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Health and social care

Be Independent Privacy Notice

City of York Council (CYC) current data protection notification is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – reference Z5809563. We regularly review this privacy notice, and it was last updated in October 2024.

CYC is committed to ensuring that personal data is handled in accordance with the principles set out in data protection legislation and guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

This privacy notice tells you what to expect when we process your information, and it applies to Be Independent.

CYC is the controller for this information unless we specifically state otherwise in this privacy notice.

You can contact the council’s Data Protection Officer at:

West Offices
Station Rise
York
YO1 6GA

Telephone: 01904 554145.

Email: information.governance@york.gov.uk.

This privacy notice should be read in conjunction with other relevant CYC privacy notices and/or policies and procedures.

When appropriate we will provide a ‘just in time’ notice to cover any additional processing activities not mentioned in this document.


How we collect your information

We get information about you from the following sources:

  • directly from you
  • from third parties acting on your behalf such as family member(s), advocates, etc
  • from our commissioned partners or contractors who undertake work on our behalf such as home care agencies or residential homes. This is because they are delivering support on our behalf
  • from professionals such as GPs, occupational therapists, physios, etc
  • from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)

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What personal data we process and why

We process the following personal and special category data:

  • name
  • date of birth
  • address
  • telephone number
  • email address
  • residential information and access information
  • any medical information
  • details of your emergency, next of kin and family contacts
  • bank account details

We will only ask you for the information that is necessary to provide you with the service you are contacting us about.

We collect and use your information to:

  • deliver the product or service you have requested
  • fulfil contractual obligations
  • issue a unique identifier (account number/log in)
  • manage internal record keeping

We may use the information to create reports and statistics that are anonymous and cannot be linked back to you or individuals, such as:

  • informing market development
  • statistical analysis
  • statutory returns
  • knowing we're delivering care to the right people
  • ensuring service quality

We may ask you to take part in surveys, consultation, or other events to get your feedback and opinions on our services. When we do this, we will ask for your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time by email: be.independent@york.gov.uk.

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Automated decision-making

We do not carry out any automated decision-making in Be Independent.

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Collecting information automatically

Please see our Cookies Policy for further information about the information we collect automatically when you use our website.

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Children’s information

Where we provide services directly to children or young people, the information in the relevant parts of this notice applies to children and young people, as well as adults.

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Lawful basis for processing your personal data

Any personal data including special category data that we process about individuals is done so in accordance with Article 6 and 9 of the UK GDPR and Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).

The legal basis for processing your personal data and special category data is in accordance with the following:

  • Article 6(1)
    • (a) Consent: the individual has given clear consent for the council to process their personal data for a specific purpose.
    • (b) Contract: the processing is necessary for a contract the council has with the individual, or because they have asked the council to take specific steps before entering into a contract.
    • (c) Legal obligation: the processing is necessary for the council to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations).
    • (e) Public task: the processing is necessary for the council to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.
    • (f) Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for the council’s legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests. (This cannot apply if you are a public authority processing data to perform your official tasks.)
  • Article 9(2)
    • (a) Explicit consent
    • (b) Employment, social security and social protection (if authorised by law)
    • (g) Reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law)
    • (h) Health or social care (with a basis in law)

This is supported by Schedule1, Part 2 (6) of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the following legal framework:

Some of the Schedule 1 conditions for processing special category data require an Appropriate Policy Document (APD) to be in place, which sets out and explains the procedures for securing compliance with the principles in Article 5 and policies regarding the retention and erasure of such personal data. This document explains this processing and satisfies the requirements of Schedule 1, Part 4 of the DPA 2018 and supplements this privacy notice.

Our Appropriate Policy Document provides further information about this processing.

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How long we keep your personal data

We will only keep your information for as long as it is needed and then it will be securely and confidentially destroyed or deleted.

You can find more details about how long the council keeps records in the council retention schedule.

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Data sharing

We will only share your information with other council services where it is appropriate to do so. We may also share information about you with third parties including our data processors, contractors, government agencies and auditors.

In some circumstances, such as under a court order or safeguarding, we are legally obliged to share information.

We will always satisfy ourselves that we have a lawful basis on which to share the information and document our decision-making.

Additionally, we are required under the Public Records Act 1958 (as amended) to transfer records to the City or National Archives (TNA) for permanent preservation. Full consideration will be given to Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation when making decisions about whether such records should be open to the public.

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Data processors and/or third parties

When we have third parties providing parts or all of our services for us, we have contracts or agreements in place with them. These include: 

  • If you have the use of a mechanised piece of equipment on loan from us, we are required to have this equipment Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) inspected and serviced. In these instances, we will pass your contact details only to our approved external service and maintenance providers
  • Enovation Group BV to provide our customer contact handling systems. See the Enovation Group BV Privacy Statement
  • Microsoft Teams, to contact you, to gather information, or if we are recording or transcribing our discussion or meeting with you, etc we will let you know. You can find more details about this in the City of York Council Microsoft Office 365 (MS365) Teams Meeting recording and transcription privacy notice
  • SurveyMonkey for our surveys or consultation etc. You can find out how they use your information at SurveyMonkey Privacy Notice
  • Zimma Ltd trading as Ticket Tailor for arranging and organising events etc. You can find out how they use your information in the Ticket Tailor Privacy Policy
  • Delib’s CitizenSpace (digital citizen engagement platform). You can find out how they use your information at Delib Privacy Notice
  • Granicus/Gov Delivery to send you updates, newsletters etc that you have subscribed to. You can find out how they use your information in the Granicus Privacy Policy
  • WhatsApp to contact you. Youcan find out how they use your information in the whatsapp.com Privacy Policy

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Transfers of personal data

We do not routinely transfer personal data outside of the UK but when this is necessary, we ensure that we have appropriate safeguards in place and that is done in accordance with the UK data protection and privacy legislation.

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How we protect your information

We're committed to keeping your information safe and secure. There are several ways we do this, such as:

  • IT security safeguards such as firewalls, encryption, and anti-virus software
  • on-site security safeguards to protect physical files and electronic equipment
  • training for all staff and elected councillors
  • policies and procedures

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Your rights in relation to this processing

To find out about your rights under data protection law, you can go to the Information Commissioner's Office website.

You can also find information about your rights in our Privacy Notice.

If you have any questions about this privacy notice, want to exercise your rights, or if you have a complaint about how your information has been used, please contact us on email: information.governance@york.gov.uk, or on telephone: 01904 554145, or write to:

Data Protection Officer
City of York Council
West Offices
Station Rise
York YO1 6GA

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Also see