Personal data is another way to describe personal information. It is any information that is about you that allows you to be identified. Personal data covers simple information such as your name, email and phone number, but it also covers more detailed information such as reference numbers, your location, and other identifiers used by computers.
To find out more about how HC-One uses your personal information please click on the sections below.
The majority of personal information we collect about you, will come from you and your family when you come to live with us, or when your family is choosing a care home. When your family come to visit you, they will need to give us some information so we know they are visiting.
As we get to know more about you, we will collect more information about you so that the kind care we provide, is as person-centred as possible. We will also obtain information from your GP and other health professionals relating to your health.
By law, we have to keep certain personal information so that Inspectors and other third-party organisations can see that we provide you with kind, person-centred care.
HC-One may collect these kinds of personal information about you:
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Basic information, such as name, address, date of birth, phone number and email;
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Financial information, such has how your care is paid for, and any past payments you have made;
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Information about you and your family, such as your next of kin, your partner or spouse, your children and how to get in touch with them;
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Information about your preferences and interests, such as hobbies, likes and dislikes, routines and habits;
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Visual images, such as copies of identification and photographs of you;
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Details of any services you have received from us in the past;
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Information we receive from other sources, such as government departments and your doctor;
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Dates and times of visits your family have made to you;
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Letters we have sent to you or your family about you.
Collecting sensitive information about you
HC-One may also need to collect some information about you which is particularly sensitive. This type of information is called special category personal data. The law
says we can only collect and use this kind of information for very specific legal reasons, such as providing your care and helping other organisations with their functions, such safeguarding. HC-One will only collect and use this information where it is essential for our work.
Types of special category personal data that HC-One may collect and use:
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Information about your health that is used to provide you with appropriate care and treatment when living in our care homes;
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Information about your views and beliefs;
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Information about your cultural identity;
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Information about your relationships;
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Information that is about who you are.
Collecting information from other people
Sometimes, HC-One may need to collect your data from other people. These will include:
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Government departments;
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National regulators;
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The National Health Service (NHS), your Doctor and healthcare providers;
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Organisations responsible for funding and organising care;
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The Emergency services; or
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HC-One suppliers and local services.
As your care provider, we need to use personal information to deliver kind, person-centred care to you. The information will form part of your care plan, which will sometimes be held on a computer. People will only be allowed to access your information when they are involved in your care, or they are managing care for HC-One.
Your personal information can be used for any of the following purposes:
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Providing and managing your account;
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Supplying our services to you. Your personal details are needed in order for us to enter into a contract with you;
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Providing you with kind care that is person-centred and appropriate to your needs;
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Disclosing information to an appropriate regulator to inform them of certain incidents as required under the law;
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Communicating with you. This may include responding to emails or calls from you;
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Disclosing information to a Coroner, the Police or Safeguarding where they need to conduct a formal investigation
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Supplying you with information by email AND/OR post that you have opted-in to (you may unsubscribe or opt-out at any time by contacting us).
Legal reasons for obtaining and using your personal information
HC-One must have a legal reason to collect and use your information. We will use different reasons, depending upon its purpose. This will be explained to you when, or as soon as possible after, we collect your information, or when it is given to us by someone else. The reasons we use are:
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In order to fulfil the contract to provide you with care;
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In order for HC-One to comply with the law and other regulatory requirements;
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In order to protect your life in an emergency;
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In order to act in the public interest;
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In order to fulfil HC-One's accepted interests; or,
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Where we have your consent to use your information.
Where HC-One must use information that is particularly sensitive, HC-One must have additional legal reasons to collect and use your information. These are:
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In order to provide you with kind, person-centred care;
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In order to protect the wider health of everyone, including you;
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In order to protect your life when you cannot give permission;
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In order to act in a significant public interest, such as safeguarding;
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In order to allow fairness in legal matters;
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We have explicit consent to use your information.
On occasions, HC-One may be asked to give your personal information or need to collect it from other organisations. These can include:
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Government departments;
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National regulators
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The National Health Service (NHS), your Doctor and healthcare providers;
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Organisations responsible for funding and organising care
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The emergency services;
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HC-One suppliers and local services such as funeral directors.
Any companies we employ who use your personal information are responsible to you through legal agreements with HC-One around Data Protection.
Click [here] to see the organisations we work with along with links to the Privacy Statements of some of these organisations.
HC-One will only seek consent/permission to collect, use and share your personal information where you have freedom of choice about how your information is used, such as when you are completing a survey or questionnaire, where we send information about our services (see section 12), or where we would like to use your images on our website, social media or promotional materials.
Where you do not have such freedom over how your information is used, we will use a different legal reason to collect, use and store your information.
If you decide not to provide us with your information, this can make it difficult for us to provide you with kind, person-centred care, that meets your needs.
We will normally only share your personal information with your knowledge and where it is needed and when we have a legal reason. Most sharing will be with other professionals and agencies involved with your direct care and treatment, such as a General Practitioner.
If you do not want other organisations that are not involved with your direct care to see your personal information, please tell your Home Manager. We can then record your wishes and third parties will look to respect your wishes where they can.
Please remember that occasionally, HC-One will be required to share certain personal information with a third party by law. For example, we are required by law to tell the care regulators if you suffer an injury. We will always look to provide this information in a way that reduces any risks to your privacy, but this is not always possible.
Further information about your specific data protection rights can be found here
Most information relating to a person’s care is stored within the UK only. These will be in hardcopy, or electronic systems.
However, in some cases, our suppliers may store your personal information outside of the UK. For more details on the companies we use click here.
Personal information that we are no longer using is kept securely only for as long as it is needed, or is required by law, before being safely destroyed.
The duration for which your personal information is kept will depend on our reason for collecting it and is defined in HC-One’s “Records Retention and Destruction Schedule Procedure”. We will make this available upon request.
Keeping your personal information secure is an important principle of Data Protection, and we take the following steps to protect your information which includes:
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Necessary measures to ensure personal information is protected;
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All electronic data transferred through our systems is encrypted;
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Information is not used for any purpose other than as agreed upon in our terms and conditions;
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Protect your data from loss.
Our systems are checked and audited regularly by experts to ensure they meet all privacy standards, are protected through strong passwords and encryption and comply with our general data protection security and protection policies.
HC-One uses CCTV in some of its care homes in order to provide reassurance to Residents and their Relatives, protect homes from unlawful intrusion and assist whistleblowers who may have raised concerns. Cameras are only to be used in communal areas, other than in exceptional circumstances. All HC-One homes using CCTV will:
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Consult with all Residents and their Relatives prior to installation;
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Have considered the impacts and risks of CCTV, which will have been agreed by the Data Protection Officer;
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Have appropriate signs informing all who enter that CCTV is in use in the home;
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Have appropriate security of the CCTV equipment, including encryption to prevent unlawful access to any footage
If you have concerns about the use of CCTV, please speak to the Home Manager in the first instance.
Only where you choose to, we may use your personal information to keep you updated about HC-One and our homes. This can be sent to you by email, telephone, text message and post. This will usually be information, news and offers about our services.
We do not want to send you information that you do not want, so if you change your mind, you can tell us to stop sending you information by using the link in our email, or the contact details below.
We will never share or sell your personal information to any third parties for marketing purposes.
HC-One uses social media to keep Relatives, who aren’t always able to visit, up to date with what is going on in our homes. We will never use photographs of Residents, their families or our staff without seeking permission to do so.
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
If you need to contact us about anything relating to your personal information, or would like to be provided with a copy, you can speak to us by:
Writing to us: The Data Protection Officer
HC-One
Southgate House
Archer Street
Darlington
DL3 6AH
Emailing us: [email protected]
Telephoning us: 01325 351100
HC-One must by law have a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who ensures that
HC-One only uses your data according to the law. Our DPO is Russell Wynn and our deputy DPO is Louise Garrett-Cox. Should you need to speak to them, please use the details above.
We may change this Privacy Notice from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes, or if we change our business in a way that affects how we protect your information.
Any changes will be made available on the General Privacy Policy page on our website.
If you have any concerns about the way in which we are using your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer using the details above, and we will endeavour to address your concern.
However, you do also have the right to complain about how we treat your personal information to the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”).
Information Commissioners Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
[email protected]
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Fax: 01625 524510