Privacy and confidentiality

You have a legal right to request sight of your personal information under Section 7 of the Data Protection Act. Further information on how to do so can be found here.

For further information please contact the Information Governance Manager on 020 3513 6184

or

Information Governance Manager South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust

We have produced a leaflet explaining why we need to record your information, how it is stored and who we might share it with. You will find the leaflet on our publications page.

You can also request a printed copy by contacting our Communications Team on 020 3513 6006.

This privacy policy sets out how South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust uses and protects any information that you give the Trust when you use this website. www.swlstg-tr.nhs.uk

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the information set out in this privacy statement.

We are always looking at ways we can improve our website and may change this policy from time to time by updating this page.

What we collect

• Cookies - A cookie is a piece of information in the form of a very small text file that is placed on an internet user's hard drive. It is generated by a computer server that operates a web site. The information the cookie contains is set by the server and it can be used by that server whenever the user visits the site. Cookies make the interaction between users and web sites faster and easier. Cookies enable web sites to monitor their users' web surfing habits and profile them for marketing purposes. Web sites use cookies mainly because they save time and make the browsing experience more efficient and enjoyable.You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it or not. For more information about cookies please visit http://www.aboutcookies.org/default.aspx?page=5
• Analytical tools - South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust uses Google Analytics to help improve its website and make sure that visitor's to the site get access to the information they need. Google Analytics is a free service provided by Google Inc. Google Analytics uses a cookie in order to capture anonymous traffic data on visitor activity across the Trust website. This data is provided in an anonymous format, detailing the number of times a visitor browses individual pages on the Trust website, where the visitor is based geographically (country or city), and from what ipaddress the visitor's computer device is associated to. Google stores the information collected by the cookie on servers in the U.S and may be accessed by third parties if required to do so by law, or where third parties process information on behalf of Google. Google does not associate your IP address with your data. If you do not wish South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust to track your activity anonymously on this website, you can disable cookies in your browser which will stop the tracking code. For more information on disabling cookies in your web browser please visit: http://www.aboutcookies.org/default.aspx?page=2
• Online form submission - This website also contains forms that require personal information. When these forms are submitted they send the inputted data to a script that is processed and sent to a designated email within South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. We never share or distribute your data with other parties and you can expect the same confidentiality as you would if sharing this information with us in person.
• Social networking sites - The Trust operates a Facebook page accessible via the Trust website and directly from www.facebook.com/swlstg. User information collected on Facebook is used only for analytical purposes and to promote activities and news from across the Trust and the services it provides. The Trust does not collect or share any personal data or information directly from Facebook users. If users of the Trust Facebook page are concerned about their privacy, they should refer to Facebook's own privacy statement available directly from www.facebook.com/about/privacy/
• Links to other websites - The Trust website may contain links to other websites or documents of interest. Once you have clicked on these links to leave the Trust website, you should note that the Trust is not responsible for the content, protection or privacy relating any external websites, to that of the Trust. If you are concerned you should look at the privacy statement applicable to the website you are viewing.

Further information and help

For more information on Cookies and Google Analytics please see the links provided below.

• Cookies - What are they and how to disable them http://www.aboutcookies.org/
• Google Analytics Privacy Policy http://www.google.com/analytics/tos.html
• Facebook privacy http://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/

The Trust does not use compromise agreements containing confidentiality clauses (commonly called 'gagging clauses') that seek to prevent employees from speaking out about matters of patient safety or quality.

The Trust has reviewed any agreements it has made with staff over the last five years and can confirm that no clauses have been included in compromise agreements since 2008, which would have prevented employees or former employees from raising legitimate concerns about patient safety.

The Trust supports staff and others who bring forward concerns about safety and quality in its bid to continuously improve the services it offers to patients,their carers and families.

The Trust also has a whistle blowing policy in place. Staff can also approach the Trust's Senior Independent Director (SID) (who is a non-executive member of the Board) if they have concerns.

Jean Daintith is a Non-Executive Director and our current SID. Jean is Chair of the Quality and Safety Assurance Committee, Member of the Audit Committee, Member of the Foundation Trust Steering Committee and Member of the Remuneration Committee. You can contact Jean by emailing Jean.Daintith@swlstg.nhs.uk.