Eton House Privacy Policy

We understand that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used. We respect and value the privacy of all our residents, staff and visitors and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a way that is consistent with our values, our obligations and your rights under the law. This Privacy Policy explains how we use your personal data: how it is collected, how it is held, and how it is processed. It also explains your rights under the law relating to your personal data.

About Eton House

Limited company registered in England under company number

  • Registered address: 68 Eton Road, Datchet, Slough, Berkshire,SL3 9AY
  • Data Protection Officer: Jamie Munro (dpo@eton-house.co.uk)

Eton House is a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act 2018 for private Service Users and a Data Processor on behalf of several local Borough Councils including Windsor and Eton, Reading and Berkshire County Councils.

We are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Eton House completes the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit assessments and our latest submission of standards met can be found here.

What is Personal Data?

Personal data is defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679) (the “GDPR”) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.

Personal data is, in simpler terms, any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.

Personal Data we collect

We may collect some or all of the following personal data (this may vary according to your relationship with us):

  • basic personal information, including name and address, date of birth and contact details;
  • financial information, including account and transactional information and history;
  • information about you and your family (such as dependents, marital status, next of kin and contact details);
  • Information about your preferences and interests;
  • visual images (such as copies of passports);
  • details of any services you have received from us;
  • information we receive from other sources, such as government departments and healthcare providers;
  • our correspondence and communications with you;
  • a record of whether we have checked your vaccination status or your exemption status. We keep a copy of the proof of vaccination or exemption or the reason why you might be exempt.

Service Users - as a care provider, we must collect some personal information on our service users, including personal health information, which is essential to our being able to provide effective care and support. The information is contained in individual files (manual and electronic) and other record systems, all of which are subject to strict security and authorised access policies.

Employees and volunteers - the service operates a recruitment policy to comply with the egulations in which all personal information obtained, including CVs and references, is, as with service users information, securely kept, retained and disposed of in line with the Data Protection Act 2018. All employees are aware of their right to access any information about them.

Third parties - all personal information obtained about others associated with the delivery of the primary care service, including contractors and suppliers will be protected in the same way as information on service users and employees.

Sometimes your personal data is obtained from the following third parties (depending on your relationship with us):

  • HMRC, DWP and other government departments;
  • NHS, CQC and healthcare providers;
  • local authorities;
  • emergency services;
  • suppliers;

We may also process certain sensitive categories of information for specific and limited purposes, such as making our services accessible to service users. We will only process special categories of information where we’ve obtained your explicit consent or are otherwise lawfully permitted to do. This may include:

  • information about racial or ethnic origin, religious, political or philosophical beliefs;
  • physical or psychological health details or medical conditions;

What are your rights?

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

  1. The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This Privacy Notice should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions.
  2. The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
  3. The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete.
  4. The right to be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data (where our legal obligations allow us to do so).
  5. The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data (where our legal obligations allow us to do so).
  6. The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.
  7. The right to data portability. This means that, if you have provided personal data to us directly, we are using it with your consent or for the performance of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means, you can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business in many cases.
  8. Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not use your personal data in this way.

For more information about our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us.

In some instances, if you refuse to provide us with certain information when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have entered into with you (or someone for whom you are legally responsible). Alternatively, we may be unable to comply with our legal or regulatory obligations.

Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Information Commissioner's Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

How we collect information

As a Data Controller the majority of personal data we receive is collected directly from the Data Subject or their legal representative (e.g Service Users, employees or Third Parties) through conversations, physical or online forms.

As a Data Processor we will receive personal data from the relevant Data Controller (Local Authority) via a secure transfer method.

We will continue to collect personal data about Service Users as part of providing a high standard of ongoing care.

We collect personal data about Employees directly and with consent through such means as references, testimonials and criminal record (DBS) checks. When recruiting staff, we seek applicants’ explicit consent to obtain all the information needed for us to make a decision.

All personal data obtained to meet our regulatory requirements will always be treated in line with our explicit consent, data protection and confidentiality policies.

How we use Personal Data

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, we must always have a lawful basis for using personal data. This may be because the data is necessary for our performance of a contract, because we have consent to use personal data, or because it is in our legitimate business interests to use it. The personal data we hold may be used for any of the following purposes:

  1. providing and managing an account;
  2. supplying our services. Your personal details are required in order for us to enter into a contract with you or someone for whom you are a legal representative.
  3. personalising and tailoring our services for an individual Service User;
  4. communication This may include responding to emails or calls;
  5. 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);
  6. With your permission and/or where permitted by law, we may also use your personal data for marketing purposes, which may include contacting you by email/telephone/text message and post with information, news, and offers on our products and services. You will not be sent any unlawful marketing or spam. We will always work to fully protect your rights and comply with our obligations under the GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, and you will always have the opportunity to opt-out.

How long we retain Personal Data

Personal data that becomes inactive for any reason is kept securely only for as long as it is needed, before being securely destroyed.

We will not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. Your personal data will be kept for the following periods (or, where there is no fixed period, the following factors will be used to determine how long it is kept):

  • General records – 10 years. We may anonymise or pseudonymise the personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you, in which case we may use it without further notice to you;
  • financial records – 7 years;
  • medical and care records – 3 years from discharge;

How we store and process Personal Data

The security of your personal data is essential to us, and to protect your data, we take a number of important measures, including the following:

  • necessary technical measures to ensure personal data is protected;
  • regular staff training and auditing;
  • all sensitive personal data transferred is encrypted during transit and at its destination;
  • data is not processed for any purpose other than as agreed upon in our terms and conditions;
  • use only EU based cloud hosting platforms.

Our website and databases are regularly checked 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.

We do not transfer any personal data outside of the EU.

Sharing Personal Data

We only share the personal information of Service Users, Employees and others with their consent. Generally such sharing of Service User personal data is with other professionals and agencies involved with their care and treatment. Likewise, we would not disclose information about our employees without their explicit agreement, for example, when providing a reference.

In some limited circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain personal data, which might include yours, if we are involved in legal proceedings or complying with legal obligations, a court order, or the instructions of a government authority.

Where we provide information for statistical purposes, the information is aggregated and provided anonymously so that there is no privacy risk involved in its use.

If any of your personal data is required by a third party, as described above, we will take steps to ensure that your personal data is handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, our obligations, and the third party’s obligations under the law.

Eton House reviews all of our data processing on an annual basis to assess if the national data opt-out applies. This is recorded in our Record of Processing Activities. All new processing is assessed to see if the national data opt-out applies. If any data processing falls within scope of the National Data Opt-Out we use MESH to check if any of our service users have opted out of their data being used for this purpose.

At this time, we do not share any data for planning or research purposes for which the national data opt-out would apply. We review all of the confidential patient information we process on an annual basis to see if this is used for research and planning purposes. If it is, then individuals can decide to stop their information being shared for this purpose. You can find out more information here

How Can I Access My Personal Data?

If you want to know what personal data we have about you or someone for whom you are legally responsible, or would like to exercise any of your rights relating to personal data we hold you can submit a data subject access request by emailing dpo@eton-house.co.uk

There is not normally any charge for a subject access request. If your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (for example, if you make repetitive requests) a fee may be charged to cover our administrative costs in responding.

We will respond to your subject access request within 14 days and, in any case, not more than one month of receiving it. Normally, we aim to provide a complete response, including a copy of your personal data within that time. In some cases, however, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of our progress.

Changes to this Privacy Notice

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 personal data protection.

Any changes will be made available on the privacy policy page on our website.