Updated: December 2023
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:
- full name
- address
- date of birth
- email address
- phone number(s)
- name and address of GP
- NHS number
- contact information of named key holders
- contact information of next of kin
- (existing) key safe information
- bank details (for invoicing purposes)
- phone provider
- details relating to existing care arrangements
- next of kin information including name(s), telephone number(s) and address(es)
- key holder information including name(s), telephone number(s) and address(es)
- information about your day to day activities
- property type and ownership
- responders, or a point of contact for installation visits
We currently collect and process the following special category data:
- race
- ethnic origin
- religious beliefs
- sexual orientation
- physical and mental health conditions
- social care information
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 give instructions to partners and contracted maintenance services to advise them what telecare equipment to install, maintain or remove from your home
- to provide information to a monitoring centre who receive alarm calls from linked telecare equipment
- the monitoring centre needs information about you and your responders and your next of kin to help them to assess an emergency or problem and to manage it as quickly and effectively as possible
- to record relevant information on GPS websites or platforms so that a designated family member or responder can help to find you if you become lost or missing
- to provide information to partners and organisations providing a 24-hour response service to alarm calls raised by telecare equipment (if applicable) - this helps them to respond to an emergency or problem as quickly and effectively as possible
- to discuss your assessment with relevant health and social care staff (including the wider council involved in your care) - they will use this information to supplement care packages support plans that are already in place or that could be provided to you in the future
All calls to our control centre will be recorded for training and operational purposes.
We also receive personal information indirectly, from the following sources in the following scenarios:
- our ‘Lifeline Takeaway’ service requires the hospital to provide us with your personal information, as opposed to you doing this, in order that we can provide the service(s) you need
- health professionals and social workers may provide us with updated personal information if it is applicable to the service(s) we provide to you - this enables us to provide a more effective service(s) to you
If we use your personal information for research and analysis, we will always keep your information anonymous or use a different name unless you’ve agreed that your personal information can be used for that research.
How the law allows us to use your personal information
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
- (b) process is necessary for the performance of a contract
- (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) to perform a public task
Special category data
Special category data is processed under Article 9 UK GDPR:
- (a) you have given your explicit consent
- (d) processing is necessary to protect the vital interests
- (e) processing relates to personal data which are manifestly made public by the data subject
- (h) provision of health or social care treatment
You can read the guide to lawful basis for processing special category data on the Information Commissioner's Office website.
Your consent
Where we do use consent to process your personal data, we will explain to you what we are asking you to agree to and why.
If we have consent to use your personal data, you have the right to remove it at any time.
If you want to remove your consent, please email forestcare.enquiries@bracknell-forest.gov.uk and we will deal with your request.
If you remove your consent we are unlikely to be able to provide continued services to you.
Legal obligation and public task
Our ‘legal obligation' and tasks that we are required to carry out as a local authority, can be found in the:
- Care Act 2014
- Mental Health Act 1983
- Mental Capacity Act, Data Protection Regulation 2018
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: Regulation 12
Who we share your information with
We may share this information with:
- emergency services (police, ambulance service, fire service)
- your local authority, including social service and emergency planning teams
- any other relevant health agencies
- a monitoring centre (for linked telecare equipment)
- private companies who provide a website or platform for GPS devices
- partners who install, maintain and improve telecare equipment
- contracted maintenance companies who install, maintain and remove telecare equipment
- partners or organisations providing a response service to alarm calls raised by telecare equipment
- Bracknell Forest Council staff who are directly involved in your case
- Bracknell Forest Council care services staff who are directly involved in your case
- named interested parties who we may contact to discuss your telecare service or to arrange visits to your property for assessments, reviews and engineer visits.
- telecare responders (for ‘linked’ telecare equipment) who the monitoring centre will contact if an alarm call is raised by your telecare equipment
- housing associations, private landlords, scheme managers and care home managers who will be contacted if permissions are needed to install telecare equipment in your home
- community alarm providers, who will be contacted if notice is needed to disconnect equipment in your property, so that telecare equipment can be installed
- providers of care, such as carers, personal assistants and support workers from private agencies who are directly involved in your case
This information will only be shared in order to provide the services you have signed up to, or to protect your safety in an emergency.
We will not disclose information about you to any other outside organisations or third parties without your written consent unless there is a legal requirement to do so.
How we store your personal information
The information we hold electronically is securely stored on a cloud-based system, at a remote site. There may be instances where we need to collect information on paper documents. The information contained in paper records is securely held at:
Forestcare
Unit B
Mallard House
Cookham Road
Bracknell
RG12 1RB
We keep both personal and special category data for 1 year after you have terminated service(s) with Forestcare. We then dispose of your information by deleting all electronic records from the calls handling system and securely shredding any paper records.
Data 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.
To make a request, contact us by emailing: forestcare.enquiries@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
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.
To request service adjustments, contact us by emailing: forestcare.enquiries@bracknell-forest.gov.uk
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
- Information Commissioner’s Office