What we do with your information

1. Who we are

Whitegreen Companions is a trading name of Whitegreen Care Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company number to be confirmed, registered office to be confirmed. We are the data controller for the information described on this page.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office; registration number to be confirmed before launch. For anything about your information, contact hello@whitegreencompanions.co.uk or ring 07888 874689.

2. What we collect, and who it is about

When you send the enquiry form or ring us, we collect:

• About you: your name, telephone number, email address, your relationship to the person the visits are for, and the best time to reach you.
• About the person who would receive visits: the area or postcode they live in, roughly what would help them, how often, and whether they need help with washing, dressing or medication. Often this is somebody other than you.
• Anything else you choose to tell us in the free-text box or on the phone.

You do not need our permission to tell us about a relative in order to arrange support for them, but they should know you have. If they are able to, please tell them. If they cannot be told — because of dementia, for example — say so and we will handle it accordingly.

Please do not send detailed health information through the form. We need enough to know whether we are the right service, not a history. If more is relevant, it is better said on the telephone, and we will only write down what we actually need.

3. Why we are allowed to use it

Under UK GDPR we rely on:

• Legitimate interests — to answer an enquiry you have made, and to tell you honestly whether we can help. You asked us to get in touch, and replying is what you would expect.
• Contract — once visits are arranged, to schedule them, send the update after each visit, and invoice you.
• Legal obligation — employment, tax, insurance and safeguarding duties.
• Consent — if we ever ask to use something you have written as a public quote. We will always ask first, and you can say no or change your mind afterwards.

Information about somebody's health is special category data. Where we hold any, we rely on it being necessary for the provision of social care under Article 9(2)(h), or on your explicit consent. We keep as little of it as the job allows.

4. How long we keep it

We do not keep information indefinitely on the theory that it might be useful one day.

• An enquiry that does not become a booking: twelve months, then deleted. If you ask us to delete it sooner, we will.
• Waiting list: twelve months, or until you tell us to remove you. We will not keep ringing you.
• Client records: six years after the last visit, because that is the period in which a claim could be brought and our insurer needs to be able to answer it.
• Visit updates sent to a family contact: the same six years.
• Companion recruitment: six months for an unsuccessful application, unless you ask us to keep it longer.

5. Who else sees it

We do not sell personal information, we do not share it for anyone else's marketing, and we do not pass your details to other care providers as a lead.

It is handled by the companion assigned to the visits and by the small office team who arrange them. Beyond that it reaches:

• Our email, website and scheduling suppliers, who process it on our written instructions only.
• Our accountant and our insurer, where a claim or an audit requires it.
• Emergency services, or a local authority safeguarding team, if we believe someone is at risk of harm. We would tell you we had done so unless doing that would increase the risk.

If you ask us to recommend a registered provider because you need personal care, we will give you their details. We do not pass your details to them, and we take no commission for doing it.

6. Your rights

You can ask us to show you what we hold, correct it, delete it, restrict what we do with it, or provide it in a portable form. You can object to us relying on legitimate interests. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

Ask by email or on the telephone, whichever is easier. We will reply within one month and we will not charge you. If you are asking on behalf of somebody else, we may need to check that they are content for you to.

If we get it wrong, tell us and we will put it right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113. You do not have to come to us first.

7. Cookies and this website

This website sets no cookies and runs no advertising or analytics trackers. There is nothing here to consent to and nothing to opt out of. The cookie page explains it in full, including what would change if that ever stopped being true.

8. Changes

If we change how we use information, we will change this page and move the version number and date at the top. If the change is significant and you are a client, we will tell you directly rather than expecting you to notice.