- How we use your data
-
We are a data controller for the personal information we hold about you in relation to the social care occupational therapy service. This means we are the organisation that makes decisions about the way your information is used.
When you use the social care occupational therapy service we collect your name, address, date of birth, your GP surgery, details of people who provide care for you, the issues you face in carrying out your daily living activities, and what equipment or adaptations we are able to provide for you.We only keep this data for the time specified in our retention schedule.
If we provide equipment and adaptations that do not need us to review you annually, we will delete your information securely eight years after our service to you ends.
If we provide equipment and adaptations that do need us to review you annually, this means we will keep your information for as long as you need the equipment.
Once you no longer need the equipment we will keep your information for a further eight years before deleting it securely.
The data will be used:
- to assess what aids and adaptations you might require to meet your needs. If you agree to the adaptations or equipment, we also record information on what supports we have provided – this is to ensure we can repair or replace the equipment or adaptation if needed in future, and to make sure we review your support where needed. We are able to do this because the law on Social Care (the Care Act 2014) says we must do it if you request an assessment from us.
Government guidance advises us to hold and use some of your information for statistical purposes about the use of our services.
This data is used by the council’s performance team and is made completely anonymous so you will not be identifiable from it.
If you wish to restrict the use of the information (for instance by stipulating someone with whom you do not want the information to be shared) tell your assessor and we will document this.We will seek your permission before transferring any information to any other organisation (such as asking your doctor for further information in support of your assessment).
To arrange your equipment or adaptations we will pass on relevant information to:- housing assistance and adaptations team within the council – we will pass on your name and address, property details, details of the areas of daily living with which you are struggling and our recommendations for the adaptations you require
- contracted external builders - we will pass on basic information (name, address, property details, adaptations required) to external contractors who will carry out the adaptations work you require
- our community equipment provider – we will pass on your name and address, property details, details of the areas of daily living with which you are struggling and our recommendations for the equipment you require
These teams or organisations will keep your data only in line with the relevant retention periods.
If we receive information about you from other sources (such as your GP) we will follow exactly the same rules as if you had given us the information yourself. We will also tell you what information we have received and from whom.Data protection law provides you with certain rights, but not all these rights will be available to you in all situations. Where we are under a legal duty to use data for a particular purpose you will not have the right to prevent it being used in that way.
- you can ask to see the information we hold about you
- you can ask what is being done with the information we hold about you
- you can ask to have some of the data we hold about you deleted
- you can ask us to review a decision made about you by a computer, and ask for a new decision to be made by a person
- you can ask us to stop processing the data we hold about you
- you can ask us to make changes to data about you that you believe is inaccurate
- in some circumstances you can ask us to help you move your information to another organisation
- you can ask us to restrict or limit what we do with your data, for example if you believe the data we hold is inaccurate, or if you believe the processing in unlawful
- Who to contact if you have questions
-
If you wish to contact us in relation to any of your information rights, email foi@stoke.gov.uk or write to Information Rights Team, Floor 2, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH.
Complete the online form
If you wish to complain about how your personal information has been handled by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, contact the information rights team in the first instance using the details above. If you are not satisfied you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, or call 03031231113