Holmcroft Road,
Stafford,
ST16 1JG

Website Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

1.1 We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors.

1.2 This policy applies where we are acting as a data controller with respect to the personal data of our website visitors; in other words, where we determine the purposes and means of the processing of that personal data.

1.3 We use cookies on our website. Insofar as those cookies are not strictly necessary for the provision of our website, we will ask you to consent to our use of cookies when you first visit our website.

1.4 In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust. For more information about us, see Section 12.

1.5 This policy applies to the personal data processed by our website, it should be read in conjunction with our Practice Privacy Policy (Data Protection Privacy Notice for Patients) available here.

2. Credit

2.1 This document was created using a template from SEQ Legal (https://seqlegal.com).

3. How we use your personal data

3.1 In this Section 3 we have set out:

(a) the general categories of personal data that we may process;

(b) the purposes for which we may process personal data; and

(c) the legal bases of the processing.

3.2 We may process data about your use of our website ("usage data"). The usage data may include your IP address, geographical location, browser type and version, operating system, referral source, length of visit, page views and website navigation paths, as well as information about the timing, frequency and pattern of your service use. The source of the usage data is our analytics tracking system. This usage data may be processed for the purposes of analysing the use of the website. The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interests, namely monitoring and improving our website.

3.3 We may process information that you provide to us for the purpose of subscribing to our email notifications and/or newsletters ("notification data"). The notification data may be processed for the purposes of sending you the relevant notifications and/or newsletters. The legal basis for this processing is consent.

3.4 We may process information contained in or relating to any communication that you send to us ("correspondence data"). The correspondence data may include the communication content and metadata associated with the communication. Our website will generate the metadata associated with communications made using the website contact forms. The correspondence data may be processed for the purposes of communicating with you and record-keeping. The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interests, namely the proper administration of our website and business and communications with users.

3.5 We may process ("health data"). This data may include IP address, patient no, part of your name, date of birth, ethnicity, gender, email address, telephone number(s), travel plan, medical history, vaccination history, blood pressures, smoking status, alcohol consumption, carer status, biometrics (eg. height, weight, waist size), repeat medication, appointment date / time, doctor name. This data may be processed for updating your health record to facilitate the care you receive. The legal basis for this processing is consent.

3.6 We may process ("survey data"). This data may include IP address, date of birth, answers to questions about our service. This data may be processed for audit to monitor the quality of the service provided and anonymised for publication on our website. The legal basis for this processing consent.

3.7 We may process any of your personal data identified in this policy where necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, whether in court proceedings or in an administrative or out-of-court procedure. The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interests, namely the protection and assertion of our legal rights, your legal rights and the legal rights of others.

3.8 We may process any of your personal data identified in this policy where necessary for the purposes of obtaining professional advice. The legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interests, namely the proper protection of our business against risks.

3.9 In addition to the specific purposes for which we may process your personal data set out in this Section 3, we may also process any of your personal data where such processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject, or in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person.

3.10 Please do not supply any other person's personal data to us, unless we prompt you to do so.

4. Providing your personal data to others

4.1 We may disclose your personal data to our professional advisers insofar as reasonably necessary for the purposes of obtaining professional advice, or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, whether in court proceedings or in an administrative or out-of-court procedure.

4.2 We may disclose usage data, notification data, correspondence data, health data and survey data to our suppliers or subcontractors insofar as reasonably necessary for the updating your health record to facilitate the care you receive, audit to monitor the quality of the service provided, or technical support of our website.

4.3 In addition to the specific disclosures of personal data set out in this Section 4, we may disclose your personal data where such disclosure is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject, or in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person. We may also disclose your personal data where such disclosure is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, whether in court proceedings or in an administrative or out-of-court procedure.

5. Retaining and deleting personal data

5.1 This Section 5 sets out our data retention policies and procedure, which are designed to help ensure that we comply with our legal obligations in relation to the retention and deletion of personal data.

5.2 Personal data that we process for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.

5.3 We will retain your personal data as follows:

(a) Usage data will be retained for a maximum period of one year following date of initial storage.

(b) Correspondence data is not retained by our website.

(c) Health data will be retained for no longer than 90 days following date of initial storage.

(d) Survey data will be retained for a maximum period of 90 days following date of initial storage.

5.4 In some cases it is not possible for us to specify in advance the periods for which your personal data will be retained. In such cases, we will determine the period of retention based on the following criteria:

(a) Notification data will be retained until it becomes invalid or you inform us in writing that you require us to delete it.

5.5 Personal data may be transferred to our practice system(s) for further processing and as such is subject to our Practice Privacy Policy, see section 1 for further information.

5.6 Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 5, we may retain your personal data where such retention is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject, or in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interests of another natural person.

6. Amendments

6.1 We may update this policy from time to time by publishing a new version on our website.

6.2 You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are happy with any changes to this policy.

6.3 We may notify you of significant changes to this policy through the news page on our website.

7. Your rights

7.1 In this Section 7, we have summarised the rights that you have under data protection law. Some of the rights are complex, and not all of the details have been included in our summaries. Accordingly, you should read the relevant laws and guidance from the regulatory authorities for a full explanation of these rights.

7.2 Your principal rights under data protection law are:

(a) the right to access;

(b) the right to rectification;

(c) the right to erasure;

(d) the right to restrict processing;

(e) the right to object to processing;

(f) the right to data portability;

(g) the right to complain to a supervisory authority; and

(h) the right to withdraw consent.

7.3 You have the right to confirmation as to whether or not we process your personal data and, where we do, access to the personal data, together with certain additional information. That additional information includes details of the purposes of the processing, the categories of personal data concerned and the recipients of the personal data. Providing the rights and freedoms of others are not affected, we will supply to you a copy of your personal data. The first copy will be provided free of charge, but additional copies may be subject to a reasonable fee.

7.4 You have the right to have any inaccurate personal data about you rectified and, taking into account the purposes of the processing, to have any incomplete personal data about you completed.

7.5 In some circumstances you have the right to the erasure of your personal data without undue delay. Those circumstances include: the personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed; you withdraw consent to consent-based processing; you object to the processing under certain rules of applicable data protection law; and the personal data have been unlawfully processed. However, there are exclusions of the right to erasure. The general exclusions include where processing is necessary: for compliance with a legal obligation; or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

7.6 In some circumstances you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data. Those circumstances are: you contest the accuracy of the personal data; processing is unlawful but you oppose erasure; we no longer need the personal data for the purposes of our processing, but you require personal data for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; and you have objected to processing, pending the verification of that objection. Where processing has been restricted on this basis, we may continue to store your personal data. However, we will only otherwise process it: with your consent; for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person; or for reasons of important public interest.

7.7 You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data on grounds relating to your particular situation, but only to the extent that the legal basis for the processing is that the processing is necessary for: the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of any official authority vested in us; or the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or by a third party. If you make such an objection, we will cease to process the personal information unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

7.8 To the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal data is:

(a) consent; or

(b) that the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party or in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract,

and such processing is carried out by automated means, you have the right to receive your personal data from us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. However, this right does not apply where it would adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others.

7.9 If you consider that our processing of your personal information infringes data protection laws, you have a legal right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.

7.10 To the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal information is consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.

7.11 You may exercise any of your rights in relation to your personal data by written notice to us.

8. About cookies

8.1 Please see our Cookie Policy document for further information.

9. Cookies that we use

9.1 Please see our Cookie Policy document for further information.

10. Cookies used by our service providers

10.1 Please see our Cookie Policy document for further information.

11. Managing cookies

11.1 Please see our Cookie Policy document for further information.

12. Our details

12.1 This website is operated by North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust a partnership of Not Applicable.

12.2 Our principal place of business is at Lawton House, Bellringer Road, Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8HH.

12.3 You can contact us:

(a) by post, to the postal address given above; or

(b) by telephone using the 0300 123 1535.

13. Data protection officer

13.1 Our data protection officer's contact details are: Mrs Liz Griffiths, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, Telephone: 0300 123 1535.