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STEPHANIE WEST CONSULTANT OPHTHALMIC SURGEON

Privacy & data protection

Privacy policy

This notice explains how Stephanie West Limited collects and uses personal information when you visit stephaniewest.co.uk, contact the practice, request patient information or follow an online booking or referral link.

Last reviewed 28 July 2026

This website is not an emergency service. Please do not use an online form for urgent medical advice or submit more medical information than is necessary.

The essentials

Privacy at a glance

A clear summary of the principles applied to information collected through this website.

We collect only what is needed

This may include contact details, the reason for an enquiry, a requested leaflet and limited technical information about use of the website.

Health information is treated sensitively

Information about health is special category data and receives additional protection. Please avoid sending detailed medical histories through general website forms.

We do not sell personal information

Information is shared only where necessary with the practice team, healthcare providers, trusted service suppliers or where the law requires it.

You remain in control

Optional follow-up or marketing contact requires a separate choice. You may withdraw consent, object to direct marketing and exercise your data protection rights.

Full privacy notice

How your information is handled

Use the contents panel to move to a particular section. Each section is an ordinary Elementor container and can be edited independently.

Who controls your information

Stephanie West Limited, trading as Stephanie West Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, is the data controller for personal information collected directly through this website and handled by the practice.

You can contact the practice about privacy or data protection at ask@stephaniewest.co.uk or by writing to:

Stephanie West Limited
c/o Spire Southampton Hospital
Chalybeate Close
Southampton SO16 6UY

This notice mainly covers the website and online enquiries. When you use an external booking, hospital, review or video platform, that organisation may also process information under its own privacy notice.

Information we collect

The information collected depends on how you use the website and may include:

  • Identity and contact details, such as your name, email address, telephone number and preferred method of contact.
  • Enquiry and appointment information, including the reason for contacting the practice, appointment preferences and relevant correspondence.
  • Health information that you voluntarily include in an enquiry or that a parent, guardian or healthcare professional provides. Health information is special category personal data.
  • Information about a child where a parent, guardian or professional contacts the practice about children’s eye care.
  • Patient-information download details, such as the leaflet selected, whether the information is for an adult or child, and any optional question.
  • Referral or professional details, including the referrer’s name, organisation and clinical information supplied for a referral.
  • Technical information, such as IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, referring page, security logs and cookie preferences.

Please provide only the information needed for the enquiry and avoid including highly sensitive or extensive clinical detail in a general website form.

Where information comes from

We normally receive information:

  • directly from you when you complete a form, email, telephone or request an information sheet;
  • from a parent, guardian, carer or person acting on your behalf;
  • from a GP, optometrist, orthoptist, hospital, insurer or other healthcare professional where you have requested or authorised a referral;
  • automatically from your device through website security, server logs, cookies and similar technologies; and
  • from an external booking or referral platform when information is passed to the practice to deal with your request.

If information is provided about another person, the sender should have an appropriate reason and authority to provide it.

Why we use your information and our lawful bases

Enquiries and appointment requests

We use contact and enquiry details to respond, arrange an appointment, provide requested information and administer the practice. Depending on the circumstances, this is necessary to take steps at your request before a contract, to perform a contract, or for the legitimate interests of operating a safe and responsive medical practice.

Healthcare and health information

Where it is necessary to use health information to respond appropriately, arrange or provide healthcare, the processing may rely on the health or social care condition in Article 9(2)(h) of the UK GDPR and the relevant provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018. Information is handled subject to professional confidentiality.

Patient information and optional follow-up

We use information submitted through the download form to provide the selected information and understand which resources are useful. Any optional follow-up or marketing contact is based on your consent and is not required to access patient information.

Website operation and security

We use technical information to maintain, secure and improve the website, prevent misuse, diagnose errors and keep appropriate records. This is generally based on legitimate interests and, where applicable, legal obligations.

Cookies and analytics

Non-essential cookies, analytics and similar technologies are used only in accordance with your consent choices. Strictly necessary technologies may be used without consent where they are required for the site to function or to remember your privacy choices.

Legal and regulatory purposes

Information may be used where necessary to comply with law, professional duties, regulatory requirements, insurance obligations or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. Health information used for legal claims may rely on Article 9(2)(f).

Withdrawing consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This does not affect processing that took place before withdrawal.

Website forms, information downloads and booking links

Contact and question forms

Information submitted through a website form is used to deal with your enquiry. General forms are not intended for urgent advice or for detailed medical records. If the enquiry leads to clinical care, relevant information may be transferred into the secure practice or hospital record.

Patient-information downloads

The download form may record your name, email address, optional telephone number, whether the leaflet is for an adult or child, the selected information sheet and an optional question. A separate optional box controls whether Stephanie West’s team may contact you about the enquiry. Declining optional contact does not prevent access to the leaflet.

Online bookings and referrals

Booking and referral buttons may take you to services operated by third parties, such as a practice-management, hospital or specialist booking platform. Information entered directly into those services is also governed by the provider’s privacy notice. The practice receives the information needed to manage the appointment or referral.

Email

Ordinary email is convenient but may not always be suitable for highly sensitive or urgent medical information. The practice may suggest a more secure method where appropriate.

Cookies, analytics and embedded content

Cookies and similar technologies may be used to:

  • operate essential site features and security;
  • remember cookie and privacy preferences;
  • measure website use and performance; and
  • display or connect to embedded services such as videos, maps, booking tools or review widgets.

Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent. Non-essential analytics, advertising or third-party media cookies should not be activated until you have made a choice through the cookie banner or preference centre.

Embedded content from services such as YouTube, Google, TopDoctors or Doctify may behave as though you visited the provider directly and may collect device or usage information in accordance with that provider’s privacy settings and notice.

You can change your choices through the site’s cookie-preference control. You may also use browser settings to delete or block cookies, although some website functions may then work less effectively.

Website administrator: connect this wording to a cookie banner that provides clear Accept, Reject and Manage preferences choices and blocks non-essential technologies until consent.

Who we share information with

We do not sell or rent personal information. Where necessary and proportionate, information may be shared with:

  • Stephanie West and authorised members of the administrative and clinical team;
  • orthoptists, hospitals, healthcare professionals, insurers or other providers involved in arranging or delivering care;
  • website hosting, WordPress/Elementor, email delivery, form, security, backup, analytics and IT support suppliers acting under appropriate instructions;
  • booking, referral, review, map or video providers when you choose to use their service;
  • accountants, lawyers, insurers and other professional advisers;
  • regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law; and
  • a successor organisation if the practice is restructured or transferred, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards.

Service providers should receive only the information needed for their task and must protect it in accordance with their contractual and legal duties.

International transfers

Some website, cloud, email, analytics, video or booking suppliers may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, the practice or relevant provider must use an approved safeguard where required, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or an approved UK addendum to standard contractual clauses, together with appropriate security measures.

You may contact the practice for more information about safeguards relevant to information controlled directly by Stephanie West Limited.

How long we keep information

Information is kept only for as long as it is needed for the purpose collected, to meet legal and professional duties, and to deal with possible queries or claims.

  • General website enquiries and patient-information download submissions: normally up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact, unless the information becomes part of a patient record or must be retained for another lawful reason.
  • Optional contact or marketing preferences: until you withdraw consent or the information is no longer useful. A minimal suppression record may be kept so that an opt-out continues to be respected.
  • Technical and security logs: for the period reasonably needed for security, fault diagnosis and fraud prevention, often up to 12 months depending on the service provider and risk.
  • Clinical, referral, payment and medico-legal records: in accordance with applicable law, professional guidance, insurer requirements and the retention policy of the relevant practice, hospital or records provider.

Information may be deleted earlier where it is no longer needed, or retained longer where lawfully required.

Security and automated decision-making

Reasonable technical and organisational safeguards are used to reduce the risk of unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure. These may include access controls, secure hosting, updates, backups, malware protection, staff confidentiality and the use of secure clinical or booking systems for appropriate information.

No online service can guarantee absolute security. Please contact the practice promptly if you believe information has been sent to the wrong recipient or that a privacy or security incident may have occurred.

The practice does not make decisions about your care or eligibility based solely on automated processing through this website, and does not use website data for automated profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis, you may have the right to:

  • ask for access to personal information held about you;
  • ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;
  • ask for information to be erased in certain circumstances;
  • ask for processing to be restricted;
  • object to processing based on legitimate interests;
  • receive certain information in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent at any time where consent is relied upon; and
  • complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Your right to object: you can ask us to stop using your information for direct marketing at any time. You may also object to processing based on legitimate interests. We will consider the objection and stop unless there is a compelling lawful reason to continue.

Rights are not absolute and may be limited where information must be kept for clinical safety, legal obligations, professional duties or legal claims. Identity may need to be confirmed before a request is completed.

To make a request, email ask@stephaniewest.co.uk. Please do not send identity documents unless requested through an appropriate method.

Children’s information

The website contains information about children’s eye care, but contact, booking and download forms are intended to be completed by an adult, parent, guardian, carer or authorised professional rather than independently by a young child.

Please provide only the minimum information needed to explain the enquiry. Where a parent or guardian provides information, it may include the child’s name, age, contact arrangements and relevant eye or health information.

Data protection rights belong to the child. Depending on the child’s age, understanding and the circumstances, a parent or guardian may exercise those rights on the child’s behalf, or the child may be able to exercise them personally.

The practice does not knowingly use children’s information collected through the website for behavioural advertising or general marketing to the child.

Questions, complaints and changes

Contact the practice

Please contact Stephanie West Limited first if you have a question, wish to exercise a right or are concerned about how information has been handled.

Email the practice Contact page

Information Commissioner’s Office

You also have the right to complain to the UK data-protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office. Details are available at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

Changes to this notice

This notice may be updated when the website, suppliers, forms or legal requirements change. The current version and review date will be shown on this page.

Controller: Stephanie West LimitedWebsite: stephaniewest.co.ukReviewed: 28 July 2026

A simple privacy promise

Clear information, careful handling

Your information should be used only for clear and appropriate purposes. Optional contact remains optional, health information receives additional protection, and you can ask questions about how your data is handled.