Introduction

We are Aphek. In order that we can provide care and support services to the people we support we collect and use certain personal information about you.

Personal information means any information about you from which you can be identified, but it does not include information where your identity has been removed (anonymous data).

As the ‘controller’ of personal information, we are responsible for how that data is managed. The General Data Protection Regulation which applies in the United Kingdom and across the European Union, sets out our obligations to you and your rights in respect of how we manage your personal information.

As the ‘controller’ of your personal information, we will ensure that the personal information we hold about you is:

  • 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 if necessary for the purposes we have told you about
  • Kept securely

If you have any questions about this privacy promise or would like further explanation as to how your personal information is managed then please contact us (see How to contact us.

When you enquire about our care and support services through our website, phone, email, post, face to face or social media, and during the course of providing care and support services to you we collect the following personal information

  • Your name, home address, date of birth and contact details (including your telephone number, email address) and emergency contacts (i.e. name, relationship and home and telephone numbers)
  • Your allergies and any medical, physical or mental conditions and your care needs
  • Your likes, dislikes and lifestyle preferences (including your religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature, racial or ethnic origin, politics, genetics, health, sex life, marital status and sexuality trade union membership or biometrics (so far as they relate to providing you with suitable care)
  • Credit, direct debit details or other payment information (if you pay for some or all our services using one of these methods)
  • Your feedback and contributions to questionnaires and surveys about the service we offer
  • Your complaints, compliments or concerns about the service we provide
  • Any accidents and incidents or near misses you may have been involved in whist on our premises or whilst our employees are delivering a regulated service to you – this may include details of injuries and treatment you may have received.

How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to:

  • Prepare, review and update a suitable care plan, describing the nature and level of care and support services which you have requested we supply to you
  • To communicate with you, your representatives and any appropriate external social or health care professionals about your individual needs and personalise the service delivered to you
  • Make reasonable adjustments, when required, to meet your individual needs and to ensure we have suitable facilities to ensure your safety
  • Invoice you for the care and support services in accordance with our terms and conditions
  • Carry out quality assurance procedures, review our service and improve our customer experience (please note that feedback can also be provided anonymously)
  • Send information about our services which we believe you may be interested in. You may unsubscribe from this at any time
  • Notify you about changes to our services which are relevant to you
  • Monitor how effective our services are and to make sure that the services we provide meet your needs
  • Improve your experience of our website and to ensure that the content is presented in the most effective way.

Who we share your personal information with

We share your medical information with appropriate external social or health care professionals (including your GP and pharmacist) and any individuals you have nominated as your representative as and when required. This data sharing enables us to establish the type of care and support you need. It also allows us to design the right care package to suit your individual circumstances, including if (in future) you decide to receive care from an alternative provider.

We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities if legally required to do so. This includes information required by public bodies to evidence our compliance with the applicable regulatory framework. We are also required to share personal information with external social or health care professionals, including public bodies and local safeguarding groups (in some circumstances) to ensure your safety.

We will share minimal and relevant information within Aphek in order to provide safe and effective services to you.

We will not share, sell or trade your personal information with any other third party without your consent.

In order to deliver our service to you we rely on third parties to provide specialist support to us. To provide this support they will have access to, or a duty of care over your personal information. These providers are:

  • IT and Telecoms Support companies – to ensure the safe, secure and resilient operation of our IT infrastructure including computers, servers, phones and mobile devices
  • Software support companies – to provide specialist support and resolve issues with the software that we run, for example the systems we use to store and manage your customer records
  • Marketing systems providers – to organise marketing communications and for the delivery and analysis of email communications

Data archiving companies – responsible for the secure storage and destruction of records.

These providers are under a written contract to ensure the same level of privacy and security that we promise to you.

How long your personal information will be kept

  • We will hold the personal information kept within your electronic customer file for the length of your contract plus 3 years
  • We will hold the personal information kept within your hard copy customer files for 3 years from the date of the last entry
  • We will hold the personal information kept within our feedback procedure for 1 year so that we can identify trends and patterns in our service
  • We will hold financial records and transactions for 7 years in line with our legal requirements

GDPR recognises that additional care is required when processing special category (sensitive) data such as your health. We process this under the following grounds within GDPR;

  • Article 9(2)(h) – processing is necessary for the provision of social care or the management of social care systems and services

All your personal data is stored and processed on systems that are within the European Economic Area (EEA) and offer the same level of legal protection and rights over your data.

For any queries or information

You can contact us by:

Email: info@aphek.co.uk

  • Post – Quality Assurance,
  • Telephone – 0121 454 7727
  • How to complain

    We hope that we can resolve any query or concern you raise about our use of your information.

    Data Protection Officer
    Anita Umadia

    info@aphek.co.uk

    Aphek, 58 Plumstead Common Rd, London SE18 3RD