AccEPT Service Policies

In the AccEPT Service we work according to standard NHS practice when it comes to protecting our patients and the public. We fulfil our obligations in terms of safeguarding people, including children and vulnerable adults. This includes helping to keep people safe from abuse, exploitation and neglect. Please contact our team if you would like further information.

How to report a concern

About a young person

If you have a concern about a young person in Devon please contact the Devon Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0345 155 1071 or email mashsecure@devon.gov.uk and give as much information as you can. Find out more about reporting a child safety concern on the Devon Childrens' and Families Partnership website.

About a vulnerable adult

If you are concerned about a vulnerable adult, contact Care Direct on 0345 155 1007 or email csc.caredirect@devon.gov.uk; out of hours please call 0345 600 0388. Find out more about keeping vulnerable adults safe on the Devon County Council website.

About domestic abuse

If you have concerns about domestic abuse you can contact Devon Domestic Abuse Support Services on 0345 155 1074 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) or email admin.devon@splitz.org.

If a child or adult is at immediate risk, you should call 999.

The purpose of this notice is to let you know how we handle your personal information, and your rights with regard to it.

The University of Exeter is the data controller with respect to the AccEPT Service and is committed to protecting your personal data and working in accordance with all relevant data protection legislation.

The health care professionals who provide you with care maintain records about your health. These records help to provide you with the best possible healthcare. Records which the AccEPT Service holds about you may include the following information;

• Details about you, such as your address, contact details, gender and ethnicity.
• Any contact the Service has had with you, such as appointments and letters sent and received.
• Notes and reports about your health.
• Details about your treatment and care.
• Relevant information from other health professionals, relatives or those who care for you.

We collect information from you in order to allow us to provide effective and safe care to you. We also use these data to evaluate the care we are providing directly to you to make sure it is of a high standard and to compare it against national standards, and findings from research evaluations of similar therapies. The utmost care is taken to ensure no individually identifiable information is disclosed.

If you choose to, you may personally opt to take part in research studies that run through the Service, or consent for your data to be used in research studies. Where this is the case, these studies will have been approved by the National Research Ethics Service, during which the processes for protection of your data and your privacy are scrutinised.

When and how we share your data

We will communicate with other NHS professionals involved in your care as necessary to ensure you receive appropriate support. As a minimum this is to let your GP know that you have started seeing one of our clinicians, and then to let them know that you have been discharged from the service. It is our normal practice to involve you / copy you into these communications.  We are subcontracted by Devon Mental Health Alliance, an NHS organisation providing support for people with mental health difficulties in Devon. We are required to share information with them, and with their commissioners (Devon Integrated Care Board). Some of this information will be shared with the NHS mental health central monitoring agency. This is usually anonymised data but may include information that could be used to identify individuals, however please be assured that each of these organisations follows strict NHS procedures regarding data protection and confidentiality.

Personal information conveyed to us will not be disclosed to non-NHS external organisations or members of the public (for example, your family members) without your explicit consent. The exception this is if we believe that you or someone else is at serious risk. In this instance we may have to share this information with others. As far as possible this would be done with your knowledge and agreement.

If you have given consent to be invited to take part in research projects, your name and contact details may be given to researchers working with our Service. This will be done only when we believe that a particular study might be an appropriate match for you. All research projects will have been approved by the National Research Ethics Service, during which the processes for protection of your data and your privacy are scrutinised.

If you have given consent for audio-recordings of your therapy sessions to be used for training or research purposes by trainers who are part of our team, we will carefully select the training and research that these would be used for. None of those listening to your recordings will be told any additional identifying information about you. When using audio-recordings for training of clinicians who are not members of the AccEPT service, identifying information will be removed from any sections of recording played wherever possible. 

How we protect your data

The information you give us may be stored in electronic or paper form, or a mixture of both. It is accessible to all practitioners, managers and administrative staff working with the AccEPT Service. However, some members of staff within the service will have limited access to information, if it is deemed they do not require it for their job role. All staff who access the information have completed the data protection training.

Where data are analysed for audit or service evaluation purposes the resulting reports will not allow any individual to be identified.

We will retain your health records for 20 years after you are discharged from the service.

Contacting you during and after your time with the AccEPT Service

The information you give us may be stored in electronic or paper form, or a mixture of both. It is accessible to all practitioners, managers and administrative staff working with the AccEPT Service. However, some members of staff within the service will have limited access to information, if it is deemed they do not require it for their job role.

All staff who access the information have completed the data protection training. As a Service we have procedures and protocols for maintaining the security of your information during home-working.

Where data are analysed for audit or service evaluation purposes the resulting reports will not allow any individual to be identified.

We will retain your health records for 20 years after you are discharged from the service.

As a Service we make every effort to protect the security of the data we process, however absolute protection cannot be guaranteed, as it is not possible for any healthcare provider to remove all threats to data security completely. We undertake to continually monitor and review our practices and to act rapidly should any issues be detected.

Your rights and the legal basis for data processing

You have the right to see what data we hold on you, and to request that any inaccurate data is corrected. You also have the right to give or withdraw consent for your data to be used for research or training purposes, at any time.

In the first instance please contact the AccEPT Service Co-ordinator on 01392 723493 or accept.clinic@nhs.net

You can find out more about your data rights, and how to access your data, on the University of Exeter’s webpages at: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/dataprotection/rights/ and http://www.exeter.ac.uk/dataprotection/request/You can also contact the University of Exeter Data Protection Officer (DPO: http://www.exeter.ac.uk/dpo/). The DPO is responsible for monitoring compliance with relevant legislation in relation to personal data and can be contacted at dataprotection@exeter.ac.uk. You can also contact the DPO if you have any queries or concerns about the University’s processing of your personal data.You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk/concerns.

The legal basis for processing data within the AccEPT Service under the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 includes the provision of direct patient care (provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services) and the performance of a task in the public interest (research purposes).

How we make information accessible

When we make contact with you, after you have refered or been reffered to our service, we will ask if you have any accessable information needs, these include:

• Do you have any communication needs?
• Do you need a format other than standard print?
• Do you have any special communication requirements?
• How do you prefer to be contacted?
• What is your preferred method of communication?
• How would you like us to communicate with you?
• Can you explain what support would be helpful?
• What communication support should we provide for you?
• What is the best way to send you information?

Any reported communication need will be noted on your AccEPT Clinic record, and shared with your referrer at the point of discharge from our service, with prior patient agreement.

We will ensure all of our print material to you is clear and uncluttered, and you would like a letter or information in an alternative format, for example large print or easy read, or if you need help with communicating with us, for example because you use British Sign Language, please let us know.

If you have any concerns prior to your appointment, you can call us on 01392 723493 or email accept.clinic@nhs.net or advise the centre receptionist when you arrive for your appointment.

Whenever you use a health or care service important information about you is collected in a patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment.

The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:

• improving the quality and standards of care provided
• research into the development of new treatments
• preventing illness and diseases
• monitoring safety
• planning services.

This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt-out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.

Most of the time in the AccEPT Service, and in other Services, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed.

To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

If you are unhappy with the service we provide, clients of the AccEPT Clinic have the right under the NHS constitution to either complain to our service directly or to the commissioner of the services. 

In the event of you wishing to raise a complaint about the service received at the AccEPT Clinic, you will only need to make one complaint. The organisation that receives your complaint will co-operate with the others to ensure you receive a co-ordinated response.

Who is the commissioner?

If you wish to make a complaint about the service received at the AccEPT Clinic you should contact your local integrated care board (ICB) as our service would fall under secondary care.

Every ICB will have its own complaints procedure, which is often displayed on its website.

Patient advice and complaints - One Devon

Making a complaint

Complaints should normally be made within 12 months of an incident taking place or of it coming to your attention.

This time limit can be extended provided there is a good reason for not making the complaint sooner and it's possible to complete a fair investigation. This will be a decision taken by the complaints manager in discussion with you.

You can make a complaint verbally, in writing or by email. If you chose to make your complaint verbally, we will make a record of your complaint, and you will be provided with a written copy.

If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, please include their written consent with your correspondence. If the person is unable to give their consent, for example, if they have died or lack the mental capacity to complain for themselves, you may be able to complain for them.

If you would prefer not to make a complain directly to the Accept Clinic you can make a complaint through the Devon Alliance here: https://www.mentalhealthdevon.co.uk/contact

If you need additional advice or support, you can find out more about NHS complaints advocacy at VoiceAbility

What happens next?

You should expect an acknowledgement of the complaint and the offer of a discussion within 3 working days of the AccEPT Clinic receiving your complaint.

Once your complaint has been investigated, you'll receive a written response, which will set out the findings and, where appropriate, provide apologies and information about what is being done as a result of your complaint.

It should also include information about how the complaint has been handled and details of your right to take your complaint to the relevant ombudsman.

I'm not happy with the outcome

If you are not happy with the way we have dealt with your complaint, you can complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. This organisation is independent of the NHS.

For more information, you can call their helpline on 0345 015 4033 or visit the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman website.

Further information

If you require any further details on how to complain to the NHS, please visit How to Complain to the NHS

We are always keen to hear about what we can improve. Below are some examples of your feedback and our responses. 

You can collect a feedback form from reception after your first visit to the Service. At the end of your treatment you will be invited to complete a survey on your experience of treatment here. In the meantime you can call or email us with any comments: 01392 723493 / accept.clinic@nhs.net

» View this infographic in an accessible format here

As part of your care we may recommend NHS-approved online resources that offer mental health information, advice and support, and for some of these you may need to create a user account with your email address. The information that you give to these resources will be protected and processed in line with their privacy policies, and will not be stored or processed by the AccEPT Service. You are under no obligation to use these resources; we will endeavor to provide an alternative should you require it.

This Privacy Notice will be kept under review. Any changes will be updated on our website and communicated to you as appropriate. This Privacy Notice was last updated in September 2023.

If you have any questions regarding this privacy notice please do not hesitate to contact us on 01392 723493 or accept.clinic@nhs.net.