Privacy policy

Overview

The College of General Dentistry cares about providing the best possible service to our members, students and other constituents. As part of our operations and provision of products and services, we deal with information relating to you as an individual. We take the privacy of all the individuals we interact with very seriously and are committed to protecting your personal information. We comply with all applicable data protection laws and undertake to process your information in line with this policy. 

This Policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from or about you, or that you provide to us, will be used or processed by us.


Our Contact Details

The registered office for the College of General Dentistry is:

Kemp House
124 City Road
London
EC1V 2NX

[email protected] 

www.cgdent.uk


Our company number is 02586636 and our charity number is 1002769.

Your main point of contact for any questions relating to data protection matters is:

[email protected]


How we collect information from you…

We collect information from you in the following ways:

  • through our websites, including forms and cookies (please refer to the relevant cookie notice for further details)
  • email, and post correspondence with us
  • contact via phone
  • our social media channels
  • application, new starter and registration forms 
  • in-person contacts with the College’s employees, representatives and volunteers
  • information we gather via events, and
  • information we receive from external third parties.

Each time we collect personal data from you we will give you the opportunity to opt-in or out of certain data uses by us.

Some forms of data sharing are more secure when sharing confidential information with us so please contact us if you want to find out more.


What type of information we deal with and why we collect it

We collect different kinds of information depending on our relationship with you. Our main relationship types are listed below. If you do not correspond with any of these categories and would like to know if we collect or hold information on you, please get in touch via the details below.

1.1 We deal with information relating to our Membership

We deal with information relating to our Membership, ‘membership’ being a collective term for our Foundation Members, Student Members, Associate Members, Full Members and Fellows, (including all past, present, future, and prospective members).

1.1.1

We deal with information relating to our membership for the purposes of providing them with various products and services, and communicating with them about membership news and information, news about the College, events and courses, subscription fees, examination information and updates on professional. We do this because we have a contract with members and we need to do all this under that contract. The information we deal with may include (for example) various details about members (such as contact and career details, bank details and details of their interaction with the College). Please note that for some of this information where relevant we share responsibility. We may also use information relating to members to analyse the make-up of membership and the take-up of products and service and we do this because it is in our legitimate interests to ensure membership and its associated benefits is suitable for all members. The membership can always opt out of all communications except for those relating to the administration of their membership and the governance of the College.

1.1.2

We also deal with information relating to our membership for the purposes of fundraising. The information we may use includes contact details, any donations you may have made to the College and other information to inform our fundraising activity. It is in our legitimate interest to further our charitable objective and we believe our membership will be interested in supporting these objectives.

1.1.3

We deal with information relating to previous members of the College and information relating to people who have attended the College’s examinations, events or courses for the purposes of verifying qualifications awarded by the College. We do this because it is in the interests of the public as one of our public tasks to maintain standards and public safety. It is also in the interest of the student taking an exam that we are able to document the fact that they have taken the examination and the outcome, should they need to call on that evidence in the future. The information we have includes (for example) names, examination outcomes and course attendances.

1.1.4

We also deal with information relating to previous members of the College and information relating to people who have attended the College’s examinations, events or courses for the purposes of membership recruitment and to market membership and events and courses to these people. We do this because we think it is in our legitimate interests to increase the membership of the College and increase attendance at events run by the College. The information we deal with includes various details about these people (such as contact and career details, and details of their interaction with the College). Previous members and people who have attended the College’s examinations, events or courses will be asked to opt in to receive marketing communications from the College, and can always opt out of any contact we have with them or ask us to delete information we hold.

1.1.5

We will provide verification of the membership status of individuals to organisations for the purposes of employment, academia, awards and dental regulation. We do this because we have a contract with the member. The information we deal with includes name, membership status and qualifications.

1.2 We deal with information relating to our Staff and other Employees

(including job applicants, current and former employees)

1.2.1

We deal with information relating to our Staff and Individuals employed by the College (including Temporary Staff employed through employment agencies, and Freelance Staff) for the purposes of staff administration and recruitment. We do this to fulfil the employment contract with each person. Some data will be processed because we have a legal obligation to do so (for example, we deal with staff medical information, staff training records, health surveillance records, or other such reasons that employment law, equality law or Health & Safety legislation obliges us to.) The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details, details of current and previous employment or experience and details about salaries, finances pensions, roles, sick leave, performance, diversity, ethnicity and disabilities.

1.2.2

All of the information provided during the recruitment process will only be used for the purpose of progressing an application, or to fulfil legal or regulatory requirements if necessary. We may collect details relating to equality and diversity. With regards to any special category data, in line with Article 9 of the GDPR, we would collect this to make a reasonable adjustment for interviews or in the workplace. We do this in line with Article 9 of GDPR under (h) health or social care. The associated condition in UK law from the DPA is the assessment of the working capacity of an employee. We do not collect more information than we need to fulfil our stated purposes and will not retain it for longer than is necessary. The information we ask for is used to assess your suitability for employment.

1.3 We deal with information relating to our Representatives and Volunteers

1.3.1

We deal with information relating to Member and Non-Member Representatives and Volunteers (for example: Trustees, Council Members, etc.) for the purposes of recruiting them into roles and then providing them with information relating to their role in in the College, to update them about professional issues and the developments within the College, and to tell them about events and courses run by the College. We may also use the information to reimburse expenses where relevant. We do this because we have a contract with these people for them to carry out work, on behalf of the College. We also do this because it is in our legitimate interests to increase maximise participation and diversity in the College, and it is in our mutual legitimate interests to update the profession on professional issues and about the College. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact and career details and details of the interaction of each representative or volunteer with the College.

1.3.2

We deal with information relating to our Examiners for the purposes of examiner administration and recruitment. We do this in most cases because we have a contract with each person and we need to use the information to perform that contract. However we are required to process certain information because we have a legal obligation to do so (for example, we deal with medical information, training records, health surveillance records, or other such reasons that employment law or Health & Safety legislation obliges us to.) The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details, details of current and previous employment or experience and details about salaries, pensions, roles, sickness, performance, diversity, ethnicity and disabilities.

1.3.3

We deal with information relating to Faculty, Course Leaders and Course Providers (and applicants thereof) for the purposes of administration and recruitment. We do this in most cases because we have a contract with each such person and we need to use the information to perform that contract. However we are required to process certain information because we have a legal obligation to do so (for example, we deal with staff medical information, training records, health surveillance records, etc.) The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details, details of current and previous employment or experience and details about roles, sick leave, performance, diversity, ethnicity and disabilities.

1.3.4

We deal with information relating to independent contributors and members to programme and academic boards for the purpose of undertaking reviews of education programmes. We do this because we have a legitimate interest in ensuring the standard of programmes remains high. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details, biographic information and payment information for the reimbursement of expenses.

1.4 We deal with information relating to our Applicants and Nominees

1.4.1

We deal with information relating to candidates for assessments, examinations or certification for the purpose of administering those assessment and exams. We do this because we have a contract with those candidates and need to use the information for the purposes of that contract. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details, details about a candidate and their history and experience, details relating to equality and diversity. With regards to any special category data, in line with Article 9 of the GDPR, we would collect this with explicit consent to make a reasonable adjustment or allowance in exams for these reasons) and details relating to exams. (Please note that for some exam results we deal with information about these because we are undertaking a public task. For some information we also share responsibility with the General Dental Council or other relevant professional bodies.)

1.4.2

We deal with information relating to applicants for grant/fellowship awards or bursary awards for the purpose of dealing with grant/fellowship awards or bursary awards. We do this because we have a contract with these people. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details, qualifications, education and employment history and salary details. We may also deal with details of ethnicity or disability because we are under a legal obligation to do so.

1.5 We deal with information relating to our Suppliers

1.5.1

 We deal with information relating to suppliers to the College for the purposes of administering contracts for supplies of products, goods and services to the College. We do this because we have a contract with those suppliers. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details, insurance details and financial details. We also deal with information relating to suppliers (and individuals employees at suppliers) for the purpose of maintaining contact lists of people the College can call on to supply the College. We do this because it is in our legitimate interests to maximise the availability of suppliers to the College. The information we deal for this purpose are names and contact details.

1.6 We deal with information relating to our Donors and Prospective Donors

1.6.1

We deal with information relating to our Donors and Prospective Donors for the purposes of fundraising. We do this because it is in the legitimate interests of the College to raise money to further our activities. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details, publicly available details of trusteeships of companies and charities. However, where we are fortunate enough to deal with a donor to the College, we also deal with information related to that donor for the purpose of processing a donation and we do this because of a contract with that donor. Also sometimes we need to supply details about a donor and any donation to HMRC for Gift Aid purposes (which we do because it is a legal obligation to do so).

1.6.2

How much of this information we collect depends on the type of relationship we have with you and the information we build in the course of your relationship with us. We do not store information that is classed as ‘sensitive’ or ‘special category’ personal data (meaning data relating to health (physical or mental); ethnicity; political, religious or philosophical beliefs; trade union membership, sex life; or genetic/biometric identifiers) or any data regarding criminal offences that you share with us, unless there is a clear and valid reason for us having to process this particular data that complies with applicable law, primarily that we have your explicit consent, and/or that you have made that information public and/or we have to process that data in connection with a legal claim.

1.7 We deal with information relating to our Visitors

1.7.1

We deal with information relating to visitors to the College for the purposes of Visitor management and building security, of keeping records of individuals accessing the College building, of which we have a legal obligation to do; and any accidents in the College of which we do because we have a legal obligation to do so. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details of the visitors.

1.8 We deal with information relating to our Contacts

1.8.1

We deal with information relating to Dentists and Dental Team and other non-member contacts for the purpose of providing information relating to their role (where relevant) and to update them about professional issues. We do this because it is in our legitimate interests as we need to work with these individuals, to conduct business with them and it is in our mutual legitimate interests to be updated about professional issues. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details and details of each individual’s interaction with the College.

1.8.2

We deal with information relating to interested members of the general public for the purposes of providing marketing information to them about the organisation, and public events being held in the College. We do this because we have received consent from the individuals to provide them with the information. The information we deal with may include (for example) names and email addresses of the individual.

1.8.3

We deal with information relating to Media and Key Stakeholder Contacts (including MPs) for the purpose of dealing with the media, the public and their representatives. We do this because it is in our legitimate interests to maintain a good profile in the press and with the public. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details and publicly available information.

1.8.4

We deal with information relating to our Dental Industry contacts for the purpose of providing marketing information to them about the organisation. We do this because we have received consent from the individuals to provide them with the information. The information we deal with may include (for example) contact details.


How we store your information

The College’s main information systems are located within the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Economic Area (EEA) and accessed by our staff for the purposes listed above.

We process information within the UK & EEA, but may also transfer data outside of UK & EEA to our suppliers as part of our operations and service delivery.

Some of our partners or service providers, or technology vendors may pass information outside of the UK & EEA into jurisdictions where privacy laws, obligations and rights may vary.  For such transfers, we will always ensure that appropriate assurance checks and measures are put in place to protect your privacy to ensure the data is treated as if under UK law.

We will retain your details for as long as they are needed for the relevant purposes listed above, in accordance with our retention schedules.

We may also retain certain records for other legitimate reasons (including after your relationship with the College has ended), for example to resolve any potential disputes, cross-check against future membership applications and to comply with other reporting and retention obligations.


Who we can share your information with

We may share your information with any subcontractors, agents, third party processors or service providers who work for us. These may include business system providers, publishers, website content and hosting providers including analytics. We may also share your information with others outside of the College, such as regulators.  With your permission, we may contact you on behalf of selected third parties.


Your data protection rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:

a) Your consent. You are able to remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting [email protected]

(b) We have a contractual obligation.

(c) We have a legal obligation.

(d) We have a vital interest.

(e) We need it to perform a public tasks.

(f) We have a legitimate interest.

Under data protection law you have rights including

Your right of access

 You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.

Your right to rectification

You have the right to ask us to rectify information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.

Your right to erasure

You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to restriction of processing

You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances. 

Your right to object to processing

You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

Your right to data portability

You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

Please contact us through one of the options below if you wish to make a request:

Kemp House
124 City Road
London
EC1V 2NX

[email protected] 

[email protected] 


Changes to this policy

In order to keep this policy up to date and to comply with any changes in legislation, we may at times update this policy. Any changes will be posted on this page. You should check this page regularly to keep abreast of any updates.


How to complain

If you are unhappy with how your personal data is processed by the College, you have the right to complain to the Data Protection Officer via [email protected]. If you remain unhappy, following our response to your complaint, you have the right to lodge a further compliant with our Supervisory Authority, The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO’s address:                      

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113