GDPR and our right to privacy

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) has come into force and we have all been inundated with e-mails talking about the updated privacy policy and asking us to opt into email lists that we are on.
When you actually look into it, it may be that not all of those emails were required because most of the email lists that we are on have got our data because we freely gave it at some point.
However, I must say I have chosen to ignore most of the requests to opt in, because I am quite looking forward to a cleaner in-box.

I have sent emails to all of my patients who have not specifically opted in to ask them if they want to opt in, not because I have to but because I feel that I have ‘legitimate cause’ to contact the people on my database.
Everyone is a patient or a previous patient or has enquired at some point, and so the law says that I can send unsolicited emails as long as they are relevant and give the opportunity for the person to unsubscribe at any time which I always do.
The reason I have written to everybody to ask for a formal opt in is because I really do not want to be hassling people and sending an unwanted email.
I realise that when people enquire into my practice, it is often for something that is troubling them at the time and the hope is that once they have had a consultation and possibly a procedure, then it will no longer trouble them and so the emails may no longer be relevant, and I understand that people might feel bad about unsubscribing, because it can look like you are angry or upset.

For this reason I have chosen to stop sending emails to anyone who has not specifically consented and opted in.

My database is purely for my own practice and there is never any question about selling data or giving data to any third party.

It is only to communicate my values and what we can offer at the clinic and give information to patients about plastic surgery training and relevant information about procedures that you might be interested in.
If you are interested feel free to opt in but if it is no longer of any interest and maybe it never was, then feel free to ignore all the emails and you will not be bothered any more.
I have to say I welcome GDPR and I think it will be a good thing in the long term, although it has created quite a lot of work in the office over the last few weeks.
Hope to see you in the next email or maybe you want to receive our newsletter, or perhaps you could just subscribe to the Blog.
If you have any questions, our director, Jonathan Staiano, does a LIVE Q&A on Facebook at 7 o’clock every Tuesday evening, so feel free to drop in.