The reasons why we use your personal data
This privacy notice is in addition to our main privacy statement and notices, and it explains how we may use your personal data in relation to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
You may have already provided information for a specific reason, and we would usually seek to inform you that the data you provided would be used for a different purpose. Due to the rapidly emerging situation with the current pandemic, this will not always be possible. If we already hold information regarding vulnerability, we may share this for emergency planning purposes or to protect your vital interests by sharing with services both inside and outside the council.
The Information Commissioner's Office has published guidance on data handling during the pandemic.
The types of processing of personal data that is carried out by our specific teams or services
In this current crisis, we may need to ask you for sensitive personal information that you have not already supplied. This includes your age, if you have any underlying illnesses, or are vulnerable. This is so we can assist and prioritise our services to support health and social care services and to protect public health. Information will also be vital in researching, monitoring, tracking and managing the outbreak.
Information we collect
We take careful consideration to only collect and use personal information when we need it to deliver a service or meet a requirement.
How we can use your personal data
Existing law which allows personal information to be used and shared appropriately and lawfully in a public health emergency is being used during this outbreak.
Using this law, the Secretary of State has required the NHS, health organisations and local authorities to share personal information to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Any information used or shared during the Covid-19 outbreak will be limited to the period of the outbreak, unless there is another legal basis to use the data.
Who we share your personal data with
In order to look after your care needs, we may share your personal information with other care providers.
We will also be required to share personal information with health and care organisations and other bodies engaged in disease surveillance, for the purposes of protecting public health, providing healthcare services to the public and monitoring and managing the outbreak.
Retention of data
Data processing activities for the purposes of Covid-19 will be reviewed on 31 July 2021.
Please see our retention guidelines for information on how long we keep specific data.
Links to further information
Our policy on privacy web page has more information about how we process your data.
For privacy information about testing for Covid-19, please see the Department of Health and Social Care - Testing for coronavirus: privacy information web page.
For privacy information relating to the processing of confidential patient information, please see the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care's Coronavirus (Covid-19): notification to organisations to share information.
Contact us