This privacy notice tells you about what information we collect about you, how we use that information and who we share it with.
Who we are and what we do
Adult Social Care and Together for Families Finance Team provide a range of financial services and support for people in our community. For further information about services available please ask your social worker or see our website.
Read more about Health and Social Care
This Privacy Notice explains how we use and share personal information. We hold this information for adults and carers for whom we provide care and support. For the purposes of Data Protection, Cornwall Council is the Data Controller for your information. Our Registration Number is Z1745294.
What type of personal information do we collect and how do we collect it?
In order to provide you with high quality services which are relevant to your needs, we will collect and hold information about you. This may include:
basic details such as your name, address, date of birth, National Insurance Number, NHS number and email address
provider information including IR35 data
personal demographics (including sex)
relationship information such as next of kin
relationship information such who deals with your finances
financial information such as income, expenditure and details of property ownership and bank account details
who you may employ as a personal assistant
This list is not exhaustive and additional information required may depend upon your individual circumstances.
We collect the following special category data:
health information such as details of medical conditions and mental health and well being
sensory and communication needs
ethnic origin
We collect information about you in the following ways:
face to face
online financial assessment tool
Deferred Payment Agreement application
online provider portals
by secure email
by post
by telephone
from other professionals
from other agencies / charities
from other departments within Cornwall Council
relatives/carers
from members of the public making referrals
What is our lawful basis to obtain and use your personal information?
To enable us to provide services to you, we need to collect your data. It may also be necessary for us to share your personal information with others.
To do so we will use the following legal basis for obtaining and sharing your information:
processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller under Art6 (1)(e) UK GDPR
where we have a statutory obligation to process your personal data, our lawful basis is defined by Art 6(1)(c) UK GDPR
The legislation which underpins adult social care involvement with individuals includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Care Act 2014
Health and Social Care Act 2012
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
Mental Health Act 1983
Mental Capacity Act 2005
Health and Care Act 2022
For special category data, which is more sensitive information, we rely on the following:
Processing is necessary for the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services under Art9(2)(h) of the UK GDPR.
What is your personal information used for?
Cornwall Council holds information about service users and carers in order to:
understand any needs you may have for personal care and support
provide you with relevant advice and information
provide services or arrange for others to provide services to meet your eligible assessed needs
provide services to members of your family or people with whom you have an important relationship
understand if you or others are at risk of abuse and take appropriate action
carry out financial assessments for care services received
review the quality of care you are receiving
help investigate any worries or complaints you have about your care
help us monitor and improve services
Use of your NHS Number in Adult Social Care
If you are receiving support from Adult Social Care then the NHS may share your NHS number with us. This is so that the NHS and Adult Social Care are using the same number to identify you whilst providing your care. By using the same number the NHS and Adult Social Care can work together more closely to provide your care and support services. We will use this number when sharing information with health colleagues. This could include GP's, hospitals, community matrons, district nurses and social care practitioners. If you wish to object to the use of your NHS Number for social care purposes, please talk with your GP, or email dpo@cornwall.gov.uk.
Will your personal information be shared?
Yes, we may share your information with authorised partner organisations, and care providers in order to make sure you receive the appropriate care and support services for your needs and to make sure those involved in your direct care have accurate up to data information to help them provide the best possible services to you. We may also share your information with other third-party organisations, as allowed by law, and partner agencies that provide services on our behalf.
The types of organisations that we may share your information with, include:
Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Cornwall Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB)
NHS – acute and community hospitals, Partnership Trusts
GP and/or GP practice
Police or other emergency services
Court of Protection
Care providers
Advocacy organisations
Housing organisations
Education providers i.e. school or college
Voluntary agencies
Carer support agencies
Department of Health and Social Care
This list is not exhaustive and there may be other organisations at times who we also need to share additional information with.
In some cases, we are legally obliged to share information with other agencies. This could be for the prevention and detection of crime or for safeguarding purposes. The agencies could include the police or the Department of Health and Social Care.
How do we keep your information secure?
The security of your personal information is important to us. The records we keep about you are secure and are confidential within the Council. The Council has a range of procedures, polices and systems to ensure that access to your records are controlled appropriately. Anyone who receives information from us is also under a legal duty to only use the information for the purposes agreed. They must keep the information secure and confidential. We conduct regular audits and compliance checks to ensure people are following our data protection policies.
Further information is available in the Council’s corporate privacy notice.
We have a contract with The Access Group to store data relating to social care, community health, education and youth services. They have secure data storage for this information. You can find more information about The Access Group on their website.
How long will we keep your personal information?
After we deliver a service to you, we must keep your information as a business record of what was delivered. The type of service you receive will determine how long we must keep your information. Our corporate retention guidelines show how long we keep information for different services. Your records will be retained in accordance with Cornwall Council's records retention schedule for Adult Services as follows:
Adult social care case records (including care and support planning, Adult Safeguarding, Direct Payments, Appointeeship and Deputyship) - 7 years from date of enquiry
In-house Day and Respite service provision - 7 years from date of last contact/case closure
Adult mental health needs/management of mental health support - 20 years if sectioned, from date of last contact, or 10 years after death / not sectioned
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs) - 20 years from date of last contact, or 10 years after death
Records relating to applications for and management of social care financial assessments - 7 years from date of last contact, or while there is an active debt recovery process in place
Person in Position of Trust (PIPOT) deemed to present a risk to vulnerable adults - 75 years after risk assessment, or 6 years if risk no longer exists, or 2 years after death
In contracted service provision, personal data will be retained for a period of 7 years after the expiry of the contract or as long as necessary to comply with legal obligations and for the purposes of audit and compliance.
National data opt-out
Most of the time anonymised data is used for research and planning purposes so that you cannot be identified. We may use a third party to anonymise your personal information for the purpose of healthcare planning.
However, when your personal information might be used for research and planning purposes, you have a choice about whether we use you information this way under the National Data Opt Out.
If you are happy with this use of your personal data, you do not need to do anything.
We will still use your information to support your care, if you choose to opt out of it being used for to research and planning.
To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Cornwall Council is compliant with the National Data Opt Out policy and we will apply your choice to any confidential personal information we use or share for purposes beyond your individual care and support.