Reablement Service Privacy Notice
The Reablement Team at Cheshire West and Chester Council helps adults to gain or regain their confidence, abilities, and essential skills so they can live as independently as possible. Our team supports people who need help to get back to their usual activities, such as cooking, washing, dressing, and moving around their home.
We provide support in your own home and work closely with other teams to help people in the community or when they are leaving hospital. Our goal is to help you build independence and improve your wellbeing.
This privacy notice explains how we use your personal information to deliver the Reablement Service, who we may share it with, how long we keep it, and your rights under data protection law.
What information we collect, use, and why
Whenever you contact us, whether in person, by phone, or online, we collect certain information to provide the Reablement Service. This helps us identify you, understand your circumstances, and deliver tailored support. We collect:
Personal Data
To identify you, communicate with you about your case, and send important updates or decisions.
To confirm your identity, determine eligibility for support, and match records accurately.
To uniquely identify you and link relevant health and care records, ensuring coordinated support.
To understand who supports you, involve carers or family members appropriately, and ensure the right people are consulted.
To determine the requirement for potential financial assessment should ongoing services be required.
To help with referrals or support for housing needs.
To maintain a complete record of the support provided, decisions made, and actions taken, ensuring accountability and continuity of care.
Special Category Data
To understand your health needs, inform assessment and planning, and ensure appropriate care and support.
To provide expert input into assessments, support planning, and ensure decisions are based on accurate medical advice.
To monitor equality and diversity and ensure fair access to services.
To respect and accommodate your beliefs in the planning and delivery of support.
To coordinate with other services where relevant and monitor the effectiveness of support provided.
To ensure your views are represented if you require advocacy support.
Sources of Information
We primarily collect information directly from you and your family during the Reablement Service process, through referrals, assessments, meetings, and conversations. To ensure we have a complete and accurate understanding of your needs, we may also obtain information from the following sources:
We may request information from your GP, hospital teams, community nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, or other health professionals. This helps us understand your medical history, current health needs, and any treatment or support already in place. Information is usually shared through formal referrals, discharge summaries, or multi-agency meetings.
If you are receiving support from Adult Social Care or other council services, we may access relevant information about your care plans, assessments, and involvement. This helps us coordinate support and avoid duplication.
We may receive additional information from your family, carers, or advocates to help us understand your preferences, needs, and support network. This is especially important where you may have difficulty communicating or making decisions independently.
We may share and receive information with other council teams (such as safeguarding, housing, or community support services) where this is necessary to coordinate care and improve outcomes.
We may receive information from organisations we work with to deliver care, such as domiciliary care agencies, equipment providers, or community response hubs. This helps us monitor service delivery and ensure your needs are being met.
We only collect information from these sources where it is relevant, necessary, and lawful to assess your needs and deliver the Reablement Service. All information is handled in accordance with data protection legislation and council policies.
What is your personal information used for?
Your personal information is used to:
- Assess your eligibility for the Reablement Service and determine the most appropriate support for you.
- Develop and review individual support plans to help you regain or increase independence with daily living tasks.
- Coordinate with health professionals, social care providers, and other agencies to deliver joined-up support and monitor your progress.
- Record decisions, actions, and outcomes to ensure accountability and continuity of care.
- Monitor and improve the quality and effectiveness of the service, including reporting to commissioners and statutory bodies.
- Fulfil legal and statutory duties under health, social care, and safeguarding legislation.
- Respond to queries, requests, or complaints related to your case.
Personal information is only used where it is relevant, necessary, and lawful to support your access to reablement services and improve your outcomes.
Who do we share your personal information with?
We share your personal information only when it is necessary, lawful, and relevant to deliver the Reablement Service. Information is shared with:
- Health professionals and services such as GPs, hospital teams, community nurses, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists, to ensure your health and care needs are understood and supported.
- Social care services within the council, including Adult Social Care teams, to coordinate your care and avoid duplication of assessments.
- Other departments within Cheshire West and Chester Council, such as safeguarding, housing, or community support services, where this is necessary to provide joined-up support.
- Other local authorities, if you move between areas or receive support across different boroughs, to ensure continuity of care.
- Commissioned care providers, such as domiciliary care agencies or equipment/adaptation services, to deliver care and support in your home.
- Advocacy services, if you require support to express your views or make decisions about your care.
- Technology providers, including those who support the systems we use to record and manage your care (e.g. Liquid Logic, OneTouch, Optica, Gateway).
Sharing with family members via OneTouch
With your consent, we may also share limited information with your nominated family members or carers through the OneTouch family portal. This allows them to view updates such as visit records from care workers, helping to keep your support network informed and involved in your care. This sharing is optional and only takes place where you have agreed to it. A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) is in place to ensure this is done safely and lawfully.
We only share your information with these organisations or individuals when it is necessary to deliver the service, comply with the law, or protect your wellbeing. All organisations receiving your information are required to handle it securely and in accordance with data protection legislation.
Data Processors
We use data processors to support the delivery of the Reablement Service and to ensure your information is managed securely and efficiently. Data processors act on our instructions and are required to comply with data protection legislation.
Examples of data processors include:
- Liquid Logic: our electronic case management system used to securely store personal information, assessments, care plans, and correspondence. Access is restricted to authorised staff involved in your care.
- OneTouch: used to record visit details from care workers and, with your consent, share limited information with nominated family members or carers via a secure online portal.
- Optica and Gateway: used to support communication between health and social care professionals, particularly around hospital discharge and community-based care coordination.
- Council-approved IT and cloud service providers: who host and protect data, including scanned documents and internal records.
- Secure email and communication platforms: used to share information with professionals involved in your care, such as health and social care partners.
All data processors are contractually required to handle your information securely and only use it for the purposes specified by Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Data Controller
Cheshire West and Chester Council are the Data Controllers for this processing.
Lawful Basis for Processing
Cheshire West and Chester Council processes personal and special category data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
We do not rely on consent as the lawful basis for most of the Reablement Service. Instead, we rely on the following:
Personal Data
- UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – Public Task
Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority. This includes fulfilling the Council’s statutory duties under the Care Act 2014 to assess and meet the care and support needs of adults.
Special Category Data
- UK GDPR Article 9(2)(h) – Health and Social Care
Processing is necessary for the provision of health or social care services, supported by Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018. - UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – Substantial Public Interest
Supported by Schedule 1, Part 2, Paragraph 16 of the Data Protection Act 2018 – Support for individuals with a particular disability or medical condition. This permits the processing of special category data where necessary to deliver care and support to adults with disabilities or medical needs.
Consent for Family Portal Access
In specific cases, we rely on consent to share limited personal information with nominated family members via the OneTouch Health portal:
- UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a) – Consent
- UK GDPR Article 9(2)(a) – Explicit Consent
Consent is obtained directly from the service user before activating portal access. This includes:
- Clear explanation of what data will be shared, with whom, and for what purpose.
- Confirmation that the service user understands and agrees voluntarily.
- Assessment of mental capacity in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Where a service user lacks capacity, decisions about portal access are made in consultation with individuals holding legal authority (e.g. Lasting Power of Attorney) or through a formal best interests decision.
Consent is recorded within the OneTouch system and can be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawal will be actioned promptly, and access for family members will be revoked.
Supporting Legislation
We rely on the following legislation to support our lawful processing:
- Care Act 2014
- Health and Social Care Act 2012
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- Human Rights Act 1998 – Article 8 (Right to respect for private and family life)
International Data Transfers
The Reablement Service primarily stores and processes personal information within the United Kingdom. In exceptional circumstances, personal data may be transferred outside the UK. This could occur when:
- A service user has recently arrived from another country and relevant health or care information is required from overseas agencies to support their needs.
- A service user is relocating abroad and information is shared with a new health or care provider to ensure continuity of support.
- An international organisation is involved in supporting the service user or their family and requires relevant information to coordinate services.
Where personal data is transferred internationally, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information. These safeguards include:
- Adequacy decisions: Ensuring the destination country has been recognised by the UK government as providing an adequate level of data protection.
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs): Legally binding agreements that ensure your data is protected to UK standards.
- Technical and organisational measures: Including encryption, access controls, and secure data handling procedures.
We only transfer personal data internationally where it is necessary, proportionate, and lawful. Where the transfer is based on your request, we will seek your written consent before sharing the information.
Retention Period
We will only use your personal information while delivering the Reablement Service and to deal with any queries or complaints unless the law requires us to keep it for a longer period.
In practice, this means:
- Records relating to the Reablement Service are retained for 6 years plus the current year from the date we stopped providing a service to you. This retention period supports accountability, service review, and legal compliance.
If your information is used for research or reporting purposes, it will be anonymised. Any notes taken during consultation or care visits will be securely destroyed. Anonymised information may be used in reports or papers and held in public archives indefinitely where it is of historic interest.
Your Rights
The UK GDPR provides you with a several rights to control what personal information is used by us and how it is used by us.
Further guidance about these rights can be accessed from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website
If you are not happy about the way your personal data is being used, or you require further information about how we process your personal data, you can contact Council’s Data Protection Team:-
- Online: Contact the DPO
- By post: Data Protection Officer, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BA
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details:
- Website: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
- Instant Message: Live Chat
- By post: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113