Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us and this document describes what information we may collect from you, as well as how we use and protect that data. Dr Francesca Sawer and her associates at The Allergy Psychologists are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), as is required by the law to practice in the UK and operate in accordance with their regulations.

All clinicians are also all registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) which is the UK’s independent body tasked with upholding information rights, data privacy for individuals, and promoting openness by public bodies.

The Allergy Psychologists is a trading name for Minster Psychology ltd.
Company number: 16773581

Dr Francesca Sawer is the Data Controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

All confidential information is held in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy outlines how we store your information.

If you have any comments or enquiries regarding the practices outlined here, you can contact us at hello@allergy-psychologists.com

We may update our terms from time to time, so you should check this document periodically to ensure you are happy with any changes. We will notify you of any major alterations. You can also find the latest updated date, at the end of this document.
 

What is a privacy policy?

A privacy policy is our way of informing our customers about how we ensure the protection of privacy on our domain while processing data. Most websites use cookies and trackers that process personal data from its users.

Our website typically collects two kinds of information about you: (a) information that you provide which personally identifies you; and (b) information that does not personally identify you, which we automatically collect when you visit our website or that you provide us.

How and why we store sensitive information

The personal information we ask for is because we need it to provide a service to you. We aim to only ever collect the minimum amount of information needed.

All information discussed during your therapy is strictly confidential, however there are rare exceptions where confidentiality may be broken. This includes if your therapist thought that either you or another person was at risk of harm, or if you were to disclose information about a crime.

Children and young people

Dr Francesca Sawer and associates will often see children (under the age of 18) without their parents and this is often encouraged so that children can talk privately. Information is not routinely shared with parents, unless there are concerns about risk or harm (as above), or if it is felt that this will be important for the child's care, in which case this will be discussed with the young person and their family.
Our aim is always to balance children’s privacy and therapy effectiveness, with our duty to keep them safe. We will always base our decisions on a case-by-case basis, informed by a child’s capacity and consent.

1. How do we get information?

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:
• You have downloaded a free resource or purchased a product.
• You subscribe to my e-newsletter.

Our website typically collects two kinds of information about you: (a) information that you provide which personally identifies you; and (b) information that does not personally identify you, which we automatically collect when you visit our website or that you provide us.

1.1 Personally Identifiable Information:

Our definition of personally identifiable information includes any information that may be used to specifically identify or contact you, such as your name, address, e-mail address, phone number, etc.

1.2 Non-Personal Information:

Our definition of non-personal information is any information that does not personally identify you. Non-personal information can include certain personally identifiable information that has been de-identified; that is, information that has been rendered anonymous. We obtain non-personal information about you from information that you provide us, either separately or together with your personally identifiable information. We also automatically collect certain non-personal information from you when you access our website. This information can include, among other things, IP addresses, the type of browser you are using (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.), the third party website from which your visit originated, the operating system you are using (e.g., Vista, Windows XP, Macintosh OS, etc.), the domain name of your Internet service provider (e.g., America Online, NetZero, etc.), the specific areas of the Website that you visit, and the duration of your visit

1.3 Information You Provide Us:

If you give us information about another person, you can confirm that the other person has appointed you to act on their behalf and agree that you a) Shall consent on their behalf to the processing of their personal data and b) Shall receive any data protection notices on their behalf.

2. How We Use & Share the Information Collected

2.1 Personally Identifiable Information:

The personally identifiable information you submit to us is generally used to carry out your purchase of products and services and provide such products and services that you may request from us, including secure access to, and use of our site. We may also use this information to later contact you for a variety of reasons, such as customer service, providing you information about updates to your products, or to communicate with you about the services we have provided. The information may also be used to provide promotional information about our products and services, where you have requested.

In certain instances, we may also share your personally identifiable information with our third-party vendors performing functions on our behalf e.g. vendors that process credit card orders, and other companies who provide us with customer services. Our vendors agree to use this information, and we share information with them, only to carry out our requests. Except as provided in this Privacy Policy or these Terms of Use, your personally identifiable information will not be shared or sold to any third parties without your prior approval.

2.2 Non-Personal Information:

We use non-personal information in a variety of ways, including to help analyse site traffic, understand customer needs and trends, carry out targeted promotional activities, and to improve our services.

3. Other Uses & Information

3.1 What are cookies?

Cookies are pieces of data that store small pieces of information. Websites send cookies to a user’s browser to keep track of users and enable user-specific features such as login sessions. Typically, cookies are used to make using websites easier for their users.

Cookies typically are classified as either session cookies or persistent cookies. Session cookies disappear from your device or browser when you turn off your device. Persistent cookies remain on your browser even if you turn off your device. We use both persistent cookies and session cookies.

Dr Francesca Sawer’s website uses cookies to help with website functionality and information collection purposes. Please note that these cookies do not contain or pass any personal, confidential or financial information or any other information that could be used to identify individual visitors or customers purchasing from our website.

You can visit the Kajabi website for more information in how they use cookies etc. here.

We will ask permission to place these cookies on your device except where they are essential.

If you are concerned about the storage and use of cookies, you may be able to direct your internet browser to notify you and seek approval whenever a cookie is being sent to your hard drive. You may also delete a cookie manually from your hard drive through your internet browser or other programs. Please note, however, that some parts of our website will not function properly or be available to you if you refuse to accept a cookie or choose to disable the acceptance of cookies.

3.2 Third-Party Integration and record systems

Very brief session notes for those working with Dr Francesca Sawer are held on Konfidens; a secure and encrypted clinical notes system. Their privacy policy can be accessed at: https://konfidens.com/privacy

Appointments are booked via Appointedd. Appointedd stores the personal data required to manage reservations and appointments, such as name, contact details, and appointment information. Appointedd’s privacy policy can be accessed at: https://www.appointd.com/privacy-policy

Billing is managed using FreeAgent. FreeAgent stores personal information necessary for invoicing and record-keeping, including contact details and transaction data. FreeAgent’s privacy policy can be accessed at: https://www.freeagent.com/privacy

PayPal and Stripe: For payment processing, we utilise PayPal and Stripe. These providers have their own privacy policies, which govern the data they collect during payment transactions. You can find PayPal’s Privacy Policy here and Stripe’s Privacy Policy here.

3.3 Email Communications

If you send us an email with questions or comments, we may use your personally identifiable information to respond to your questions or comments, and we may save your questions or comments for future reference. For security reasons, we do not recommend that you send non-public personal information, such as passwords, social security numbers, or bank account information, to us by email.

We email website news and information updates to those customers who have subscribed to our email service. All subscription emails sent by us contain information on how to unsubscribe from our email service. Our email service is an opt-in service only, which means to subscribe you must enter your details into the email subscription page and submit them to us.

We will never sell, lease or otherwise distribute your information to third parties unless we have your explicit permission and/or are required by law to do so and never send bulk unsolicited emails (popularly known as Spam).

We may send emails to existing customers or prospective customers who have enquired or registered with us, regarding courses provided by us.

All emails sent by us will be clearly marked as originating from us. All such emails will also include instructions on how to unsubscribe from our email service.

We will not use AI assistants to manage, organise, process or reply to any emails. All emails are read and responded to by humans.

3.4 What technical and organisational measures do you have in place to safeguard my data?

Customer accounts are controlled by a password and username and the data is clearly saved on secure servers provided by Kajabi. See their Privacy Policy here.

3.5 How do we use card & payment processing data?

We use third-party payment providers to handle card and payment processing data securely. We do not store any card or payment information. In accordance with Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) any other data is only used to process your purchase securely. We need to retain data related to all purchases to fulfil our existing legal obligations to account for tax and VAT on all transactions.

3.6 How do we comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?

We comply with the General Data Protection Regulation when dealing with all data received from customers or visitors to our website.

In accordance with Article 6(1)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation(GDPR), we only store the data necessary to provide services on our website. We do not ask for more data than necessary, which means we only store data related to purchases and subsequent support.

Data is only used for the purposes described on the Data Protection Register. We only hold personal data for as long as necessary. We delete data once it is no longer needed.

As a customer, you can, for free, request details of the data we hold relating to you – and can also request any such data is amended or deleted.

3.7 How do we comply with the Data Protection Act 2018?

As the UK have now exited the EU, we also need to comply with the Data Protection Act 2018.

In accordance with the DPA 2018 we only store the data necessary to provide services on our website. We do not ask for more data than necessary, which means we only store data related to purchases and subsequent support.

Data is only used for the purposes described on the Data Protection Register. We only hold personal data for as long as necessary. We will regularly confirm with our customers that their data is accurate and up-to-date. We delete data once it is no longer needed.

As a customer, you can, request details of the data we hold relating to you – and can also request any such data is amended or deleted.

4. Keeping Your Information Secure

We have implemented security measures we consider reasonable and appropriate to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. Please be advised, however, that while we strive to protect your personally identifiable information and privacy, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you disclose or transmit to us online and are not responsible for the theft, destruction, or inadvertent disclosure of your personally identifiable information. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

Unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law, we will only hold your Personal Information on our systems for the period necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Policy, or until you request that the information be deleted in accordance with your right of erasure.

Even if we delete your Personal Information, we reserve the right to maintain a copy for legal, tax or regulatory purposes, but in such event, we will do so only as long as necessary to fulfil those legal, tax or regulatory purposes.

5. Websites

5.1 Visiting the website

When you visit our website, we may collect your IP address and use cookies to track website usage. Google Analytics is used to monitor engagement and website performance. This involves the processing of personal data such as IP addresses, which may be anonymised.
You can view Google’s privacy policy on their website here.
You may block cookies through your browser settings if you wish.

5.2 External websites links and third parties

Our website may link to or contain links to other third-party websites that we do not control or maintain. We are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by any third-party website. We encourage you to note when you leave our website and to read the privacy statements of all third-party websites before submitting any personally identifiable information.

Although we only look to include quality, safe and relevant external links, users are advised to adopt a policy of caution before clicking any external web links mentioned throughout this website. We cannot guarantee or verify the contents of any externally linked website despite our best efforts. Users should therefore note they click on external links at their own risk, and we cannot be held liable for any damages or implications caused by visiting any external links mentioned.

6. Our records

6.1 Storage of records

To provide the safest care for you or your child, there is a minimum amount of data that will be collected via an initial registration form.

• Any paper copies are stored securely or disposed of securely.
• Electronic records are password protected and stored on encrypted devices.
• Any other notes in relation to sessions and reports (if necessary or requested) are stored in the same way. Please note that it is necessary to keep some brief notes to provide the best care and it is a requirement of the governing body.
• Clients of The Allergy Psychologists will have their notes stored on Konfidens, which is a secure notes platform, accessible only by the treating clinician and director Dr Francesca Sawer.

6.2 Retention of records

Session notes, registration forms and identifiable information will be kept for a minimum period of 7 years after you (if you are the patient) or your child (if they are the patient) turns 18. After this period, they will be deleted or destroyed.

6.3 Ending or pausing therapy

When you finish sessions or if you put sessions on hold, no further session notes will be taken and no further liaison with other professionals will take place, except where there is serious risk or where this has been explicitly been discussed and agreed.

6.4 Remote sessions

If your sessions are conducted remotely, your therapist will ensure that sessions are conducted in a confidential setting. We use video-calling software that offers end-to-end encryption to further protect your privacy.

While reasonable steps are taken to protect confidentiality, we cannot guarantee the security of third-party technology. Clients are responsible for ensuring they are in a private and confidential space during remote sessions, and we cannot be held responsible for any breaches as a result of this not occurring.

6.5 Access, correction, and deletion of data

If you would like to see your session notes, please discuss this with your Dr Francesca Sawer or your therapist. In some cases, this may need to be considered in line with professional guidance.

If factual errors or omissions have been made in either the registration forms you have provided, or in reports or correspondence, you may request that this information be amended.

Requests for deletion of information will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may not be possible where there are legal or professional obligations to retain records.

You also have the right to complain to the ICO if you believe your data has been handled improperly.

6.6 Contact forms

By completing our enquiry forms, you freely give the following information name, email, and any details supplied with your enquiry. This information is used to process your enquiry only. Your personal information is stored securely and deleted when no longer required. We do not share enquiry information with third parties and do not add individuals to mailing lists.

7. Contact Information

Under the GDPR, you have various rights in relation to your Personal Information, such as the rights of access, rectification, restriction, objection, portability, and erasure.

Please note that these rights are subject to certain limitations set forth in applicable law. For information on these rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, see the guidance from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on individuals’ rights under the Generals Data Protection Regulations (https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/individual-rights/individual-rights/)

To exercise these rights, you can contact our DPO. You may contact us if: (a) you have questions or comments about our Privacy Policy; (b) wish to make corrections to any personally identifiable information you have provided; or (c) want to opt-out from receiving future promotional correspondence, including emails.

8. What do you do if you’re concerned with how we handle your data?

If you have had a problem accessing your personal information from us, or if you’re concerned about how we have handled your information – then please let us know.

If you would like to make a compliant because you believe that we have infringed data protection legislation because of how we have handled your personal information you have a legal right to complain to us.

In order to submit your complaint please email hello@allergy-psychologists.com using the subject line "Notice of Data Complaint".

Please ensure that you provide and maintain up-to-date contact information for us to respond.

We are committed to handling your complaint as efficiently as possible and will aim to provide a response to your complaint within the first 28 days from the date on which your complaint was made. However, there is no timeframe set in the legislation by when we have to deliver a response to you, and our response will vary in its nature and complexity. We will periodically update you during the progress of the investigation.

Once we have concluded our investigation we will respond to your complaint.

You also have the right to complain directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office You are legally entitled to complain to the ICO at any point: Home | ICO .

Last updated  3rd October 2026