Privacy & Cookie Policies

This website is operated by Caring Homes Group Limited (CHG). We were established in 1994, and are a leading care provider within the UK.

Please read this notice carefully as it explains how Caring Homes Group (CHG) uses the personal information that you provide to us during any method of contact (for example, by email, phone, online forms and by using any of our services)

If you have any questions about this, please contact our Data Protection Officer (D.Crossfield) [email protected].

There are ‘first party’ and ‘third party’ cookies. Cookies set and controlled by the operator of a website (such as Caring Homes Group) are known as ‘first party’ cookies. Cookies that are used for advertising such as display advertising (such as Facebook) are known as ‘third party’ cookies.

There are two types of browsing cookies:

• Session cookies: these are temporary cookies that exist only while you are using a website. Examples of uses of a session cookie would be to remember navigation history of pages, remember search settings and content of shopping baskets within an online shop. These cookies expire when the browser is closed.
• Permanent (or persistent) cookies: these remain in operation, even when you have closed the browser. They remember your choices so you don’t have to type them in every time you use the site. Permanent cookies help us identify you as a unique visitor but don’t contain information that could be used to identify you to another person.

Caring Homes Group uses cookies to assist us in tracking basic visitor information, learn about the behaviour of the users of our website, identify how users respond to our marketing and advertising as well as research for future marketing and enhancing our customer journeys.

None of the cookies used by this website will collect your personal information. Any information contained within our cookies cannot be used to personally identify you.

A visit to our website may generate the following types of cookies:

• Analytic and Performance cookies
• Tracking cookies

These cookies are used to track navigation through our website, and deliver consistent experiences across all page visits. Examples include:

• Video streaming speeds that are compatible with your browser
• Number of visits to a page
• Which terms/keywords were last used when searching for care homes

These cookies can tell us if you have visited our website before. Your browser will tell us if you have these cookies and, if you don’t, we generate new ones. This allows us to track how many individual visitors we have, how often they visit and where they originated from.

This table above tells you more about the cookies we use.

Caring Homes may disclose data collected from cookies such as visits to our websites, trends in visitors and marketing campaign results to third parties. This will be in an anonymous form for research and statistical purposes only to assist us in optimising our websites and efficiently targeting advertising and marketing.

Cookies allow you to take advantage of a websites essential features and can provide you with an enhanced journey whilst using different websites. Therefore, we recommend that you leave them turned on. However, if you wish to restrict or block the cookies set by our website, or any other website, you can do this through your browser settings. The ‘Help’ function within your browser should tell you how.

Useful links regarding managing cookies can found as follows,
Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in Firefox
Cookie settings in Chrome
Cookie settings in Safari web and iOS.

Alternatively, you could visit www.aboutcookies.org, which contains comprehensive information on cookies within a wide variety of browsers. You will also find details on how to delete cookies from your computer. To learn about controlling cookies on the browser of your mobile device please refer to your handset manual.

We process personal data about enquirers, residents, and individuals we support before, during and after their contact with us. This processing is required to support our business interests and to fulfil our legal and contractual obligations that are compliant with The UK & EU General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) (EU GDPR), UK Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA2018) and Caldicott Principles including guidance from the 10 data security standards, which include:

• Providing services to our enquirers, residents, and individuals we support, recording what services we have provided;
• Managing the health, welfare, safety and security of our residents and individuals we support;
• Handling enquiries, complaints, and investigations;
• Monitoring and improving the quality of our services;
• Using Legitimate interests for researching and understanding the needs of our target audience and to improve our marketing effectiveness;
• Working with our partners such as recruiting sites and providers to improve the quality of our services.

We also process personal data about job applicants, current and former employees, service providers, and other groups of individuals during our business operations, and this data is subject to our internal privacy policies.

We collect personal data you provide to us when you enquire, work in, or use any of our services, for example:

• Enquiry: Personal details (name, gender, age etc.), contact information (home address, phone number, email address etc.), details of your interests and communications preferences;
• Residents: Personal details, contact information, financial details, relative, or next of kin, care needs;
• Complaints: Personal details, contact information, enquiry, or complaint details;
• Health & Welfare: Medical, dietary and mobility details provided to us before, during or after any stay with us in one of our services;
• Surveys & Market Research: Responses to post-enquirer surveys and market research surveys.
• Job Applications: Responses to Job applications, including contact details, CV’s and other personal information provided.

Your information may be converted into statistical or aggregated data in such a way as to ensure that you are not identified or identifiable from its content. This aggregated data cannot be linked back to you as an individual. The methods used to protect this data is encryption, pseudonymisation and anonymisation.

We may share your information with:

When you are a resident in one of our services with;

• A sponsor to organise payment of fees.
• Your next of kin or named family member.
• Any person that you have appointed to act on your behalf pursuant to a valid Power of Attorney or allied professionals and other health care providers in the case of an emergency.

or with;

• Organisations and consultants providing contracted services to us (for example, information technology service providers who provide and maintain our systems and our website hosting). Where these companies and consultants do provide services to us, we will only use your information in compliance with the UK & EU General Data Protection Regulation, UK Data Protection Act 2018, and the Caldicott Principles. Organisations that we work with are: Campaign Monitor.
• The courts in the United Kingdom or abroad as necessary to comply with a legal requirement, for the administration of justice, to protect vital interests and to protect the security or integrity of our business operations.
• A third-party company, for example when providing a reference for a former employee, or if a resident who transfers to another service provider. This transfer of data would only take place in accordance with strict compliancy criterion which is transparently conducted.

We only store your information on servers located within the United Kingdom or European Economic Area (EEA). Any third parties that we share your data with are also required to be located within the UK or EEA and are UK & EU GDPR, DPA2018 compliant. These servers are fully protected and encrypted.

As part of our process, we carry out and document full Data Protection Impact Assessments on systems and implement changes based on its outcomes.

Residents:

• If you participate in any pre-admission assessment but do not go on to become a resident within CHG, we will only keep your information for as long as it is lawfully necessary to enable compliance with our legal and contractual obligations and any related legislations.
• If you become a resident at a CHG, we will keep your information for as long as you continue to be a resident, and then depending on certain circumstances, for 7 years after your contract has ended.
• All the information we hold is secured, kept confidential and protected with the use of strict processes and policies such as access restrictions and encryption that are in line with UK & EU GDPR, DPA2018 and the Caldicott Principles

Job Applicants
Information provided by candidates that are unsuccessful in their application for employment, such as CV’s, shall be securely deleted after 12 months, unless we are given permission to keep the data for a longer period.

• You have enhanced rights under the new act in respect of the information we hold subject to some exemptions.

Please note that the way we process your information and the legal basis on which we rely on to process it affects the extent to which these rights apply.

These rights are the:

• Right to be informed about the processing of your information (this is what this notice sets out to do);
• Right to have your information corrected if it is inaccurate and to have incomplete information completed;
• Right to object to processing of your information;
• Right to withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on it to process your information;
• Right to restrict processing of your information;
• Right to have your information erased;
• Right to request access to your information and information about how we process it;
• Right to move, copy or transfer your information; and
• Right to automated decision making, including profiling.

If you would like to discuss or exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided both at the top and bottom of this Privacy Policy.

Where you believe your information has or is being used in a way that you believe does not comply with data protection law. You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. We encourage you to contact us before making any complaint and we will seek to fully resolve any issues or concerns you may have.

You can also contact our Data Protection Officer, D.Crossfield, with any data protection concerns at [email protected].

The information that you provide to us as part of your application will be used by us to assess your suitability for the job for which you are applying.

We are collecting information about you which is relevant to our consideration of your application for employment. This includes:

• Personal details (such as name, date of birth, gender, marital status, national insurance number);
• Contact details (such as your address, personal telephone number and personal email address);
• Confirmation of your identity (such as a copy of your driving license);
• Recruitment information (such as copies of right to work documents, references and other information included in a CV or cover letter or as part of the application process); information about your family and others (such as dependents, next of kin and emergency contact numbers); information about your previous employment (such as job titles, work history, working hours, training records, professional memberships, disciplinary information / compensation history); and any other information you provide to us during an interview.

Special categories of personal data
Some of the information which we collect may be specified under UK & EU GDPR as “special categories of personal data”, and as such require a greater level of protection.

If we are required to collect this category of data, you will be informed of the specific reason why this is required. Where there is a legal obligation to collect such information, this will be clearly stated at the time of collection.

As part of the recruitment process we may obtain information from:

• YOU directly as part of the recruitment process.
• Employment agencies.
• Job boards such as Reed and Indeed.
• Background check providers;
• Former employers / referees;

How your information may be used

• Assessment – to assess your skills, qualifications and suitability for the role you have applied for
• Contract – It is necessary in order for us to take steps to enter into a contract with you.
• Legal obligations – It is necessary to meet legal / regulatory obligations
• Employment – It is necessary for us to carry out our rights and obligations as your potential employer
• Communication – to communicate with you during the recruitment process;
• Records – to keep records of our hiring processes
• Monitoring – to comply with our legal obligations such as to prevent fraud and equal opportunities monitoring. Legal obligations: It is necessary to meet legal / regulatory obligations
• Adjustments – to consider whether we need to provide appropriate disability adjustments during the recruitment process, for example whether adjustments need to be made during a test or interview, to comply with our legal obligations as an employer and where it is needed in the public interest (such as equal opportunities monitoring)
• Health – It is necessary to assess the working capacity of potential employees

We have a duty of care to ensure the people we employ have no history that would indicate they are unsuitable to work with vulnerable people. Where appropriate we will collect information about criminal convictions as part of the recruitment process such as background and reference checks, these may include:

• Disclosure and Barring Service check
• Checking you are legally entitled to work in the UK

(We will use information about criminal convictions and offences to assess whether you are a fit and proper person to work for us, and to protect our vulnerable people from assault, abuse, theft of possession or any other detriment at the hands of unsuitable employees)

We are allowed to use your personal information in this way to carry out our obligations as your potential employer and because it is necessary to meet legal / regulatory obligations.

Sharing your Information

We will only share your personal information with third parties where we are required to do so by law, or where there is a legitimate interest in doing so.

Which third-party service providers process my personal information?
As a “Data Controller” (legal term under the UK Data Protection Act 2018) we are required to ensure that we only share data with third parties who fully meet the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act 2018. These third parties are Called “Data processors” and we will only share data with them, if they are fully compliant. This includes:

3DMAR Comms – They will host the recruitment portal that you use to apply for jobs with us.

Where you have used other third parties to provide information in pursuance of employment, they will be “Data Controller” in their own right, and as such will protect your data in a lawful manner.

We will not transfer your data outside of the EU, where data protections laws are not compliant with EU regulations.

We typically will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was originally collected. Should we require to use it for other purposes, where we do not have a legitimate interest, we will seek your permission first.

If your application is unsuccessful we will only retain your personal information for as long as is necessary to fulfil contractual obligations with you, such as legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, for a maximum period of 12 months. You have rights under the UK Data Protection Act 2018 to ask us to delete this earlier if required.

We mention that you have new rights under the UK Data Protection Act 2018, these include:

• The right to be informed: Organisations need to tell individuals what data is being collected, how it’s being used, how long it will be kept and whether it will be shared with any third parties. This information must be communicated concisely and in plain language.

• The right to access: Individuals can submit Data Subject Access Request which oblige organisations to provide a copy of any personal data concerning the individual. Organisations have one month to produce this information, although there are exceptions for requests that are manifestly unfounded, repetitive or excessive.
• The right to rectification: If the individual discovers that the information an organisation holds on them is inaccurate or incomplete, they can request that it be updated. As with the right to access, organisations have one month to do this, and the same exceptions apply.

• The right to erasure (also known as ‘the right to be forgotten’): Individuals can request that organisations erase their data in certain circumstances, such as when the data is no longer necessary, the data was unlawfully processed or it no longer meets the lawful ground for which it was collected. This includes instances where the individual withdraws consent.

• The right to restrict processing: Individuals can request that organisations limit the way an organisation uses personal data. It’s an alternative to requesting the erasure of data, and might be used when the individual contests the accuracy of their personal data or when the individual no longer needs the information but the organisation requires it to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

• The right to data portability: Individuals are permitted to obtain and reuse their personal data for their own purposes across different services. This right only applies to personal data that an individual has provided to data controllers by way of a contract or consent.

• The right to object: Individuals can object to the processing of personal data that is collected on the grounds of legitimate interests or the performance of a task in the interest/exercise of official authority. Organisations must stop processing information unless they can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing that overrides the interests, rights and freedoms of the individual or if the processing is for the establishment or exercise of defence of legal claims.

• Rights related to automated decision making including profiling: The UK Data Protection Act includes provisions for decisions made with no human involvement, such as profiling, which uses personal data to make calculated assumptions about individuals. There are strict rules about this kind of processing, and individuals are permitted to challenge and request a review of the processing if they believe the rules aren’t being followed.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us on [email protected] or calling 01206 258 900. Once we have received notification that you have withdrawn your consent, we will no longer process your information for the purpose or purposes you originally agreed to, unless we have another legitimate basis for doing so in law. Our Data Protection Officer can also be contacted on [email protected].