve our service.

Google is not allowed to use or share our analytics data with anyone.

Google Analytics stores anonymised information about:

  • how you got to the website
  • the pages you visit on the site and how long you spend on them
  • any errors you see while using the website
Name Purpose Expires
_ga Checks if you’ve visited before. This helps us count how many people visit our site. 1 year
_ga_{uid} Checks if you’ve visited before. This helps us count how many people visit our site. 1 year

More information about Google cookies.

Cookie settings

Other than Google Analytics, we only use “Strictly necessary cookies” – These essential cookies do things like remember your progress through a form.

They always need to be on.

Technical information

We are able to collect information on IP addresses of accesses to the site. This information is not usually used to identify individuals and is retained for no more than 90 days.

Your rights

Under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

  1. The right to be informed.
  2. The right of access.
  3. The right to rectification.
  4. The right to erasure.
  5. The right to restriction of processing
  6. The right to data portability
  7. The right to object.
  8. Rights in relation to automated decision-making.
  9. The right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory body.

Some of these rights are not absolute and may not apply in all circumstances. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Purpose and legal basis for processing

The purpose of this website is to provide information on the provision of NHS Scotland Dental Services for all professionals and other information relating to dental care associated with the oral health improvement programmes.

The legal basis for processing is the performance of a public task, that is to say that it is carried out in line with:

“processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller” in article 6 1 (e) of GDPR UK https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2016/679/article/6

Keeping information secure

We invest significant resources to protect your personal information, from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. However, no internet-based site can be 100% secure and so we cannot be held responsible for unauthorised or unintended access that is beyond our control.

Exercising your rights

If you have questions, complaints or you would like to exercise your rights described above the contact information in the first instance please contact nhsdentistry@gov.scot. You can also contact the NHS NSS data protection officer through the contact details below:

NHS National Services Scotland, for details on your rights and how to exercise them for personal data processed by NHS NSS, please refer to the data protection notices on the NHS NSS website (https://www.nss.nhs.scot) at:

NSS Data Protection Notice | National Services Scotland (nhs.scot) and

NSS Data Protection Notice – Other Rights | National Services Scotland (nhs.scot)

Contact details of the NHS NSS Data Protection Officer (DPO)

Email Address: nss.dataprotection@nhs.scot

Postal Address: Gyle Square, 1 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9EB

Telephone: 0131 275 6000

To raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as the supervisory body in the UK, contact:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Postal Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Telephone number: 0303 123 1113

Website: www.ico.org.uk/