Privacy & Cookie Notice

This notice was last updated in November 2024.

We aim to make things as easy as possible for our customers and that includes being clear and open about how and why we use your personal information. We have written this privacy notice in plain English to make it simple and easy to read. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please feel free to contact us at the details provided below.

Please read this policy carefully as you should only submit personal information to us through our site/ app if you agree we may use it in accordance with this policy.

We may make amendments to our policy to reflect changes to our business, website or any changes in data protection laws at any time. We therefore ask that you revisit this policy on a regular basis to ensure you are familiar with it.

This website/app is provided by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. This policy only applies to our website and app; it does not cover any links to external websites. When following any links to external sites we would therefore encourage you to read their privacy notice.

This policy explains how Fleet Solutions (part of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust), uses your personal data. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will be clear and open with you about why we collect your personal information and how we use it. Where you have choices or rights, we’ll explain them to you.

Information we collect

We collect information from you:

• When you register on our site.
• When you obtain a quotation via our website
• When you submit a lease vehicle order request
• Additional information provided by you when completing any paper based forms (for example, licence checking form);
• Direct from other organisations. Such as your employer to verify details or appropriate government bodies such as the DVLA.
• By means of ‘cookies’ when you use our site
• Telephone calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes

In general, we will collect the information we need to provide you with the service to which the form relates. Without such information we are unable to provide you with our services/ products.

Types of information we collect include, Personal details (name, address, etc) we also collect some specific information regarding your driving licence (to check endorsements), employment details (including salary). Details of any additional drivers.

Information we get from external companies

We may receive information from other companies about you. These include your employing organisation, for the purposes of your contract and verifying employment details. We may also receive information from other organisations such as the DVLA.

How and why we use your personal information

We use the information we hold about you in a range of different ways:

• In order to provide you with the products or services you have requested
• To meet legal or regulatory obligations
• To enable us to run our business effectively and efficiently, and
• To effectively market to you.

Providing our products and services

There are certain things we have to do in order to be able to provide you with our products and services. We use your information to enable you to use our site/ app, to set up your account, obtain quotes from us, and enter into agreements for products and services.

Like most organisations, to provide our products and services we share your information with external organisations. More information on information sharing can be found in our Information Sharing section of this policy.

The information collected is necessary for contractual purposes or for the steps before entering a contract (quotes). This purpose covers everything that is essential in order for us to provide you with the service/ product you have requested. If you do not want your data used in this way your option is to not use our services or create an account with us.

Legal and regulatory requirements

We need to comply with a range of legal and regulatory requirements, some of which involve the use of personal information. There are also set timescales for which we need to keep your information. Where you have a contract with us, your information will be retained for the length of that contract plus 6 years from when it ends. Personal information is then removed.

We are also subject to laws and regulations relating to other aspects of our business, such as payment processing or complaint handing.

As part of our products/ service we are also required to share some information about you as part of your contract. This may include providing your information to relevant government bodies. E.g. DVLA. DWP.

This purpose covers activities we are obliged to do in order to provide our products and services lawfully. We are unable to provide you with our products and services without carrying out these activities. If you do not wish for your data to be used in this way, your option is to not use our services.

Running our business effectively and efficiently

Use of your information also helps us operate as a commercial organisation. We have a legitimate interest in carrying out these activities. We ensure we take all steps to minimize any impact on your privacy. Data Protection laws give you the right to object where we use your information in our legitimate interests, if your right to privacy outweighs our legitimate business interests. You always have the right to exercise this right, but this may not always be possible. For example activities that are central to our business. If this is the case you will usually need to close any account you have with us (provided you do not have a current contract).

Information security

Only authorised personnel and contractors have access to your information. We ensure that all your information is secure by taking appropriate technical and organizational measures against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, disclosure, destruction or damage.

How long do we keep your information?

We will hold all information provided by you for the period of the contract you have with us to provide any services/ Products plus 6 years from the date the agreement ends. This ensures we meet our legal and regulatory obligations and allows us to resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. After which all personal identifiable information is removed.

If you have provided us with information for the purposes of obtaining a quote but have not entered into a formal agreement with us, we will hold your information for as long as your account is active. If you have not accessed your account within a 12 month period, your account will be removed.

Sharing your information

As part of providing products and services we need to be able to share your information with other companies. These include vehicle leasing companies to obtain your quotations and contractual obligations. When we share your information:

• We may disclose your information to third parties in order to obtain vehicle quotations.
• Suppliers who process information on our behalf, such as our IT service.
• We may disclose your information to law enforcement or regulatory bodies if required to do so by them.
• We may disclose your information to a third party in relation to legal proceedings or if otherwise required to do so by law.
• We may disclose your infomration to a third party in relation to obtaining a home charge unit (where one has been selected during the quotation period).
• The information you provide will also be shared with your employing organisation in order for employment details to be verified. This is also required in order to set up your repayments as part of your contract.
• We may disclose your information to third-party suppliers such as leasing companies, manufacturers or NHS employers (list not exhaustive) in regards to processing a Trust Pilot review.

Your information will not be disclosed or shared with any third party exempt as specified above. As the above information sharing is core to our business activities if you do not wish us to share information as specified above, we are unable to provide any products or services.

For those companies we share your information with, we ensure that all appropriate steps to safeguard your information have been taken such as formal agreements are in place.

We will not share any of your information outside of the UK. If there is a need for this, we will always seek your consent and ensure appropriate safeguards for the secure transfer is in place.

Market research

We will occasionally invite you to give feedback on the products and services we provide, that you have used, or to take part in customer surveys. We will contact you directly. Taking part is always voluntary. It is important for any business to find out what its customers think. If you do not wish to take part you are able to decline these. There is no adverse impact on your privacy.

Marketing

We aim to provide the most helpful service possible to you. We may therefore from time to time provide you with details of products and services we provide that you may be interested in.

We will send you offers and information that you may be interested in as part of our legitimate interests as a business. We will only send you marketing information similar to those which you have originally requested that you may be interested in. We use the information you originally provide in order to receive a quote to do this. We will never share your data with companies outside of our organisation for them to use for their own marketing.

You can unsubscribe to receiving marketing at any time and we have made this as easy as possible for you. If you wish to unsubscribe please contact Fleet solutions directly. You are also able to unsubscribe to marketing at each time we send you information and can do so at any time from within your account. You will also be given the option to unsubscribe when you create your account. Please be assured that we do not use any ‘sensitive’ (special category) data for marketing related purposes.

Your rights

Data Protection laws allows you to find out what information is held about you, on computer and in certain manual records. This is known as "right of subject access", and applies to your information held by Fleet Solutions.

If you want to see or receive a copy of your records speak to a member of the information governance team on the details provided below. In certain circumstances access to your records may be limited. Where this is the case we will advise you of the reasons.

Under Data Protection laws, you may also have additional rights in relation to your information. For example:

• You also have the right to request any decisions taken by automated decision making with regards to your information;
• The right to have any inaccuracies in your personal information corrected;
• You may have the right to erasure of your personal information held by us, in certain circumstances;
• Right to data portability.

You have the right to withdraw consent at any time, where consent has been given.

If you wish to exercise any of your rights under data protection laws, please contact us on the details provided below. We will aim to respond to all queries within a reasonable time, ensuring that any statutory deadlines are met.

Cookies

When we provide services, we want to make them easy, useful and reliable. Where services are delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, computer or mobile phone. These include small files known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.

For further information please see our cookie document.

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 contact a member of the Fleet Solutions team. If you do not feel comfortable doing this you can also find out more by contacting the Information Governance Department or the 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

Information Governance team	Data Protection Officer
Digital Services Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub, Avenue Road, Seaton Delaval, Whitley Bay, NE25 0QJ igofficer@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk	Tracy Best, Digital Services Northumbria Healthcare Manufacturing and Innovation Hub, Avenue Road, Seaton Delaval, Whitley Bay, NE25 0QJ Tracey.best@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk