Privacy Notice
SpeechMatters is committed to protecting your personal data and handling it responsibly. This Privacy Notice explains what personal data we collect about you, why we collect it, how we use it, and what rights you have under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Acts 1988–2018.
Please read this notice carefully. If you have any questions, contact us using the details in Section 1.
1. Who We Are
The data controller responsible for your personal data is:
Aisling Keogh, trading as SpeechMatters
180 Rathgar Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6W, D06 X4K2
Email: info@speechmatters.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 960 9788
SpeechMatters provides speech and language therapy services to children, teenagers, and adults. Aisling Keogh is a CORU-registered speech and language therapist.
We have not appointed a Data Protection Officer as we do not meet the threshold requiring one under Article 37 GDPR. All data protection queries should be directed to the contact details above.
2. What Personal Data We Collect
Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
Contact and identification data:
- Name, address, email address, and phone number
- Date of birth (where relevant to assessment)
Health and clinical data (special category data under Article 9 GDPR):
- Case history and background information
- Assessment results, therapy notes, and progress records
- Information about presenting communication difficulties
- GP and school details where relevant to care
Financial data:
- Payment records and receipts
Children's data: Where a client is a child, personal and clinical data is collected from and about the child, provided by a parent or guardian acting on the child's behalf.
3. How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data in the following ways:
- Directly from you (or a parent/guardian) through our contact and referral form, by telephone, or at appointment
- Through the case history forms completed prior to assessment
- Through our ongoing clinical work with you
- From referrers such as GPs or schools, where you have consented to a referral
4. Why We Process Your Data and Our Legal Basis
We process your personal data for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Providing speech and language therapy assessment and treatment | Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)); provision of health care (Article 9(2)(h)) |
| Maintaining clinical records | Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)); provision of health care (Article 9(2)(h)) |
| Communicating with you about appointments and progress | Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b)) |
| Issuing receipts and maintaining financial records | Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) |
| Responding to enquiries via our website contact form | Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) |
5. Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data for marketing purposes. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:
- Within SpeechMatters: Your data may be accessed by Aisling Keogh and other therapists employed by SpeechMatters for the purposes of providing your care.
- Written reports: If you have commissioned and paid for a written report, that report will be provided to you (or to a parent/guardian where the client is a child). Reports are not shared with any third party without your explicit consent.
- Schools and teachers: We may have telephone conversations with schools or teachers to support a client's progress. No written records or clinical data are shared with schools without your prior consent.
- Legal or regulatory requirements: We may be required to disclose information to comply with a legal obligation, a court order, or to protect the safety of a client or others. Where possible, we will notify you before making such a disclosure.
Data processors: We use iMed, a practice management software system provided by KSI (www.ksi.ie), to store and manage client records. KSI acts as a data processor on our behalf and processes your data only in accordance with our instructions. A Data Processing Agreement is in place between SpeechMatters and KSI as required under Article 28 GDPR.
We do not transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
6. How Long We Keep Your Data
We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law or professional guidance:
- Adult clinical records: Retained for 7 years from the date of last contact
- Children's clinical records: Retained until the child reaches the age of 25, or for 7 years from last contact if that period is longer
- Financial records: Retained for 7 years in accordance with Revenue requirements
- Enquiry data (no appointment taken): Deleted within 12 months of last contact
On expiry of the relevant retention period, records are securely destroyed.
7. Automated Decision-Making
We do not use automated decision-making or profiling in relation to your personal data.
8. Website Analytics
This website uses Plausible Analytics, a privacy-friendly analytics service. Plausible does not use cookies, does not collect any personally identifiable information, and is fully compliant with GDPR. No cookie consent banner is required for its use.
Plausible Analytics is not used on the case history or clinical intake forms on this website.
9. Your Rights
Under GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data. You can exercise these rights by contacting us at info@speechmatters.ie. We will respond within one month of receiving your request.
- Right of access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).
- Right to rectification: You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Right to erasure: You may ask us to delete your personal data. Please note this right is subject to our legal and professional obligations to retain certain records.
- Right to restriction of processing: You may ask us to restrict how we use your personal data in certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability: You may ask us to provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Right to object: You may object to processing carried out on the basis of our legitimate interests.
- Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
10. How to Make a Complaint
If you have a concern about how we handle your personal data, please contact us in the first instance at info@speechmatters.ie and we will do our best to resolve it.
If you remain unhappy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC), the supervisory authority for data protection in Ireland:
Data Protection Commission21 Fitzwilliam Square South
Dublin 2, D02 RD28
www.dataprotection.ie
Phone: +353 (0)761 104 800
11. Changes to This Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The version number and date at the top of this page indicate when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this notice periodically.