- 1. Who we are
- 2. What this policy covers
- 3. The information we collect
- 4. How we use it, and our lawful basis
- 5. Health and care information
- 6. Who we share it with
- 7. Where your information is stored
- 8. How long we keep it
- 9. How we keep it safe
- 10. Your rights
- 11. Cookies
- 12. Links to other websites
- 13. Changes to this policy
1. Who we are
Simcroft Care Ltd ("Simcroft Care", "we", "us") is a new home care provider based in Hounslow, West London, currently registering with the Care Quality Commission. We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.
- Company number 16690522, registered in England and Wales
- Registered office: 6 Leeland Road, Ealing, London W13 9HH
- Trading address: 19 Greencroft Road, Hounslow, Middlesex TW5 0BQ
- Registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), registration number ZC022384
Questions about this policy or your information should go to our data protection lead, Jaspreet Singh Chahal, Director, at [email protected] or on 020 8570 1055.
2. What this policy covers
This policy explains how we handle personal information about people who visit this website, or who contact us through it, by phone or by email. People who receive care from us, and their representatives, are given a separate privacy notice as part of their care agreement, which explains how we handle care records in detail.
3. The information we collect
Information you give us
When you fill in our enquiry form, call us or email us, we collect what you choose to share, which may include your name, phone number, email address, who the care is for, and anything you tell us about the care you are looking for.
Information collected automatically
Our hosting provider keeps standard server logs, which record the IP address, browser type, pages requested and the date and time of each request. These are used to keep the site secure and running. If analytics are switched on and you accept analytics cookies, we also collect information about how the site is used, linked to a random identifier assigned to your browser rather than to your name, as described in section 11.
4. How we use it, and our lawful basis
| What we do | Why we are allowed to |
|---|---|
| Respond to your enquiry and arrange a conversation or home visit | Taking steps at your request before entering into a care agreement, and our legitimate interest in responding to people who contact us |
| Assess, plan and provide care once you decide to use our service | Performance of the care agreement, our legal obligations as a care provider regulated by the Care Quality Commission (once our registration is granted), and, for health information, the provision of health and social care |
| Keep records required by law and by the Care Quality Commission | Our legal obligations |
| Keep the website secure and understand how it is used | Our legitimate interest in running a safe, useful website; analytics cookies only with your consent |
| Contact you about our services in future | Only with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for automated decision-making.
5. Health and care information
If you tell us about someone's health, disability or care needs, that is special category information under data protection law. We treat it with particular care: we only use it to understand, assess and plan the care being asked about, we store it securely, and we only share it with people involved in that care, as described below. If you are enquiring on behalf of someone else, please only share what is needed to answer your enquiry, and let them know you have contacted us where you can.
Our condition for using this information is that it is necessary for health or social care purposes and is handled under a duty of confidentiality (Article 9(2)(h) of the UK GDPR and Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018). Where you tell us about someone's health before any care arrangement exists, we also rely on the explicit consent you give by choosing to share it, which you can withdraw at any time by contacting us.
6. Who we share it with
We share personal information only where it is needed to run our service, and only with organisations that are bound to keep it secure:
- Our website hosting provider and the service that delivers enquiry form messages to us
- Our email, telephone and care-planning software providers
- Our analytics provider, only if analytics are switched on and you accept analytics cookies
- Health and social care professionals involved in your care, such as your GP or social worker, where you ask us to or where your care requires it
- The local authority, where it funds or arranges your care
- The Care Quality Commission and other regulators, where we are required to
- The police, safeguarding teams or other authorities, where the law requires it or where someone is at risk of serious harm
7. Where your information is stored
We aim to use providers that store information in the United Kingdom. Where a provider processes information outside the UK, we make sure it is protected by safeguards recognised under UK data protection law, such as an adequacy decision or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.
8. How long we keep it
- Enquiries that do not lead to care: up to 12 months from our last contact with you, so that we can pick up the conversation if you come back to us
- Care records: for as long as the law and the Care Quality Commission require, in line with our records retention policy
- Server logs and analytics data: in line with the retention settings of the provider, which we keep to the shortest practical period
9. How we keep it safe
Information sent through this website is encrypted in transit. Access to personal information is limited to the people who need it to do their jobs, who are trained in confidentiality and data protection. Paper records are kept in locked storage. We review our security arrangements regularly as part of our quality and governance processes.
10. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete
- ask us to delete information, where we no longer need it
- ask us to restrict how we use it, or object to our use of it
- receive the information you gave us in a portable format
- withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis for our using it
To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected] or write to us at our trading address. We will respond within one month. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. We would welcome the chance to put things right first.
11. Cookies
Cookies are small files stored on your device by your browser. This website can use two kinds. If you do not see a cookie banner when you visit, analytics are switched off and only the essential cookie below is used.
| Cookie | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
| sc_consent (essential) | Remembers whether you accepted or declined analytics cookies, so we don't ask again. The same choice is kept in your browser's local storage. | 12 months |
| _ga, _ga_* (analytics, Google Analytics) | Set only if analytics are switched on and you accept them. They help us see which pages are used and how people find the site, using a random identifier rather than your name. IP addresses are anonymised. | Up to 2 years |
You can change your choice at any time using the "Cookie settings" link at the bottom of every page, or by clearing cookies in your browser. Declining analytics cookies does not affect your use of the site.
12. Links to other websites
This website may link to other organisations' websites, such as the Care Quality Commission or the ICO. We are not responsible for their content or how they handle your information; please read their own privacy policies.
13. Changes to this policy
We review this policy at least once a year and whenever our service changes. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.