Privacy Policy

Who we are

Karis Care Services Ltd is the data controller for the information described in this policy. We are registered in England and Wales, company number 08633848, at Unit 9a, The Stone Yard, Alton Lane, Four Marks, Alton, Hampshire GU34 5AJ.

We are registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission, provider ID 1-3950753088.

What information we collect

The information we collect depends on your relationship with us.

If you enquire about care

• Your name, telephone number, email address and postcode
• Who the care is for and how soon it is needed
• Anything you choose to tell us in a free text field, which may include health information

If we provide care

• Contact details for you and the people you want us to speak to
• Health and care information, including diagnoses, medication, mobility, continence needs and clinical risks
• Your care plan, visit records and any incident records
• Funding and billing information
• Your preferences, including whether you would prefer a male or female carer

If you are a professional making a referral

• Your name, organisation, role and contact details
• Information about the person being referred, including clinical needs. Our referral form deliberately asks for initials or your own reference rather than a full name, to keep identifiable health data to the minimum needed to begin a conversation

If you apply for a job

• Your name, contact details, availability, experience, right to work status and anything in a CV you send us
• If you are appointed, DBS check results and references, which are covered by our separate staff privacy notice

When you use this website

• Analytics information about how the site is used, only if you accept analytics cookies. See our cookie policy
• If you use the postcode checker, we record only the outward district, for example GU34, and the result. We do not store the full postcode you entered

Health information and other special category data

Information about your health, and information revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or sexual orientation, is treated as special category data under Article 9 of the UK GDPR. It has stronger protections and we handle it accordingly.

We rely on Article 9(2)(h), processing necessary for the provision of health or social care and the management of health or social care systems and services, as our condition for processing this information. Where that does not apply, we rely on your explicit consent.

In practice this means health information is accessible only to named members of staff who need it to deliver or manage your care, is stored encrypted, and is never used for marketing.

Our lawful bases

• Contract. Where we are delivering care to you or taking steps at your request before entering into an agreement.
• Legal obligation. Where we must keep records or report matters, including to the Care Quality Commission and under safeguarding law.
• Legitimate interests. For responding to enquiries, managing our service and keeping our records accurate. We have considered your rights and interests in each case.
• Consent. For optional marketing emails and analytics cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Vital interests. In an emergency where sharing information is necessary to protect someone's life.

Who we share information with

We share information only where there is a reason to.

• The carers and office staff involved in your care, who see only what they need
• Health and social care professionals involved in your care, such as your GP, district nurses, hospital and hospice teams and social workers, with your consent or where necessary for your care
• The local authority or the NHS where they fund your care and need information to administer it
• The Care Quality Commission and safeguarding authorities where we are legally required to report
• Our software providers, who process data on our instructions under a written contract and cannot use it for their own purposes

We do not sell your information and we never share it with third parties for their own marketing.

Where your information is stored

Your information is stored on servers within the UK or the European Economic Area wherever possible. Where a supplier stores data outside the UK, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or the International Data Transfer Agreement.

How long we keep it

We keep information only as long as we need it, then delete it securely.

Enquiries that are not completed

Some of our forms are split into steps. Where you complete the first step and do not finish, we may still hold the contact details you entered.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• Ask what information we hold about you and receive a copy
• Ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete
• Ask us to delete information, where we are not required to keep it
• Ask us to restrict how we use it, or object to us using it
• Ask us to transfer it to another provider
• Withdraw consent where we rely on it

To exercise any of these, contact us using the details below. We will respond within one month. There is no charge.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

We review this policy at least once a year and whenever our processing changes. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last reviewed.