Privacy Policy

This privacy notice explains how we use your personal information when you use our service as a signposting tool, through speaking with a public Service Practitioner (PCP) such as, Healthcare Professionals, Social Workers or Police Officers etc. MECC allows those professionals to have a conversation with you and find the nearest local service for you. The PCP can then use MECC to then text or email information regarding the service directly to you as requested.

This Notice details how your information will be used, kept safe and detail your rights around your personal information. This privacy notice only applies to information processed for the MECC service, it does not apply to any external websites that you may access through the links you are provided with. As a result, we would encourage you to read the privacy notice associated with these for how they will use your data (if you provide them with any). This notice also does not apply to any information the PCP may collect from you for any purposes other than the MECC tool.

The PCP who obtains the information from you have a reasonability to ensure it is kept secure and only used for the intended purpose. The organisation responsible for providing the MECC tool is Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, whose contact details can be found at the end of this notice. Everyone working for public services have a duty to keep information about you confidential and the personal data they collect for MECC will not be used for any purpose other than those identified within this privacy notice. For further information on how individual organisations use your personal data, you should consult their privacy notices for this information.

Information recorded about me & Purpose

Your personal data is collected by the PCP for the purpose of providing you directly with a link through a text message or email, to access information on the service or services that you wish to receive. For example, if during a conversation with a PCP you wish to know more about a particular service, such as a stop smoking service, the PCP will use your contact details in order for information relating to those services to be sent to you by text or through an email. The personal information used, depending on your preference will be either:

• Mobile phone number;
• Email address.

The above information is collected directly from you by the PCP during a conversation with you. No further personal information relating to you is required by MECC or processed by the tool. During the conversation the PCP may ask you for your postcode, this is so that they are able to locate the closest service to you.

Once your communication has been sent to you, your data will not be processed further or for any other purposes, unless stated in this notice.

Legal basis for processing personal information

We rely on specific legal provisions under Article 6 of the GDPR to process your personal information for the purposes described in this notice:

Article 6(1)(e)"processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party."

Storage of personal information
Personal data used for the purpose outlined in this privacy notice will only be used on a one off basis. The data will not be stored or processed further.

Sharing information

The personal information you provide for MECC to the PCP will not be shared with any other organisations. It will only be available to the PCP and temporarily to MECC so that your communication can be sent.

Your rights
Under Data Protection laws, you have rights which allow you to find out what information is held about you. This is known as "right of subject access", you may also have additional rights in relation to your information. For example:

• The right to request any decisions taken by automated decision making with regards to your information. No automated decision making however through the MECC tool;
• The right to rectification of your information is found to be inaccurate (in line with NHS Guidelines);
• The right to restrict processing (where applicable);
• The right to data portability;
• You may have the right to erasure of your personal information held by us (if any is held).

Further Information

If you would like to know more about how we use your information or if, for any reason you do not wish to have your information used in any of the ways described in this leaflet, please speak to the health or social care professionals concerned with your care. If you do not feel comfortable doing this you can also find out more by contacting the Information Governance Department or the Trusts designated Data Protection Officer using the below contact information. Further guidance about data protection can be obtained at www.ico.org.uk. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office.

Contact Information

General MECC Contact information
You can contact us by using the get in touch form which can be found here:
https://www.meccgateway.co.uk/nenc/contact

Data Protection Officer
Tracey Best
Digital Services
3rd Floor
Cobalt Business Exchange & Conference
Centre
Cobalt Park Way
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE28 9NZ
Tracey.best@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk