Privacy Policy

Effective date: 01 January 2022
Last updated: 18 August 2026

1. Who we are

Martin Dutton Psychology Practice (“the Practice”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a psychology practice operated by Martin Dutton, a registered clinical psychologist in Cape Town, South Africa.

For purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”), the Practice is the responsible party for personal information that it determines how and why to process.

Martin Dutton is the Practice’s registered Information Officer.

Contact and Information Officer enquiries

Martin Dutton Psychology Practice
Blouberg Medispa
7 Sandown Road
West Beach, Cape Town, 7441
Email: practicemanager@mjwdpsych.com
Telephone: 081 015 0771

2. Scope of this policy

This policy explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect personal information obtained through www.mjwdpsych.com, appointment enquiries and related communications.

Clinical records are also governed by applicable healthcare laws, professional rules, informed-consent arrangements and the ethical requirements of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (“HPCSA”).

3. Information we may collect

We may collect:

Your name, email address, telephone number and other contact details.
Information entered into the website contact form, including its subject and message.
Appointment requests and scheduling information.
Communications sent by email, telephone or other agreed channels.
Billing, payment or medical-scheme information where applicable.
Referral information received from you, a parent or guardian, another healthcare professional or another lawful source.
Information about your mental or physical health, treatment or personal circumstances when necessary to respond to an enquiry or provide professional services.
Information about a child where adolescent services are requested.
Basic patient and appointment information processed through RecoMed, Healthbridge (MyMPS) and the Practice’s administrative email systems.
Technical information collected through Wix Analytics, such as an IP address, browser, device type, pages viewed, approximate location, referring website and cookie or similar identifiers.
Any other information you voluntarily provide.

Please avoid submitting detailed or highly sensitive clinical information through the general website contact form. The form is not an emergency or crisis service.

4. How we collect information

Information may be collected:

Directly from you through the website, email, telephone or consultations.
From a parent, guardian or other competent person where appropriate.
From healthcare professionals, referrers, medical schemes or other parties where you have consented or collection is otherwise lawful.
Through RecoMed when you make or request an appointment.
Through Healthbridge (MyMPS) when information is required for authorised practice-management, account or medical-scheme purposes.
Automatically through Wix hosting, security, analytics and cookie technologies.

Where information is obtained from another source, we will process it only where permitted by law and professional obligations.

5. Why we process information

We process personal information to:

Respond to enquiries and communicate with you.
Arrange, confirm and manage appointments.
Assess whether we can provide an appropriate service.
Deliver psychotherapy, clinical supervision or related professional services.
Maintain clinical and administrative records.
Process accounts, payments and medical-scheme claims where applicable.
Meet legal, regulatory, tax, ethical and professional obligations.
Protect patients, the public, the Practice and our legal rights.
Maintain the security and operation of the website.
Understand general website use and improve its accessibility, performance and content.
Investigate complaints, incidents or security breaches.
Produce de-identified statistics for administrative or service-improvement purposes.
Send service-related notices and, where lawfully authorised, requested communications.

We do not sell personal information.

6. Legal grounds for processing

Depending on the circumstances, we process information because:

You or a competent person have consented.
Processing is necessary to take steps at your request or perform an agreement.
Processing is required or permitted by law.
Processing protects your legitimate interests or those of another person.
Processing is necessary for the Practice’s legitimate interests, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Processing is necessary for proper treatment and care or the administration of a professional healthcare practice.
Processing is necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal right.

You may withdraw consent where processing depends on consent. Withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred lawfully before withdrawal and may not require deletion where records must be retained by law or professional rules.

7. Health and other special personal information

Mental-health and other health information is special personal information under POPIA. We process it only where legally authorised, including where it is necessary for proper treatment and care, administration of the Practice, compliance with professional duties, protection of a lawful interest, or where valid consent has been provided.

Health information is treated as confidential and is accessible only to authorised persons who require it for a lawful purpose.

Professional confidentiality may be limited where disclosure is authorised by the patient, required by law, ordered by a court, necessary to prevent or address a serious risk of harm, or otherwise permitted by applicable professional rules.

8. Information about children

POPIA generally defines a child as a person under 18. Where we process a child’s personal information, we will obtain consent or another lawful authorisation from a parent, guardian or other competent person when required.

We will also consider the child’s age, maturity, best interests, confidentiality rights and the laws and professional rules governing psychological services for minors.

A parent or guardian’s access to a minor’s information is not automatic in every circumstance and may be limited by law, the child’s rights, clinical considerations or professional confidentiality.

9. When information may be shared

We may share relevant information with:

The Practice’s authorised administrative personnel, including the recipient of practicemanager@mjwdpsych.com.
Wix, which hosts the website and provides website analytics.
RecoMed, which provides online appointment-booking services.
Healthbridge (MyMPS), which provides practice-management, account and medical-scheme processing services.
Payment processors, medical schemes or their administrators where applicable.
Service providers supporting communications, storage, security, accounting or administration.
Other healthcare professionals or referrers where authorised or clinically and legally appropriate.
Professional advisers, insurers, regulators, courts or law-enforcement bodies where required or permitted by law.
A parent, guardian or competent person where legally appropriate.
Another party where you have instructed or consented to the disclosure.

RecoMed and Healthbridge (MyMPS) receive only the patient information reasonably required to provide the relevant booking, administration, account or medical-scheme service.

Service providers acting on our behalf must process information only for authorised purposes and maintain appropriate confidentiality and security. Some third parties may also act as independent responsible parties under their own privacy policies.

10. International processing

Website, cloud, communications or technology providers, including Wix and its authorised service providers, may process information outside South Africa.

Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer complies with section 72 of POPIA. This may include relying on adequate foreign privacy protections, contractual safeguards, consent or another lawful ground.

11. Cookies and website analytics

The website uses Wix Analytics and may use:

Essential cookies required for security and basic operation.
Preference cookies that remember selected settings.
Analytics cookies that help us understand website traffic and use.
Third-party cookies associated with embedded or linked services.

Wix Analytics may collect technical and usage information, including IP addresses, browser and device information, referring pages, approximate location and interactions with the website.

Where required, optional cookies will be used only after you have made an appropriate selection through the website’s cookie banner. You can restrict or delete cookies through your browser, although this may affect some website features.

External websites, including RecoMed, operate under their own cookie and privacy policies.

12. Retention

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless:

A law or professional rule requires a longer period.
The information is required for a lawful clinical, contractual, tax, insurance or administrative purpose.
It is required to establish, exercise or defend a legal right.
You or a competent person have lawfully consented to longer retention.

Clinical records are retained in accordance with applicable legislation and HPCSA requirements. When information is no longer lawfully required, it will be securely deleted, destroyed or de-identified so that it cannot reasonably be reconstructed.

13. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised destruction, unlawful access and unauthorised processing.

Measures may include access controls, confidentiality obligations, secure systems, backups, software updates and appropriate disposal procedures. No internet transmission or storage system can, however, be guaranteed to be completely secure.

If a security compromise affects your personal information, we will investigate and notify the Information Regulator and affected persons as required by POPIA.

14. Your rights

Subject to POPIA, PAIA and applicable healthcare laws, you may:

Ask whether we hold your personal information.
Request access to your personal information.
Ask us to correct inaccurate, incomplete, excessive, misleading or outdated information.
Request deletion or destruction where we are no longer authorised to retain the information.
Object to processing on reasonable grounds.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Ask for information about third parties or categories of third parties that have received your information.
Complain to us or the Information Regulator.

Access to clinical records may be limited where disclosure would unlawfully reveal another person’s information, cause legally recognised harm, breach confidentiality or fall within another lawful ground for refusal.

We may request proof of identity before handling a privacy request.

Requests may be sent to practicemanager@mjwdpsych.com.

15. Direct marketing

We will not use your contact details for unsolicited electronic marketing unless permitted by POPIA, including where you have consented or the communication is otherwise lawfully permitted.

You may withdraw marketing consent or opt out at any time. Essential appointment, treatment, billing, security or service messages are not marketing communications.

16. External links

The website may link to websites or services that we do not control. Their owners are responsible for their own privacy and security practices. We recommend reviewing their privacy policies before submitting personal information.

17. Complaints

Please contact us first so that we can try to address your concern:

Email: practicemanager@mjwdpsych.com
Telephone: 081 015 0771

You may also lodge a POPIA complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa):

Website: https://inforegulator.org.za
Complaints portal: https://eservices.inforegulator.org.za
Email: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
Telephone: 010 023 5200 or 0800 017 160

18. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our services, technology, service providers or legal obligations change. The latest version will be published on this website with its effective date.

Material changes will be communicated through the website or another appropriate channel.