Atlacare knows the record-retention rules for your country and applies them for you. You don't configure the periods by hand — they follow the country set on your organisation.
Where to see your retention settings
Go to Settings → GDPR & consent. The Data retention & authority card shows, for your country:
- Clinical records — the minimum years clinical data (notes, treatment plans, measurements) must be kept, measured from a patient's last treatment.
- Financial records — the minimum years invoices and payments must be kept.
- Digital consent age — the age at which a person can give consent themselves.
- Your supervisory authority — for example, the ICO in the United Kingdom.
The UK periods
In the UK, clinical records must be kept for 8 years from last treatment (per the NHS Records Management Code and CSP guidance), and financial records for 6 years. Some records, such as those for children, may need to be kept longer — check your professional body's guidance.
How retention affects erasure
Retention isn't just information — Atlacare enforces it. A patient's clinical records cannot be erased until their retention period has passed, calculated automatically from their last treatment date. This protects you from deleting records you're legally required to keep, even in response to an erasure request. See How do I handle a right-to-erasure request? for how that plays out.
Retention rules are a legal minimum, not advice for your specific situation. If you're unsure, check with your professional body or your supervisory authority. Questions about the feature itself? Use the Help button.