Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 2026

Lothian Ear Care (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your personal data. This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

The data controller for this website is:

Lothian Ear Care
14 Bernard Street, Leith
Edinburgh, EH6 6PP
Email: info@lothianearcare.co.uk
Tel: 0131 000 0000

2. What Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following personal data:

• Contact information — name, email address, telephone number
• Appointment information — preferred date, time, treatment type, and any relevant health information you choose to share
• Technical data — IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on the site (where analytics cookies are accepted)

We do not store payment card details. Any payments are processed securely by our third-party booking provider.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data to:

• Confirm and manage your appointment
• Contact you regarding your booking or follow-up care
• Respond to enquiries made via phone, email, or our contact form
• Improve our website and services (where analytics consent has been given)
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under the following lawful bases:

• Contract performance — to book and deliver your appointment
• Legitimate interests — to respond to enquiries and improve our services
• Consent — for optional analytics cookies (which you can withdraw at any time)
• Legal obligation — where required by law or professional regulation

5. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain appointment and contact records for up to 7 years in line with HMRC guidance and healthcare best practice. After this period, your data is securely deleted.

6. Sharing Your Data

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. Your data may be shared with:

• Our booking platform provider (e.g. Calendly) to process appointment requests — subject to their own GDPR-compliant privacy policy
• HMRC or regulators where we are legally required to do so

7. Cookies

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies — required for the website to function correctly. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — used to understand how visitors interact with the site (e.g. Google Analytics). These are only set if you click “Accept all” on our cookie banner.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clearing your browser’s local storage or adjusting your browser settings.

8. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erase your data (“right to be forgotten”) where no legal obligation requires us to retain it
• Restrict or object to processing in certain circumstances
• Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@lothianearcare.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Tel: 0303 123 1113

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date at the top. We recommend checking this page periodically.

11. Contact Us

For any privacy-related queries, contact us at:
info@lothianearcare.co.uk  ·  0131 000 0000