Data controller and purpose
This privacy notice applies to you (“the service user”) and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (“the council”). The council takes the privacy of your information very seriously. This privacy notice applies to the council’s use of any and all of the data provided by you or collected by the council in relation to your use of this service. It is important that you understand that sometimes we will need to share your data with other agencies where necessary or appropriate and by engaging with our service you understand that that your data may be shared.
The information you provide will be used by the LB Tower Hamlets Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) to deliver a service that can be tailored to your individual needs and preferences. Data is used to manage your interaction with the service and will make your journey more effective and successful. Any personal information you give to us is held securely and will be used for the purpose of drug and alcohol treatment.
We process your data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK privacy legislation and if you have any concerns the council’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted on DPO@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
Condition for processing personal data
It is necessary for us to process your personal data including name, address, contact details, under Article 6(1)(a) consent, Article 6(1)(b) performance of a contract and 6(1)(e) task in the public interest or official authority vested in the controller.
More personal data (health, personal and household circumstances) is being processed under Article 9(2)(a), explicit consent, Article 9(2)(h), preventative or occupational medicine, working capacity of the employee, medical diagnosis, the provision of health or social care or treatment or management, Article 9(2)(i), public interest in the area of public health and Article 9(2)(j), archiving in the public interest, or scientific and historical research purposes or statistical purposes.
In addition Personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences is processed under Article (10).
“Processing of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences or related security measures based on Article 6(1) shall be carried out only under the control of official authority or when the processing is authorised by Union or Member State law providing for appropriate safeguards for the rights and freedoms of data subjects. Any comprehensive register of criminal convictions shall be kept only under the control of official authority.”
Information sharing
Your personal information may be shared with internal departments or with external partners and agencies involved in delivering services on our behalf. Your data is shared based on your consent. For example, if you are referred to the Reset Drug and Alcohol Service, we will ask you to share your information with Reset Drug and Alcohol service.
However, confidentiality can be breached in the specific circumstances regulated by law.
The council has a duty to protect public funds and may use personal information and data-matching techniques to detect and prevent fraud, and ensure public money is targeted and spent in the most appropriate and cost-effective way. Information may be shared with internal services and external bodies like the Audit Commission, Department for Work and Pensions, other local authorities, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Police. This activity is carried out under social protection law.
We have a duty to improve the health of the population we serve. To help with this, we use data and information from a range of sources including hospitals to understand more about the nature and causes of disease and ill-health in the area. This data would normally be anonymised and never used to make decisions on a specific individual or family.
We may also anonymise some personal data you provide to us to ensure that you cannot be identified and use this for statistical analysis of data to allow the Council to effectively target and plan the provision of services.
Safeguarding
People’s wellbeing is at the heart of the care and support system under the Care Act 2014, and the prevention of abuse and neglect is one of the elements that make up a person’s wellbeing. Where there are safeguarding, child protection concerns or where someone is at immediate risk to themselves or others we have the right to share information. We do not have to seek consent to share information when we consider a child to be at risk of abuse or neglect. Information will be shared with TH Children’s Social Care. In most circumstances we will inform you that this information has been shared.
Sharing information with our colleagues in Children’s Services is an essential part of building a team to support you, your children and your family. We will only share relevant information with other practitioners and will normally do so only with your agreement. LB Tower Hamlets has the Early Help Hub and Supporting Stronger Families to offer support to families at the earliest opportunity.
Safeguarding adults
Local authorities also have safeguarding responsibilities for vulnerable adults experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect who are unable to protect themselves because of their care and support needs and for carers.
An adult with care and support needs may be:
- an older person
- a person with a physical disability
- a learning difficulty or a sensory impairment
- someone with mental health needs, including dementia or a personality disorder
- a person with a long-term health condition or
- someone who misuses substances or alcohol.
How long do we keep your information?
We only keep your information as long is required by law and to provide you with necessary services. This is likely to be after the case is closed. Your records will be retained for a minimum of 7 years. However, if you are serving a prison sentence longer than 7 years, we will hold your information for longer.
For further details, you can view our Retention Schedule.
Local case management system Nebula
The information you provide to us is held securely on an electronic case management system called Nebula. To provide a continuous treatment journey, Nebula is used by TH DIP, TH Reset drug and alcohol service and the TH Prostitution Support Programme (Beyond the Streets). If consent is given to share information with Reset and Beyond the Streets, services will be able to access relevant information about you on the Nebula system.
Your rights
You can find out more about your rights on our Data Protection page and this includes details of your rights about automated decisions, such as the ranking of Housing Applications, and how to complain to the Information Commissioner.