Privacy Policy

Pearl Home Care Ltd ("we", "our", "us") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us.

We are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and comply with all relevant data protection legislation including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We may collect and process the following data about you:

• Contact information (name, address, telephone, email)
• Personal details (date of birth, gender, next of kin)
• Health information and care needs assessments
• Medical history and current medications
• GP and healthcare professional details
• Financial information for billing and funding purposes
• Care plan details and progress notes
• Safeguarding and incident reports where necessary

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide and manage your care services
• To assess your care needs and develop care plans
• To communicate with you, your family, and healthcare professionals
• To process payments and manage invoicing
• To comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• To improve our services and monitor quality
• To respond to complaints and enquiries

We process your personal data on the following legal grounds:

• Contract: Processing necessary for the performance of our care services contract with you
• Legal Obligation: Compliance with CQC regulations and other legal requirements
• Vital Interests: Protection of your health and wellbeing
• Legitimate Interests: Running our business effectively and improving services
• Consent: Where you have given explicit consent for specific processing

We may share your information with:

• Healthcare professionals (GPs, nurses, consultants) involved in your care
• Local authorities and NHS bodies for funding and care coordination
• Care Quality Commission for regulatory purposes
• Emergency services if necessary for your safety
• Our insurers and legal advisors where necessary
• Family members or designated representatives with your consent

We will only share the minimum necessary information and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, or damage. This includes:

• Secure storage of electronic and paper records
• Access controls and password protection
• Staff training on data protection
• Encrypted communications where appropriate
• Regular security reviews and updates

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, and to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Care records are typically retained for:

• Adults: Minimum 6 years from last contact
• Children: Until 25th birthday or 26 years after last contact
• Financial records: 7 years for tax purposes

Under data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request deletion of your data (in certain circumstances)
• Object to processing of your data
• Request restriction of processing
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent (where processing is based on consent)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact:

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been breached. Visit www.ico.org.uk for more information.