Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

At Unique Senior Care we respect your privacy and handle personal information responsibly.

This policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal data when you:

• Visit our website
• Contact us by phone, email or online form
• Enquire about or receive care services
• Apply to work with us
• Interact with our staff

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Who We Are

3. Our Commitment

We follow UK data protection principles. Personal data is:

• Processed lawfully, fairly and transparently
• Collected for specific purposes
• Kept accurate and up to date
• Retained only as long as necessary
• Protected against unauthorised access or loss

We design our systems and processes with data protection by design and default.

4. Personal Data We Collect

Depending on your interaction with us we may collect the following types of personal data.

Identity and Contact Information

• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Date of birth

Service and Care Information

• Care needs and preferences
• Mobility and living arrangements
• Home environment details
• Communication preferences

Health and Care Data

• Medical conditions
• Medications
• Care assessments
• Care plans and service records

This information is only accessed by authorised staff who need it to deliver care safely.

Family or Representative Information

• Next of kin or emergency contacts
• Family members or representatives involved in care decisions

Communication and Enquiry Data

• Phone calls and call recordings
• Emails and messages
• Website enquiry forms
• AI chat conversations

Technical and Website Data

• IP address
• Browser and device information
• Website interaction data such as page visits, clicks and scrolling behaviour

Billing and Financial Information

Where relevant to arranging or managing care services we may collect:

• Billing contact details
• Payment records related to care services

Recruitment Data

If you apply to work with us we may collect:

• CVs and application forms
• Qualifications and training information
• Interview notes and references
• Right to work documentation

5. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data in several ways:

• Directly from you through phone calls, emails or forms
• Through website enquiry forms
• During care assessments and service delivery
• During recruitment processes
• Through our website and online tools
• Through automated technologies such as cookies and analytics

Information submitted through website enquiry forms is stored securely and used to respond to care enquiries.

Our website uses cookies and tracking technologies to understand how visitors use the site.

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

6. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to:

• Respond to enquiries about care services
• Assess care needs and plan support
• Match clients with suitable caregivers
• Deliver safe and effective care services
• Communicate with clients, families and representatives
• Manage care records and service delivery
• Recruit, train and manage staff
• Improve our services and website
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations

When you contact us to enquire about care services we may follow up by phone, email or SMS to discuss your enquiry and potential care arrangements. Records of enquiries may be kept to ensure we respond appropriately and to improve our services.

7. Legal Basis for Processing

Contract

To provide care services and fulfil agreements with clients.

Legitimate Interests

To respond to enquiries, follow up with potential clients, manage recruitment and improve our services.

Legal Obligations

To comply with regulatory, employment and safeguarding requirements.

Consent

Where required, for example for certain marketing communications.

Health and care information is treated as special category data under UK GDPR. We process this information where necessary for the provision of health and social care services, for safeguarding purposes and to meet our legal and regulatory obligations.

8. Care Assessments and Care Planning

Before providing services we carry out assessments to understand care needs and create personalised care plans. These assessments may include information about health, mobility, lifestyle and home environment.

Care records are updated during service delivery to ensure safe and appropriate care.

9. GP Connect

We use a facility called GP Connect to support your direct care. GP Connect makes patient information available to all appropriate clinicians when and where they need it, to support direct patient care, leading to improvements in both care and outcomes. GP Connect is not used for any purpose other than direct care.

Authorised clinicians such as GPs, NHS 111 clinicians, care home nurses, secondary care trusts and social care clinicians are able to access the GP records of the patients they are treating via a secure NHS England service called GP Connect.

The NHS 111 service and other services determined locally, for example other GP practices in a Primary Care Network, will be able to book appointments for patients at GP practices and other local services.

Legal Basis for Sharing This Data

In order for your personal data to be shared or processed, an appropriate legal basis needs to be in place and recorded. The legal basis for direct care via GP Connect is the same as the legal basis for the care you would receive from your own GP or another healthcare provider:

• For the processing of personal data: Article 6.1(e) of the UK GDPR — 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.
• For the processing of special category data (which includes your medical information): Article 9.2(h) of the UK GDPR — processing is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, for the assessment of the working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services.

Your Rights with GP Connect

Because the legal basis used for your care using GP Connect is the same as used in other direct care situations, the legal rights you have over this data under UK GDPR will also be the same — these are listed in Section 20: Your Rights.

To find out more about GP Connect please visit the GP Connect — NHS England Digital website.

10. Families and Representatives

We may communicate with family members or representatives involved in a client's care. We store relevant contact details and preferences to help coordinate care appropriately.

11. Caregiver Recruitment and Matching

To recruit and match caregivers with clients we collect recruitment information such as qualifications, experience, references and availability.

This helps us match caregivers with clients based on care needs, experience, language and compatibility.

12. Safeguarding

Where necessary to protect vulnerable individuals we may share relevant information with:

• Local authorities
• Healthcare professionals
• Regulators

This may occur where required to safeguard individuals at risk of harm, to support health and social care provision or to comply with our legal and regulatory duties.

13. Call Recording

Telephone calls may be recorded and transcribed through our call handling systems for purposes such as:

• Quality monitoring
• Training
• Complaint handling
• Record keeping

Recordings are stored securely and accessed only by authorised staff.

14. Website Analytics and AI Chat

Our website uses analytics tools such as Microsoft Clarity to help us understand how visitors use the website and improve the user experience.

These tools may collect information such as page views, clicks, scrolling behaviour and other interactions to help us understand how visitors use the website.

We may also provide an AI assisted chat service to help answer enquiries. Conversations may be processed by secure third party providers.

15. Sharing Personal Data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary, including:

• IT and technology providers
• Website and analytics providers
• Communication platforms
• Healthcare professionals involved in care
• Regulators such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• Local authorities and safeguarding bodies
• Professional advisers

Some organisations process personal data on our behalf, for example IT systems, call handling platforms and website services. These providers act as data processors and must protect personal data and only use it in accordance with our instructions.

16. International Data Transfers

Some technology providers may process data outside the UK. Where this occurs we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place such as Standard Contractual Clauses or UK International Data Transfer Agreements.

17. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure.

Only staff who need the information for their role can access it.

18. Data Breaches

If a data breach occurs that may affect individuals' rights or freedoms we will notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and affected individuals where required.

19. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary.

Typical retention periods include:

• Client care records — up to 6 years after services end
• Enquiry records — up to 24 months
• Call recordings — up to 25 months
• Recruitment data — up to 12 months after a hiring decision

Some information may be kept longer where required by law.

20. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of data in certain circumstances
• Restrict or object to processing
• Request transfer of data to another organisation
• Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent

Requests are usually handled within one month.

To exercise your rights please contact our Data Protection contact at [email protected].

21. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to support website functionality and understand how visitors use the site.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser or through our cookie consent banner.

Further details are available in our Cookie Policy.

22. Third Party Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites and encourage users to read their privacy policies.

23. Updates

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, technology or legal obligations.

The most recent version will always be available on our website.

If you would like this privacy policy in another format please contact us and we will be happy to provide it.