Everything we do with information about living people – such as how we collect it and who we share it with – has to comply with the Data Protection Regulations.  A key part of this is being open about how we use information and what rights you have in respect of it.

This notice tells you what information we collect and process about you when you ask for or get help from our Adult Social Care services.  This information covers the work of the following teams/services:

• Access to Adult Health and Social Care (ACCESS Team)
• Learning Disability Services
• Older People and Physical Disability Services
• Mental Health Services
• Safeguarding and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
• Older Peoples Housing and Community Support Services
• Hospital Discharge and Reablement
• Contracts and Commissioning services

We collect and process information about people who have agreed to have support from our Adult Social Care services or who have been referred to our services by others concerned for their welfare.  The information we hold about you varies according to the service you are having but might include the following -

• Name
• Address
• Date of Birth
• Ethnicity
• Contact details
• Next of Kin
• Relationships and detail of people who are Next of Kin
• Information recorded as part of your referral to our services
• Information recorded in an assessment of your support needs
• Health Information
• Relevant Case Information including records of visits or contacts with you made as part of your care
• Information about your Mental Capacity
• Details about other agencies involved in supporting you
• Financial Information
• Risks
• NHS Number (If you are receiving support from adult social care then the NHS may share your NHS number with Adult Social Care.)

The information we collect is recorded in paper files, in databases and in electronic folders on Milton Keynes City Council’s secure network where it is accessible only to staff who need to see it to do their jobs.  Staff who visit you might keep paper notes about their conversation with you but these will usually be destroyed once relevant information is transcribed to our electronic systems.  Some of the information in our databases can be accessed remotely on mobile devices, by staff who visit you in your home. 

If you approach the Council for help we will need to process your information to meet our statutory duties to you as outlined in legislation such as  the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and Mental Health Act.  

The Care Act 2014 places a duty on us to work closely with health colleagues to ensure the best level of care is delivered to our citizens.  It also requires us to consider whether any universal preventative services or other services available locally could help adults and older people stay well for longer.

We use the information we have about you to assess your care needs, to draw up a plan of support with you, manage and monitor the quality of our services and to make our statutory statistical returns to government.

We collect only the information that we need to carry out these functions and we ensure that it is used and stored safely and securely.

All staff who have access to information about you will have received training on data protection and information security and they work to a code of conduct which requires them to respect the confidentiality of the information about you that they have access to in order to do their jobs

In line with the best practice outlined in the Care Act we will always ask you who you are happy for us to share your information with.  We record what you say about this in our case files, so that we can comply with your wishes wherever possible.  In order to provide you with the best service possible we will ask to share information about you with people and agencies who know you or who might be able to help you.  This may include:

• Health Agencies
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Police
• Education Providers
• Other Councils
• Prepaid cards providers
• Direct payment support services

All information sharing is done with reference to the principles set out in the Milton Keynes Information Sharing Framework.  We require anyone we share information with, or who uses it on our behalf, to adhere to Data Protection law.

The sharing of information in health and social care is guided by the Caldicott Principles.

You can say that you do not want the Council to share your personal information with other individuals or organisations at any time.  You can refuse this at the start of our contact with you, or you are able to change your mind at any time.  It is important to remember that if the council are not able to pass your information to other organisations, this may then reduce the options available, delay, or on occasion prevent you from getting the help you need.

In certain circumstances your personal information may need to be shared against your wishes if there is a legal requirement for us to do so.  The council must give information to courts if there are legal proceedings or a court order, to prevent crime, or if there is a risk of harm to you or another person.

We only keep information for as long as it is needed.  This will be based on either a legal requirement (where a law says we have to keep information for a specific period of time) or accepted business practice.  For most records we make about your support from Adult Services this will be for 7 years after we have ceased to work with you.  More detail can be found in our retention schedule.

To find out about or to exercise any of the rights you have under Data Protection law or to ask any questions about the information above please contact our ACCESS Team.

From September 2021, all regulated social care providers in England will need to comply with the national data opt-out. Under the national data opt-out everyone who uses publicly-funded health and/or care services can stop health and care organisations from sharing their “confidential patient information” with other organisations if it is not about managing or delivering their own care. For example, if this information is used for research or planning purposes.