Privacy notice for appointment requests and bookings

1. What this notice covers

This notice applies only when you search for a healthcare professional, view availability, submit an appointment request or manage the requested appointment through Doctful. The healthcare professional identified above is the Controller: they decide why and how the data is used for booking.

Doctful provides the technical platform and processes the booking data on the Controller’s documented instructions. Doctful’s own processing for accounts, platform security, service operation and other independent purposes is covered by Doctful’s separate Privacy Policy.

2. Purposes of processing

The Controller uses the data only to support the booking flow: to show the professional’s profile and availability, receive and route your request, allow the professional to confirm, decline or manage the appointment, send operational communications and keep the technical records needed to manage the request.

A booking request is organisational. It is not, by itself, a healthcare service, acceptance of the professional’s terms or informed healthcare consent. Processing connected with the actual healthcare service is covered by the Controller’s other notices.

3. Data we use and where it comes from

Depending on the booking flow, the data may include your name and contact details, the requested service, preferred date or time, booking status, messages included in the request, and technical information such as request timestamps and notification status. Some data is provided by you; some is created by Doctful to record and secure the booking flow.

Health data is not needed to search or request an appointment. Do not include clinical details unless the professional specifically asks for them through an appropriate channel. If a request contains health data or another special category of data, the Controller must apply the additional legal condition and safeguards required by Article 9 GDPR.

4. Legal basis

The Controller identifies the legal basis applicable to the request. Depending on the circumstances, handling a request may be necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract. Any additional purpose requires its own legal basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time; this does not affect processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Required information

The fields marked as necessary are required to receive and manage a request. If you do not provide them, the Controller may be unable to identify you, contact you or process the appointment request. Any optional information can be omitted without preventing the basic booking flow.

6. Who receives the data

Data may be accessed by the healthcare professional and authorised staff who manage the appointment, by Doctful as the technical provider acting for the Controller, and by technical service providers engaged by Doctful as processors where necessary to host, protect and operate the booking functions. Data may also be shared with public authorities where required by law. It is not shared with another healthcare professional merely because they use Doctful.

7. Transfers and security

Doctful and its authorised providers apply technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk, including access controls, confidentiality and protection against unauthorised access or loss. If a provider processes data outside the European Economic Area, the Controller and Doctful use a lawful transfer mechanism, such as an adequacy decision or appropriate contractual safeguards, together with supplementary measures where required.

8. How long we keep the data

The Controller keeps booking data for as long as necessary to manage the request and appointment, answer related questions and comply with legal, accounting, security or evidence requirements. The exact period depends on the request and on the Controller’s applicable obligations. Doctful keeps the operational records needed to provide the booking service for the same purposes and according to the Controller’s instructions, subject to mandatory retention duties.

9. Your rights

You may contact the Controller using the details above to request, where applicable:

• access to your personal data and information about its use;
• correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• erasure or restriction of processing;
• objection to processing based on your particular situation;
• data portability where the legal requirements are met.

You may also lodge a complaint with the data protection supervisory authority in the country where you live or work, or where you believe an infringement occurred. The Controller may need to verify your identity before responding.

10. Automated decisions and updates

The booking flow does not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Availability information and operational notifications do not replace the professional’s decision to confirm or manage an appointment. This notice may be corrected or improved when necessary for the same booking purposes; the current text is the one displayed when you make a request.