Privacy & Cookie Policy

Date updated: April 2024.

Introduction

The South East Genomic Medicine Service respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data.

This privacy notice describes why and how we collect and use personal data and provides information about your rights. It applies to personal data provided to us, both by individuals themselves or by third parties.

Who we are

The South East Genomic Medicine Service is one of seven regional services in England responsible for providing genomic and genetic testing as part of the Genomic Medicine Service in the NHS. We provide all core rare and inherited disease and cancer genomic testing services for the population of south London, Kent, Medway, Sussex and parts of Surrey.

What personal data we collect

We may collect certain information or data about you in various ways.  The main circumstances we do so are below;

• When you submit enquiries or feedback through one of our website forms, leave a comment or sign up for email newsletters, or book a place at one of our events we may collect your name, email address, telephone number and other information.
• When you use our website we will collect:
  • Your IP address, and details of web browser and which version of it you used
  • Information on how you use our website, using cookies, that will help us improve the website
  • Details of transactions you carry out through our website including training and events
  • When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address.
• When you participate in any of our projects or programmes we may collect your name, contact and other details.
• When you attend a course or conference we may collect images of you in films or photographs or, in respect of contributions you may make, audio recording. We make delegates aware of this in advance, through an additional notice which outlines opt-out procedures.
• When you contact us directly, we may keep a record of that correspondence.

How we use your personal information

We may use your personal information:

• To provide you with information, products or services that you request from us, or to process your booking in relation to an event or course we are organising
• To make you aware of related opportunities (but only with your consent where required)
• To notify you of any changes to our information
• To assist with any contractual obligations between us
• To administer a project or programme you participate in
• To administer any courses or awards that you participate in
• To provide a record of, or to promote and market a course, conference or award using images and film taken on the day.
• Conduct surveys and process your response to any survey you participate in for research, evaluation and statistical purpose
• To communicate with you regarding our aims and activities

Special categories data

We do not collect any special categories data through your use of our website. There may be additional services on our website which may collect special categories data, and where this is the case a separate privacy notice will be provided detailing what information is collected and why. Please ensure that you review these notices at the time.

The basis for processing your personal information

Data protection legislation requires that we meet certain conditions before we are allowed to use your data in the manner described in this notice, including having a “legal basis” for the processing. These bases are explained below.

• Consent: When you have given us your consent to process your personal data.
• Legitimate interests: The processing of your personal data may be necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by your interests or by fundamental rights and freedoms which require protection of personal data.

Some of the ways we process your data are explained below:

• Information and Services: We need to process your personal data when we provide you with information and services that you have requested from us. We do so because it is necessary for our legitimate interests and/or because it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
• Marketing: When we send marketing communications to you at a business email address, we do so because it is necessary for our legitimate interests. Our legitimate interests include disseminating highlights of what has been happening within the South East GMS, as well highlighting job vacancies and relevant courses, in order to fulfil our purpose. You can request that we stop sending you marketing communications at any time. In respect of personal email addresses, we only send you marketing with your explicit consent and you can opt out at any time.
• Publicly available sources: We may gather limited personal data from publicly available sources, so we can contact individuals who we think will be interested in our events or publications. We do so in connection with our legitimate interests.
• Filming and photography at events: We (or a third party) sometimes carry out filming or photography at events as part of our publicity/marketing output. We do so because it is necessary for our legitimate interests in promoting the work we do. We make delegates aware of this in advance, through an additional notice which outlines opt-out procedures.
• Other bases for processing: We may need to process your personal data for compliance with our legal obligations, including where it is necessary for the prevention and detection of crime, or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Cookies

Embedded content from other websites

Analytics

When you visit our website, we use a third-party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard information on what pages you visit, how long you stay on each page and your IP address. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies used by Google Analytics collects information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited.

Who we share your data with

We may have to share your personal data with the parties set out below for the purposes outlined above:

• Law enforcement or other government and regulatory agencies: we may be required by law to disclose certain information to the police or another relevant authority in circumstances e.g. where we think you or someone else is at serious risk of harm.

We have never sold or shared email lists to other organisations for marketing or other purposes; nor do we share any of your personal information with them or allow third-party tracking of your visitor behaviours (see also below).

How long we retain your data

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

What rights you have over your data

Under certain circumstances, you may have the following rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data:

• Right to request access to your personal data
• Right to request correction of your personal data
• Right to request erasure of your personal data
• Right to object to processing of your personal data
• Right to request restriction of the processing your personal data
• Right to request the transfer of your personal data, and
• Right to withdraw consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details set out below. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

How to contact us or raise a concern or complaint

If you have any concerns about this Privacy Notice, or how your personal data is being collected and processed, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact us on gst-tr.southeastglh@nhs.net