PRIVACY POLICY
(GDPR STATEMENT)
Data Controller
Priors Farm Equine Veterinary Surgery Ltd
Priors Farm
Priory Road
Forest Row
East Sussex
RH18 5JD
Data Protection Officer
Duncan Harrison BVSc CertEM(intMed) MRCVS
Director
Data Stored
We store some or all of the following data relating to clients of this practice:
• Full name and title
• Postal and yard address
• Relevant telephone numbers including those of third parties related to you such as family members, yard managers or agents
• Relevant email addresses including those of third parties related to you such as family members, yard managers or agents
• Relevant professional or personal website addresses
Purpose of the Data Stored
We store the above data to allow the following:
• To enable us to invoice you for our services
• To contact you regarding appointments
• To contact you in an emergency
• To maintain an accurate clinical history for your horse
• To enable us to send you relevant documents such as passport applications, prescriptions, rehabilitation programmes and information regarding specific conditions
• To send factual information relevant to the health and care of horses or updates regarding the practice
Marketing communications will only be sent where appropriate consent has been provided and can be withdrawn at any time.
Legal Basis for Storing Your Data
The legal bases for processing your data are:
Contractual necessity
To fulfil the contract between this practice and you for the provision of veterinary care (both emergency and preventative). The provision of personal data is therefore a contractual requirement for clients of this practice.
Legitimate business interests including:
• Preventative healthcare reminders
• Practice updates relating to equipment or staff
• Processing insurance claims
• SMS appointment reminders
• Registration of your horse with third parties such as breed societies, passport authorities or microchip databases
• Emailing documents relevant to you or your horse
• Preventative healthcare reminders such as vaccinations or dental examinations
• Gathering feedback to help us improve the quality of care provided by the practice
Processing of Client Personal Data in Relation to Diagnostic Samples
Where diagnostic samples are submitted on behalf of a client, only the personal data necessary for the provision of veterinary services and the processing of the sample will be shared with the receiving laboratory or other relevant third party. Clients will be informed about how their personal data will be used, who it may be shared with, and the purpose of the processing through the practice’s Privacy Notice and, where appropriate, information provided at the time of sample submission. Priors Farm Equine Veterinary Surgery will identify and document the appropriate lawful basis for processing personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. In most cases, this will be the performance of a contract for the provision of veterinary services, compliance with a legal obligation, or the practice’s legitimate interests. Where consent is relied upon as the lawful basis, it will be obtained freely, specifically, informed and unambiguously, and clients will be informed of their right to withdraw consent where applicable. All personal data will be processed securely, retained only for as long as necessary, and handled in accordance with the practice’s data protection and confidentiality policies.
Third Party Recipients of Your Data
The following organisations may receive some or all of the data that we hold on you where necessary:
• Out of hours service providers
• SMS communication providers
• Debt collection services
• Bookkeeping and accounting services
Use of Artificial Intelligence in Practice Operations
Artificial Intelligence may be used in the following contexts:
Diagnostic Support
AI tools may assist in interpreting clinical images or laboratory data.
Client Communication
AI-enhanced systems may assist with reminders, follow-up care plans and billing communications.
Practice Analytics
AI may be used for trend analysis to improve care quality and operational efficiency.
Model Training
De-identified data may be used to train AI models under strict ethical and legal oversight.
Important: AI is not used for autonomous clinical decision-making without veterinary oversight.
Data Retention
We retain client data for 7 years in accordance with veterinary professional record keeping requirements and legal obligations.
Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.
Client data is stored securely within our practice management systems and access is limited to authorised personnel only.
Your Rights Regarding Your Data
Under UK GDPR you have the following rights:
• The right to access the personal data we hold about you
• The right to request correction (rectification) of inaccurate or incomplete data
• The right to request erasure of your data where there is no legal reason for us to retain it
• The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• The right to data portability, allowing you to obtain your data in a readable format
• The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
Requests for access to personal data will be responded to within one month.
Requests relating to personal data should be directed to the practice using the contact details above.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, please contact the practice in the first instance.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):