Coronavirus privacy notice

Updated: 21 July 2021

Our contact details

Name: Data Protection Officer

Address: Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD

Phone Number: 01344 352000

Email: dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Bracknell Forest Council is registered as a controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

You can find us on the ICO website - our registration number is Z4971654.

The type of personal information we collect

We currently collect and process the following information:

  • name
  • address
  • contact information (email address and telephone number)
  • date of birth or age
  • next of kin details
  • NHS number or other identification numbers
  • date of travel or last visit to high risk countries
  • financial details for purposes of receiving or making payments
  • housing information relating to your council tenancy
  • details regarding whether you hold a driver’s licence
  • details regarding whether you have a current DBS

We currently collect and process the following special category data:

  • proof of identity
  • details relating to your mental and physical health, including:
    • coronavirus test results
    • coronavirus vaccination status
    • details relating to any long-term health conditions

The above list is not exhaustive. It will only be necessary to collect this type of information where it is of relevance to the support and services you need.

How we get the personal information and why we have it

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:

  • to understand COVID-19 and risks to public health, trends and such risks, and control and prevent the spread of the virus and such risks
  • to identify and understand information about patients or potential patients with or at risk of the virus, information about incidents of patient exposure and the management of patients with or at risk of COVID-19 including:
    • locating
    • contacting
    • screening
    • flagging
    • monitoring
  • for collecting information about and providing services in relation to:
    • testing
    • diagnosis
    • self-isolation
    • fitness to work
    • treatment
    • medical and social interventions
    • recovery
  • to understand information about patient access to health services and adult social care services and the need for wider care of patients and vulnerable groups, as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19 and the availability and capacity of those services or that care
  • to monitor and manage the response to COVID-19 by health and social care bodies and the government including providing information to the public about the virus and its effectiveness and information about capacity, medicines, equipment, supplies, services and the workforce within the health services and adult social care services
  • to deliver services to patients, clinicians, the health services and adult social care services workforce and the public about and in connection with the virus, including the provision of information, fit notes and the provision of health care and adult social care services
  • for research and planning in relation to COVID-19

The council may use new or existing information that it holds to:

  • best support and protect children and individuals at risk
  • exercise our health and social care functions
  • exercise our public health functions
  • carry out future epidemiological analysis
  • register individuals as a volunteer

The council will check the information you provide, which may be used to direct you to a suitable voluntary organisation. Your details will be passed to a suitable voluntary organisation who may contact you and request further details.

As well as receiving information directly from you, we also receive personal information indirectly, from the following sources:

  • a family member
  • central government
  • national and local NHS bodies
  • Office for National Statistics
  • NHS Digital
  • other local authorities
  • schools

How the law allows us to use your personal information

Our lawful basis under UK GDPR when supporting children and individuals at risk, in relation to this pandemic, include:

Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis for processing is Article 6 UK GDPR:

  • (a) you have given consent
  • (c) processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject
  • (d) in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject
  • (e) a task carried out in the public interest

Special category data

Special category data is being processed under Article 9 UK GDPR:

  • (a) you have given your explicit consent
  • (c) processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject whom is physically or legally incapable of giving consent
  • (b) employment safeguards and fundamental rights
  • (g) processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest
  • (h) provision of health or social care treatment
  • (i) processing is necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health

You can read the guide to lawful basis for processing special category data on the Information Commissioner's Office website.

Who we share your information with

We may share this information with:

  • UK Health Security Agency
  • NHS
  • GP practices
  • central government
  • other local authorities
  • local voluntary partners
  • emergency services
  • care providers
  • contracted suppliers who have been procured or are contracted to provide support and services to our residents
  • family, associates or representatives of the person whose personal data we are processing
  • healthcare, social and welfare organisations
  • healthcare professionals
  • mental health care assessors

We will not use your personal data for third party marketing purposes.

How we store your personal information

We make sure that any personal data in our care is kept safe and that where your information is disclosed to a third party, they make sure that they to do the same. We will not use your personal data for third party marketing purposes.

Retention will be considered and published in line with developments of the pandemic.

Data will not be kept for longer than is necessary and is kept in line with the council’s retention and disposal schedule. We will dispose your information by securely destroying any data we hold.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights we need to make you aware of. The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information.

Your right of access

You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. This right always applies. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.

Find out more about your right of access from the ICO.

Your right to get your data corrected

You have the right to ask us to correct information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. This right always applies.

Find out more about your right to get your data corrected from the ICO.

Your right to get your data deleted

You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.

Find out more about your right to get your data deleted from the ICO.

Your right to limit how organisations use your data

You have the right to ask us to limit the processing of your information in certain circumstances.

Find out more about your right to limit how organisations use your data from the ICO.

Your right to object to the use of your data

You have the right to object to processing if we are able to process your information because the process forms part of our public tasks.

Find out more about your right to object to the use of your data from the ICO.

Your right to data portability

This only applies to information you have given us. You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us from one organisation to another, or give it to you.

The right only applies if we are processing information based on your consent or for the performance of a contract, and the processing is automated.

Find out more about your right to data portability from the ICO.

Making a request

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have 28 days to respond to you.

Please contact us at dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk to make a request.

Service adjustments

As a public authority and a provider of services to the public, we have a legal duty to comply with the Equality Act 2010.

This means we need to make service adjustments for anyone with a disability who contacts us in any capacity, to eliminate any barriers to accessing our services.

Our lawful basis for processing this information is article 6(1)(c) of the UK GDPR as we have a legal obligation to provide this. Our processing of special category data, such as health information you give us, will be based on article 9(2)(a), which means we need your consent.

We will create a record of your adjustment requirements. These will give your name, contact details and type of adjustment required, along with a brief description of why it is required. Relevant staff can access this to make sure they are communicating with you in the required way.

Please contact dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk should you require service adjustments.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data by:

  • visiting the ICO website
  • phoning the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113
  • writing to:
    • Information Commissioner’s Office
      Wycliffe House
      Water Lane
      Wilmslow
      Cheshire
      SK9 5AF

Contact information

Legal Team