Privacy Policy

PharmacyConsultation.ie is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how PharmacyConsultation.ie (“the platform”) collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your information when you use the service.

Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

1. Information Collected

Personal information

Personal information that you provide directly may be collected, including:

• Name, email address, and phone number
• Date of birth and address
• Medical information related to consultations
• Payment information (processed securely via Stripe)

Health information

As a healthcare platform, health-related information is collected where necessary to provide pharmacy consultations under the HSE Common Conditions Service. This includes:

• Symptoms and medical history relevant to your consultation
• Current medications and allergies
• Pre-screening questionnaire responses

2. How Your Information Is Used

The information collected is used to:

• Facilitate pharmacy consultations and appointments
• Process payments for services
• Send appointment confirmations and reminders
• Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• Improve the service and user experience

Lawful basis for processing patient data

Under Article 6 (and, for health data, Article 9) of the GDPR, the lawful bases relied on for patient personal data are:

• Article 6(1)(b) – processing necessary to perform our service to you (managing your booking and account, facilitating your consultation).
• Article 6(1)(c) – processing necessary to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
• Article 9(2)(h) – processing of health data necessary for the provision of healthcare and the management of health services, carried out by or under the responsibility of a health professional bound by an obligation of professional secrecy.

3. Data Security

Appropriate technical and organisational measures are in place to protect your personal information, including:

• AES-256 encryption for data at rest and in transit
• Secure authentication and access controls
• Regular security audits and monitoring
• GDPR-compliant data handling procedures

4. Data Retention

Personal information is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Medical records are retained in accordance with Irish healthcare regulations.

5. Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Rectify inaccurate personal data
• Request erasure of your personal data
• Restrict processing of your personal data
• Data portability
• Object to processing
• Withdraw consent at any time

6. Sharing Your Information

Your information may be shared with:

• Pharmacies providing your consultation (necessary for service delivery)
• Payment processors (Stripe) for secure payment handling
• Service providers who assist in operating the platform
• Regulatory authorities when required by law

Pharmacy directory

PharmacyConsultation.ie maintains a public directory of Irish pharmacies. This directory lists pharmacy business-contact details (such as pharmacy name, address, county, phone number and, where available, website). It is compiled from publicly available sources, including:

• The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) public register of retail pharmacy businesses
• Publicly available business listings (for example Google Maps / Google Business profiles)
• Pharmacies’ own public websites and published contact information

Lawful basis: the processing of this publicly-available pharmacy business-contact data is carried out on the basis of our legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR) in operating and maintaining a comprehensive, accurate directory of pharmacies for the benefit of patients seeking pharmacy services. This data relates to businesses and to individuals acting in a professional capacity, and is already in the public domain.

Correction, removal and objection: a pharmacy (or a person acting on its behalf) may request correction or removal of its listing, or object to the processing of its data, at any time by emailing support@pharmacyconsultation.ie. Such requests will be actioned promptly.

7. Cookies

Essential cookies are used to ensure the proper functioning of the platform. These cookies are necessary for authentication and security purposes.

8. Contact

For any questions about this Privacy Policy, or to exercise any of the rights above, please make contact using the details below:

9. Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page, with the “Last updated” date revised accordingly.