Serencroft Care Homes (“we”, “our” and “us”) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.
Out commitment to you: we are Committed to providing individualised, care, assistance, and the highest standards of nursing in a caring environment that fosters wellbeing & dignity.
Please read the following carefully to understand how we may use and store your personal data.
This Privacy Notice applies to the personal data that we collect from and about you, including any personal data that is shared with us by Serencroft Care Homes.
We are Serencroft Care Homes.
We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office and hold individual registrations for each company registered in the Serencroft group.
Cherryfield Homes Limited – registration ZA336724
Gable Court NH Limited – registration ZA486597
Hayes Cottage NH Limited- registration ZA301911
Plane Tree Court – Altruistic Cate Ltd – registration ZA383959
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You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance by following our complaints procedure at each individual home.
Definitions
In this Privacy Notice:
- “Service User” means a person who receives, or applies to receive, any of a range of services available via a Serencroft Care Home, provided by Serencroft Care employees, or third parties approved by Serencroft Care;
- “Recognised Advocate” means a family member, formal or informal advocate, next of kin, social worker, or anyone holding an enduring power of attorney for a Service User;
- “Personal data” means any personal data relating to an identified or identifiable natural person;
- “Process” or “Processing” means anything that we do with your personal data, including collecting, sharing, storing, using and/or deleting the personal data;
Data protection principles
We will comply with data protection law. This says that the personal information we hold about you must be:
- Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way.
- Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes.
- Relevant to the purposes we have told you about and limited only to those purposes.
- Accurate and kept up to date.
- Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told you about.
- Kept securely
What is personal data
Personal data is another way to describe personal information. It is any information that is about you and allows you to be identified. Personal data covers simple things, like your name, email and phone number. Personal data also includes information that relates to an individual. That individual must be identified or identifiable either directly or indirectly from one or more identifiers or from factors specific to the individual
What information do we collect about you.
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.
Serencroft may collect these kinds of personal information about you:
- Basic information, such as name, address, date of birth, phone number and email;
- Financial information, such has how your care is paid for, and any past payments you have made;
- Support services (Social Worker, Advocate, support/ key workers, GP, etc.);
- Safeguarding records (concerns, disclosures, meetings etc.);
- Identification numbers.
- Biometric data
- 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;
- Information about your preferences and interests, such as hobbies, likes and dislikes, routines and habits;
- Visual images, such as copies of identification and photographs of you;
- Details of any services you have received from us in the past;
- Information we receive from other sources, such as government departments and your doctor or other healthcare professionals.
- Dates and times of visits your family have made to you;
- Religious or other beliefs of a similar nature;
- Letters we have sent to you or your family about you.
Collecting sensitive information about you
Serencroft may need to collect sensitive data about you which is particularly sensitive. This type of information id called special category personal data. The Law says we can only use this specific information for legal reasons like providing care or helping other oraganistaions with specific functions like safeguarding
Collecting information from other people
Sometimes, Serencroft Care Homes may need to collect your data from other people. These may include:
- Government departments;
- National regulators;
- The National Health Service (NHS), your Doctor and healthcare providers;
- Organisations responsible for funding and organising care;
How do we use information about you
As your care provider, we need to use personal information to deliver compassionate, person-centred care to you. The information will form part of your care plan, which can also 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 Serencroft.
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Your personal information can be used for any of the following purposes:
- Providing and managing your account;
- Supplying our services to you. Your personal details are needed in order for us to enter into a contract with you;
- Providing you with compassionate care that is person-centred and appropriate to your needs;
- Disclosing information to an appropriate regulator to inform them of certain incidents as required under the law;
- Communicating with you. This may include responding to emails or calls from you;
- Disclosing information to a Coroner, the Police or Safeguarding where they need to conduct a formal investigation.
- Supplying you with information by email AND/OR post, newsletters that you have opted-in to (you may unsubscribe or opt-out at any time by contacting us).
Sharing your personal information
On occasions, Serencroft may be asked to give your personal information or need to collect it from other organisations. These can include:
- Government departments;
- National regulators
- The National Health Service (NHS), your Doctor and healthcare providers;
- Organisations responsible for funding and organising care
- The emergency services;
Do I have to consent to the use and sharing of my information
Serencroft 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 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
Respecting your wishes and your information rights.
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, social workers etc.
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, Serencroft 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.
We fully comply with the National data opt out scheme https://digital.nhs.uk/services/national-data-opt-out This means where you have expressed a preference to NHS Digital for your data not to be shared for certain research and planning activities, your health data will not be shared.
How long do we keep your information for
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 outlined in Serencroft “Records Retention and Destruction Schedule Procedure”, which is available on our website.
CCTV in our Care Homes
Serencroft uses CCTV in some of its care homes in order to provide reassurance to the People we care for and their Relatives, protect homes from unlawful intrusion
- Unlawful intrusion
- Crime prevention, detection and security
- Interest of public and employee health and safety
- Protection of the homes property and assets
Cameras are only to be used in communal areas.
All Serencroft homes using CCTV will:
- Consult with everyone living in our homes and their Relatives prior to installation.
- Have considered the impacts and risks of CCTV, which will have been agreed by the Home Managers.
- Have appropriate signs informing all who enter that CCTV is in use in the home;
- Have appropriate security of the CCTV equipment.
If you have concerns about the use of CCTV, please speak to the Home Manager in that home.
How to contact us
If you need to contact us about anything relating to your personal data, you can contact us by:
Writing to us: The Data Protection Officer: Jaya Amaresh
Serencroft
Suite 16 Exhibition House
Addison Bridge Place
W14 8XP
Emailing us: hr@serencroft.com
Telephoning us: 02039729860
It may be necessary to change our Privacy notice from time to time, if there any changes with the law etc.
Any changes will be made available on our website.