Said Differently is an independent Speech and Language Therapy service, providing highly specialist and bespoke Speech and Language Therapy services for children with speech, language and communication needs.
The company is owned and directed by Abigail Uttley, a qualified Speech and Language Therapist registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC), Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), and the Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice (ASLTIP).
Said Differently operates a website at www.saiddifferently.co.uk
Said Differently is committed to protecting the privacy of information provided by clients and other professionals.
Collection of Personal Information
Information about the client may be collected via spoken or written information from Case Managers, other healthcare and education professionals, and family members and care staff working directly with the client.
With consent, information may also be collected from and shared with other professionals working with the individual. We may also collect information about other family members where this relates to the client e.g. contact details for parents and relevant medical or developmental history.
You may access the Said Differently Speech & Language Therapy Services website without providing any personal information.
If, however, you wish to make an enquiry via the website, you are requested to provide relevant contact details, such as your name, e-mail address and contact telephone number to enable us to respond to your enquiry. You may add comments or queries which might also contain personal information.
If your enquiry does not result in the client being seen by Said Differently then this personal information will be deleted once your enquiry has been dealt with. If the individual is subsequently seen by Said Differently these details may be added to their personal clinical record.
Our Use of Personal Information
Personal information collected by us via the Said Differently website, email, telephone, or face to face is stored and used by us for the purpose of delivering the client’s Speech and Language Therapy services. Any sensitive personal details are stored in a secure and confidential electronic system and processed in confidence by Said Differently. Only with consent will pertinent information regarding the client’s communication needs be shared with other professionals involved in the client’s care. A record of consent is kept within the records.
Unless we are required to do so by law, we will not disclose any personal information collected to any person other than as set out above. We do not employ agents to process personal data, for example, specialist mailing companies to send out communications. We do not give or sell client details to any third party.
How We Use Personal Information
All information about the client their Speech and Language Therapy assessment and intervention is stored securely in our systems to ensure that we have a complete record of our service to them.
– Documents are stored on a OneDrive cloud-based system which is only accessible via a password held by the individual therapists.
– Documents which contain confidential information such as reports and programmes are also individually password protected.
– Any paper-based confidential information such as assessments are stored securely in accordance with Data Protection Regulations.
– Videos and photographs may be taken of clients, with consent. Specific consent relating to the taking, storage, and use of video and photography is obtained at the time of referral or assessment and stored on the client’s clinical notes. These are temporarily stored on an encrypted and password protected external hard drive. The video or photograph is deleted as soon as it has been processed and is no longer required.
The minimum amount of confidential information will be taken out of the Speech and Language Therapist’s base. When the client’s information is taken out of the secure location, it will be kept with the Speech and Language Therapist or will be locked in the boot of the Speech and Language Therapist’s car (whichever is deemed to be the most secure at that time).
In accordance with law, all client records will be kept securely post-discharge until the client is 25 years old, or until clinical notes have been held for seven years following the discharge of the named client. During this time, they can be requested in writing at any point. Following this time, all clinical notes and information related to the client will be destroyed.
Meeting Our Professional Obligations
It is a legal requirement for all Speech and Language Therapists to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). The HCPC has clear standards of conduct, performance, and ethics that all registrants must adhere to.
These standards affect the way in which we process and share information, specifically:
Standard 9: Maintain records appropriately “9.1 keep full, clear and accurate records in accordance with applicable legislation, protocols and guidelines”.
For further information the full document can be found at: https://www.hcpcuk.org/standards/standards-of-proficiency/speech-and-language-therapists/
Health organisations must adhere to the Caldicott Principles which ensure that people’s information is kept confidential and used appropriately.
Principle 7: “The duty to share information for individual care is as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality”.
More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-caldicott-principles
UK Data Protection Law and EU General Data Protection Regulations
The Data Protection Act 2018 and The General Data Protection Regulations 2018 lays down wide-ranging rules, backed up by criminal sanctions, for the processing of information about identifiable, living individuals. It also gives individuals certain rights in relation to personal data held about them by others.
Abigail Uttley (Clinical Director) is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller. The ICO registration can be confirmed by visiting www.ico.org.uk
Our Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Information
Our lawful basis for processing and storing personal information is one of legitimate interest (under article 6 of GDPR). We cannot adequately deliver a service to the client without processing their personal information. As it is both a necessity for our service delivery and of benefit to the client, we have a legitimate interest to process and store their data.
Data relating to an individual’s health is classified as ‘Special Category Data’ under section 9 of the GDPR. The regulations specify that health professionals who are “legally bound to professional secrecy” may have a lawful basis for processing this data. Speech and Language Therapists are legally bound to keep client information confidential, and it is under this condition that we process and store personal information.
Our Responsibilities
We are committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of the individual’s records. We actively implement security measures to ensure their information is safe, and audit these regularly.
We will not release personal details to any third party without first seeking your consent unless this is allowed for or required by law.
We are constantly working to ensure compliance with current data protection regulation.
In event of the death or incapacity of Abigail Uttley, a trusted and experienced Speech and Language will be appointed as Clinical Executor to inform clients and would therefore have access to client data to carry out this role.
In the event of Abigail Uttley going unexpectedly missing during a working day, her next of kin would gain access to her diary including client names and addresses in order to locate her and be reassured of her safety. Her next of kin would only access pertinent and relevant client information once all other attempts at contact have been made.
Your Rights
Data protection legislation gives the parent or next of kin (if the client is deemed not to have capacity), various rights. The most important of these are as follows:
– You have the right to a copy of information we hold about the client.
– You have the right to ask for your record to be amended if you believe that it is wrong.
You can access the information we hold about you by writing to Said Differently Speech & Language Therapy Services (address will be supplied at point of contact).
How to Access Client Records
Please contact us by telephone or email for the address and once supplied, please apply in writing rather than by email, so that we receive an original signature to compare against the records we hold.
Client records can also be requested in writing by their litigation team as required for medicolegal cases. Permission is sought for this by the client or their family member at the time of referral.
A copy of the client’s records is provided free of charge. We will provide access to the client’s records within 30 days of receipt of all necessary information.
If you have any further questions about how we use your information, please contact us at
Further information about data protection legislation and your rights is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office or by calling 0303 123 1113, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Privacy Policy – Updated October 2025.