Skip to main content

Recruitment privacy notice

This privacy notice tells you what to expect us to do with your personal information.

  • Contact details
  • What information we collect, use, and why
  • Lawful bases and data protection rights
  • Where we get personal information from
  • How long we keep information
  • Who we share information with
  • How to complain

Contact details

Phone: 01614342753

What information we collect, use, and why

We collect or use the following personal information for recruitment purposes:

  • Contact details (eg name, address, telephone number or personal email address)
  • Date of birth
  • National Insurance number
  • Copies of passports or other photo ID
  • Employment history (eg job application, employment references or secondary employment)
  • Education history (eg qualifications)
  • Right to work information
  • Details of any criminal convictions (eg Disclosure Barring Service (DBS), Access NI or Disclosure Scotland checks )
  • Security clearance details (eg basic checks and higher security clearance)

Lawful bases and data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.

Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are set out in brief below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:

If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.

To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

Our lawful bases for the collection and use of your data

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for recruitment purposes are:

  • Consent – we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

Where we get personal information from

  • Directly from you
  • Regulatory authorities
  • Relevant regulatory authorities
  • Previous employers

How long we keep information

We keep personal information in line with the NHS Records Management Code of Practice. Retention periods depend on the type of record and the purpose for which it is held.

Recruitment records for unsuccessful applicants are kept for up to 6 months after the recruitment process ends.

Recruitment records for successful applicants are transferred to the staff personnel file.

Staff personnel records are kept for 6 years after employment ends.

Right to work checks are kept for the duration of employment and for 2 years after employment ends.

Disclosure and Barring Service certificates are not retained for longer than 6 months. We keep a record of the check outcome and reference number for safeguarding and audit purposes.

Payroll and pension records are kept in accordance with HMRC and NHS pension requirements.

Where records are no longer required, they are securely destroyed.

For more information on how long we store your personal information or the criteria we use to determine this please contact us using the details provided above.

Who we share information with

Others we share personal information with

  • Organisations we’re legally obliged to share personal information with

Duty of confidentiality

We are subject to a common law duty of confidentiality. However, there are circumstances where we will share relevant health and care information. These are where:

  • you’ve provided us with your consent (we have taken it as implied to provide you with care, or you have given it explicitly for other uses);
  • we have a legal requirement (including court orders) to collect, share or use the data;
  • on a case-by-case basis, the public interest to collect, share and use the data overrides the public interest served by protecting the duty of confidentiality (for example sharing information with the police to support the detection or prevention of serious crime);
  • If in England or Wales – the requirements of The Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 are satisfied; or
  • If in Scotland – we have the authority to share provided by the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, the Public Benefit and Privacy Panel for Health and Social Care or other similar governance and scrutiny process.

National data opt-out

We comply with England’s national data opt-out because we’re using confidential patient information for purposes beyond individual care. To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint to us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:           

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

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Website: www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

Page published: 23 January 2026
Last updated: 23 January 2026