Privacy Notice

Bradmere Residential Care Home and Merrymeet Residential Care Home are registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide accommodation and personal care without nursing. In providing residents with our services Bradmere & Merrymeet has a duty to collect, hold and process relevant personal information, which you might provide to us. In order to manage our responsibilities, we have a range of policies and procedures (some of which are listed below) to ensure that any personal or sensitive personal information you supply that identifies you is collected only with your active consent and will always be held securely and treated confidentially in line with the applicable regulations. 

What personal information we collect about: a) residents b) employees and c) third parties

a. Residents

As a registered care provider, we must collect some personal information on our residents, including financial information, which is essential to our being able to provide effective care and support. The information is contained in individual manual files and other record systems, all of which are subject to strict security and authorised access policies. Personal information that becomes inactive, e.g. from enquiries or prospective residents who do not enter the home is also kept securely for as long as it is needed, before being safely disposed of. 

b. Employees 

We operate a safe recruitment policy to comply with the regulations in which all personal information obtained, including CVs and references, is, like residents’ information, securely kept, retained and disposed of in line with data protection requirements. All employees are aware of their right to access any information about them. 

e operate a safe recruitment policy to comply with the regulations in which all personal information obtained, including CVs and references, is, like residents’ information, securely kept, retained and disposed of in line with data protection requirements. All employees are aware of their right to access any information about them. We operate a safe recruitment policy to comply with the regulations in which all personal information obtained, including CVs and references, is, like residents’ information, securely kept, retained and disposed of in line with data protection requirements. All employees are aware of their right to access any information about them. 

c. Third parties

All personal information obtained about others associated with the delivery of the care service, including contractors, visitors, etc will be protected in the same ways as information on residents and employees. 

How we collect information 

The bulk of residents’, employees’ and thirds parties’ personal information is collected directly from them or through form filling, mainly manually, but also electronically for some purposes, e.g. when contacting us through our website. 

With residents, we continue to build on the information provided in enquiry and referral forms, and, for example, from needs assessments, which feed into residents’ care and recovery plans. 

With employees, personal information is obtained directly and with consent through such means as references, testimonials and criminal records (DBS) checks. When recruiting 

staff, we seek applicants’ explicit consent to obtain all the information needed for us to decide to employ them. 

All personal information obtained to meet our regulatory requirements will always be treated in line with our explicit consent procedures, data protection and confidentiality policies.

What we do with personal information 

All personal information obtained on residents, employees and third parties is used only to ensure that we provide a service, which is consistent with our purpose of providing a person-centred care service, which meets all regulatory standards and requirements. It will not be disclosed or shared for any other purpose. 

How we keep your information safe 

As already stated, we have a range of policies that enable us to comply with all data protection requirements. These can be provided for you to read in a format you can access. Foremost are: 

Data Protection Policy

Data Protection Compliance Statement

Information Security and Disposal Policy

Complaints Policy 

Resident’s Contract

Recruitment Policy

Policy on Resident’s Participation

Emergency Situations Procedure

Confidentiality Policy

Policy on Decision Making, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty  Safeguards

Whistleblowing-Adult Safeguarding Procedure

With whom we might share information 

We only share the personal information of residents, employees and others with their consent on a reasonable need to access and know basis, observing strict protocols in doing so. Most information sharing of residents’ information is with other professionals and agencies involved with their care and treatment. Likewise, we would not disclose information about our employees without their clear agreement, e.g. when providing a reference.

The only exceptions to this general rule would be where we are required by law to provide information, e.g. to help with a criminal investigation. Even when seeking to notify the local authority of a safeguarding matter or the Care Quality Commission of an incident that requires us to notify it, we would only do so with consent or ensure that the information provided is treated in confidence. 

Where we provide information for statistical purposes, the information is aggregated and provided anonymously so that there is no privacy risk involved in its use. 

How personal information held by Bradmere & Merrymeet can be accessed 

There are procedures in place to enable any staff member, employee or third party whose personal information we possess and might process in some way to have access to that information on request. The right to access includes both the information and any uses which we might have made of the information. 

How long we keep information 

There are strict protocols in place that determine how long we will keep the information, which are in line with the relevant legislation and regulations. Data held is then confidentially destroyed and/or deleted.

How we keep our privacy policies up to date

The staff appointed to control and process personal information in our homes are delegated to assess all privacy risks continuously and to carry out comprehensive reviews of our data protection policies, procedures and protocols at least annually.