Bristol ROADS Privacy Notice
Bristol ROADS Privacy Notice
The purpose of this Privacy Notice is to tell you about information we collect when you use our service, how we use that information and who we may share it with. As of 1st February 2018, this replaces any previously given consent and is due to a change in data protection regulations.
Bristol ROADS (Recovery Orientated Alcohol & Drugs Service) is Bristol’s service for people seeking support with drug or alcohol problems. Bristol ROADS is delivered by ARA, BDP, BrisDoc, BSDAS, DHI, Hawkspring, The Junction Project and The Salvation Army, and is funded by Bristol City Council.
Bristol City Council is the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998 and other relevant regulations. The data controller is someone who determines how the information we collect from you may be used.
Your information will be kept safe and secure on paper and in a variety of electronic formats, including a case management system called Theseus.
Why we need to collect your information:
We will use this information to help us:
- meet your needs and make sure that you receive the most appropriate support and treatment
- monitor and improve the drugs and alcohol services in Bristol
- ensure continued funding for drugs and alcohol services in the future.
It also means that you don’t have to repeat yourself to different workers or organisations.
What information is collected and the legal basis for processing it:
To deliver Bristol ROADS, we have legal obligations to process your personal information. Your information will only be accessed by people directly involved in the coordination of your care. Information we collect includes:
- Your personal details including name, age, gender, date of birth, address details, sexuality, disability status and ethnicity
- Your Next of Kin and/or emergency contact
- Your risk information, both to yourself and to others
- Your health information, including past and current substance use, injecting status, mental and physical health, medications and medical history
- Your housing status
- Your social situation, including relationships with friends and family
- Your employment and financial status
- Whether you are a parent, pregnant, details of any children you have or live with and any involvement with Social Services
- A record of your sessions with treatment and support providers
- Any past and present offending
- Any equipment supplied through BDP needle exchange. Information regarding needle exchange equipment is only made available to members of the Needle Exchange team
We need to collect this information to ensure we can provide the best service for you. If you refuse to provide it, the quality of the service you receive may be affected or the service withdrawn.
How long we will keep your information for:
We will hold this information for eight years after treatment or support ends.
Who we may share your information with and why:
Your information will be made available to: any ROADS providers directly involved in your care and support as well as Bristol City Council’s Think Family team to help them identify people who would benefit from family support.
We may make your information available to partners if they are directly involved in your care. This may include: pharmacies, other organisations such as the NHS and other providers of physical and mental health care, Councils/Local Authorities, Department of Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Justice, housing, social care, employment and training services. We will always try and discuss this with you first.
If there are concerns for the neglect or abuse of children or if you are at serious risk of harming yourself or others (including the prevention of terrorism), we will make your information available to relevant criminal justice or safeguarding bodies which includes the Police, the Probation services, Children’s and Social services and the Youth Offending Team amongst others.
Where we use your information to help improve services:
We may use information that does not identify you as an individual, to help determine the most positive treatment plan for you by analysing the effectiveness of treatment options across ROADS. Personal information and risk information will also be used to help us do this.
Where we receive your information from a third party:
If you are in ROADS, we may have information of a personal nature from other public agencies and organisations such as the NHS, health organisations and Councils/Local Authorities, Department of Work and Pensions, the Police, the Ministry of Justice, the Probation services, housing, social care, employment and training services, safeguarding bodies and the Youth offending Team. We will have this information to ensure that we are providing the right help and support to you, as well as protecting you, and those around you. Any information obtained will be held safely and securely and when handled in ROADS is subject to this Privacy Notice.
Your information rights as a ROADS service user:
You have the right to request access to your information and where information is found to be inaccurate to have that information corrected. In certain circumstances you have the right to have information held about you erased, or the use of it restricted, you may be able to object to processing as well as the right to have your information transferred to another data controller.
If you have any questions about how your information is used please speak to your worker.
You also have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk if you think we have dealt with your information in an inappropriate manner.
You can ask to see what information we hold about you and have access to it. This request is free of charge and you will receive a reply within one month of the request being received. You can do this by accessing Data protection and subject access requests (bristol.gov.uk) and following the link to “Make a Subject Access Request”. You will need to have an electronic copy of your ID and proof of address ready to upload.
