How AcuRodos collects, uses and protects your personal and health data — in plain language.
Summary in plain language: We collect only what we need to treat you safely and run our clinic. We never sell your data. Your health information is special category data under GDPR — it receives the highest level of protection. You can ask us to see, correct or delete your data at any time by emailing info@acurodos.ie.
AcuRodos – Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Clinic is operated by Jose Rodriguez, a sole trader registered in Ireland (CRO Nº 616496). We are the data controller for all personal information we collect in connection with our website and clinical services.
Registered address: Main Street, Clonee Village, Co. Meath, Ireland
Email: info@acurodos.ie
Phone: 089 400 5106
Website: acurodos.ie
This Privacy Policy is governed by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016/679, the Irish Data Protection Act 2018, the ePrivacy Directive (S.I. No. 336 of 2011) and all applicable Irish healthcare data regulations. Our supervisory authority is the Data Protection Commission of Ireland (DPC).
We collect only the minimum personal data necessary for each specific purpose. The table below sets out exactly what we collect and why.
| Category | Data collected | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Identity & contact | Name, address, phone, email, date of birth | Making and managing appointments; identifying you safely |
| Health data (special category) | Medical history, symptoms, medications, allergies, TCM diagnosis, treatment notes, GP details | Providing safe, effective acupuncture and TCM treatment |
| Booking data | Appointment history, session notes, payment records | Managing your treatment plan and billing |
| GP & referral data | GP name, practice, contact; referral clinical notes | Coordinating care with your medical team (with your consent) |
| Website enquiry data | Name, phone, email, message content | Responding to your enquiry |
| Marketing data | Email address, opt-in preferences | Sending health insights and clinic news (only with your consent) |
| Website usage data | IP address, browser type, pages visited, cookies (with consent) | Improving website functionality and understanding visitor behaviour |
Your health information — including your medical history, symptoms, medications, and TCM diagnosis — is classified as "special category personal data" under Article 9 of the GDPR. This means it receives the highest level of legal protection.
We process your health data under Article 9(2)(h) of the GDPR — "processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems" — and in accordance with the obligations of professional secrecy under Irish law.
Your health data is never processed for purposes other than providing your treatment and maintaining the clinical records required by law and by our professional obligations as an AFPA-registered practitioner. It is never sold, shared for commercial purposes, or disclosed to your employer.
We take the security of your personal and health data very seriously. Our technical and organisational measures include:
In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours and notify you directly without undue delay, in accordance with Article 33 and 34 of the GDPR.
| Data type | Retention period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical records (adult patients) | 7 years after last treatment | AFPA Code of Professional Conduct; Irish healthcare regulatory requirements; Health Information Bill 2024 |
| Clinical records (child patients) | Until age 25, or 7 years after last treatment — whichever is longer | Irish child healthcare regulations |
| Booking and appointment records | 7 years after last appointment | Tax and financial record obligations |
| Website enquiry data | 12 months if no treatment relationship established | Reasonable follow-up period |
| Email marketing list | Until you unsubscribe | Consent-based — withdrawn on request |
| Website analytics (anonymised) | 26 months (Google Analytics default) | Website improvement |
At the end of each retention period, data is securely destroyed — paper records by shredding, digital records by permanent deletion.
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data under any circumstances.
We may share your data in the following limited circumstances:
Any third party that processes data on our behalf is bound by a Data Processing Agreement and is required to handle your data only as instructed by us, in accordance with GDPR Article 28.
Your personal data is processed and stored within the EU/EEA wherever possible. Fresha operates EU-compliant servers. No herbal products are advertised for specific conditions or sold online. No herbal product names or formulas are collected or stored as part of our website data. If any data is processed outside the EU/EEA by a third-party service, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with GDPR Chapter V (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses). We will inform you of any such transfers on request.
Our website uses cookies. We operate a consent management system (Complianz) that gives you full control over which cookies are set on your device. Cookies are categorised as follows:
You can manage, change or withdraw your cookie consent at any time by clicking "Cookie preferences" in the footer of any page. For full details of all cookies we use, see our Cookie Policy (generated and maintained automatically by Complianz).
Under the GDPR and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you. We will respond within 30 days. Note: a processing fee of €10 may apply for clinical records, as permitted under Irish law.
Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete data. We will update records promptly.
Request deletion of your data where it is no longer necessary. Note: clinical records cannot be deleted during their mandatory retention period.
Request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances (e.g. while accuracy is contested).
Receive your personal data in a structured, machine-readable format where processing is based on consent or contract.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes. Marketing processing stops immediately on objection.
Withdraw consent at any time for any processing based on consent (e.g. marketing emails). You can opt out of marketing emails at any time.
We will notify you without undue delay if a breach is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@acurodos.ie or in writing to our clinic address. We will respond within 30 days. Identity verification may be required.
We will only send you marketing or newsletter emails if you have given your explicit consent by ticking the relevant opt-in box. You can withdraw consent and unsubscribe at any time by:
We do not share your email address with third parties for marketing purposes under any circumstances.
We treat patients of all ages, including children. Where a patient is under 18, we obtain written consent from a parent or legal guardian before collecting or processing any personal or health data. Clinical records for child patients are retained until the child reaches the age of 25, or for 7 years after the last treatment — whichever is longer.
If you have a concern about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first at info@acurodos.ie. We take all complaints seriously and will respond within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission of Ireland (DPC):
We review this Privacy Policy at least annually and whenever there is a significant change in how we process data or in applicable law. The current version and its effective date will always be available on this page. Where changes are material, we will notify patients by email.
AcuRodos – Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Clinic · Main Street, Clonee Village, Co. Meath · CRO Nº 616496 · AFPA Member #8638 · info@acurodos.ie · 089 400 5106