Privacy Policy

City & Hackney CAMHS Website

Website: cityandhackneycamhs.org.uk

Last updated: March 2026

Review date: March 2027

1. Introduction

City & Hackney CAMHS (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit our website, how we use it, and your rights under UK data protection law.

This policy applies to the website at cityandhackneycamhs.org.uk, including any staging or development environments.

We are bound by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Who We Are

The City & Hackney CAMHS Alliance is a group of organisations that provide child and adolescent mental health services in the City of London and London Borough of Hackney.

3. What Information We Collect

3.1 Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, the following information may be collected automatically:

  • Your IP address (anonymised by Google Analytics before storage)
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • Referring website
  • Pages visited and time spent on each page
  • Date and time of your visit
  • Approximate geographic location (country/city level)

This information is collected using Google Analytics (see Section 5) and standard WordPress server logs. We do not use this data to identify you personally.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information collected for the following purposes:

  • To understand how visitors use our website and improve its content and structure
  • To monitor website performance and diagnose technical issues
  • To respond to enquiries you send us directly
  • To ensure the security of our website and IT systems
  • To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations

5. Google Analytics

Our website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC (“Google”). Google Analytics places small text files called cookies on your device to help us understand how visitors use our site.

Important: IP Anonymisation We have enabled IP anonymisation in our Google Analytics configuration. This means your IP address is truncated before it is stored by Google, so it cannot be used to identify you individually.

5.1 What Google Analytics collects

Google Analytics collects aggregated, anonymised data about:

  • Pages visited and navigation paths
  • Time spent on the site
  • How visitors arrived at the site (e.g. search engine, direct link)
  • Device type and browser used
  • Approximate location (country or city — never precise address)

5.2 Data processing by Google

Data collected by Google Analytics may be transferred to and stored on Google servers in the United States. Google is certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and uses appropriate safeguards. For more information, see Google’s privacy policy:

https://policies.google.com/privacy

5.3 Opting out of Google Analytics

You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting data about your visit by:

  • Installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
  • Adjusting your browser’s cookie settings to block third-party cookies
  • Using a private/incognito browsing window

6. Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. Our website uses the following categories of cookies:

Cookie TypeName/ProviderPurposeDuration
EssentialWordPress (wp_*)Required for the website to function correctlySession / 1 year
Analytics_ga, _gid, _gat (Google)Tracks anonymised usage statistics_ga: 2 years; _gid: 24 hours
PreferencesWordPress customiserRemembers accessibility preferences (e.g. colour scheme)Session

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of this website.

7. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases for processing your data:

  • For website analytics and security monitoring, to improve our online services for the communities we serve. Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f))
  • Where we are required to process data to comply with NHS obligations or statutory requirements. Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c))
  • Where you have actively provided information by contacting us through the website. Consent (Article 6(1)(a))

8. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data. We may share data in the following limited circumstances:

  • Google LLC — for website analytics (anonymised data only, as described in Section 5)
  • Our hosting provider — who may process data on our behalf as a data processor under a data processing agreement
  • East London NHS Foundation Trust IT and data security teams — for the purposes of maintaining website security
  • Regulatory bodies or law enforcement — where we have a legal obligation to do so

9. Data Retention

We retain data for the following periods:

  • Google Analytics data: 26 months (our configured retention period in Google Analytics)
  • Server logs: Up to 90 days, after which they are securely deleted
  • Enquiry emails: In line with ELFT’s Records Management Policy (typically 7 years for general correspondence)

10. International Data Transfers

Google Analytics may transfer data to servers located in the United States. Google participates in the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and implements Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to ensure adequate data protection.

We do not otherwise transfer your personal data outside the UK.

11. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

  • You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.Right of access
  • You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.Right to rectification
  • You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances.Right to erasure
  • You can ask us to limit how we use your data.Right to restrict processing
  • You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.Right to data portability
  • You can object to processing based on legitimate interests.Right to object
  • We do not use automated decision-making or profiling on this website.Rights related to automated decision-making

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 13. We will respond within one calendar month.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites, including NHS services, NICE guidelines, and partner organisations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact:

For general enquiries about City & Hackney CAMHS, please visit: cityandhackneycamhs.org.uk

14. Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Website: ico.org.uk Helpline: 0303 123 1113 Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, technology, or our services. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised ‘Last updated’ date. Significant changes will be flagged on the website homepage.

We recommend that you review this policy periodically.

City & Hackney CAMHS  |  cityandhackneycamhs.org.uk  |  Privacy Policy v1.0  |  March 2026