Privacy Policy

About this policy

This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we look after it and the rights you have over it. Please read it before using our website and services. It applies to everyone who uses our services in England and Scotland.

Data controller

Unique Services Portfolio Limited (USPL), operating as theuniqueservices.uk

Company number

SC668828

Registered office

Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London, N1 0QH

Contact

london@theuniqueservices.uk020 4553 6018

We are the data controller under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Information we collect

We need some information to provide our services, to know who you are and to contact you in the normal course of our business.

When you visit our website we automatically collect technical information such as your IP address, approximate location, browser and operating system, the page that referred you, and how you move around the site.

If you give us information about someone else, please make sure they have agreed to it. If we need information by law or under a contract and you don't provide it, we may not be able to provide our services.

How we collect it

• Directly from you, when you fill in forms or contact us by phone, email, post or in person.
• Automatically, through cookies and similar technologies when you use our website. See Cookies below.
• From third parties, such as background verification companies, or from publicly available sources.

How we use your information

We only use your personal information when the law allows us to. The main reasons, and the lawful basis for each, are:

We will only use or share sensitive personal information to connect you with a carer with your express permission.

Your marketing choices

You choose whether we contact you with marketing, either by ticking or unticking the box when you give us your details, or later by following the unsubscribe link in any message or contacting us. If you opt out of marketing, we will still send you messages about the services you use.

Checks and location data for carers

To keep the people we support safe, we may carry out these checks on carers:

• Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check
• Identity and adverse history checks
• Right to work and document checks, such as passport, driving licence and visa
• Employment history checks
• Two references, one professional and one personal

Our platform also records carers' travel between appointments so we can record travel time and verify mileage. If a carer turns this off on their device, we cannot verify their mileage.

Sharing your information

We use trusted third parties for some of the processes needed to run our services and website. They receive only the information they need for the task we ask of them, must keep it secure and may not use it for their own purposes.

We will never give your personal information to a third party for their direct marketing without your express consent.

If we ever sold or transferred all or part of our business, your information could be transferred to the buyer under the terms of this policy. We have no plans to do this.

Storage, security and retention

Your information is stored on secure services in the United Kingdom. Some information may be transferred to, or processed by, our service providers outside the UK and European Economic Area, where data protection laws may differ. When this happens we take all reasonable steps to make sure your privacy rights stay protected.

We protect your information with organisational, technical and administrative measures, including encryption, firewalls and background checks on all employees. We have procedures for any suspected data breach and will tell you and the regulator where we are legally required to.

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy, or longer where the law requires. We decide how long by considering how sensitive it is, the risk of harm from misuse, why we hold it and our legal obligations.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• AccessAsk for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• CorrectionHave incomplete or inaccurate information corrected.
• ErasureAsk us to delete information where there is no good reason to keep it.
• ObjectionObject to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing at any time.
• RestrictionAsk us to pause using your information, for example while its accuracy is checked.
• PortabilityReceive your information, or have it sent to someone else, in a machine-readable format.
• Withdraw consentWithdraw consent at any time where we rely on it. This does not affect earlier processing.

To use any of these rights, email london@theuniqueservices.uk. Sometimes legal reasons stop us from meeting a request in full, and we will tell you if so.

Links to other websites

Our website may link to other websites. We are not responsible for their content or how they use data, and this policy does not cover them. Please read their privacy policies before using them.

Changes and contact

We may update this policy from time to time by posting a new version on this page, and we may also let you know by email. Please check back occasionally.

We have appointed a data protection officer to oversee questions about this policy. To ask a question or use your rights, email london@theuniqueservices.uk or call 020 4553 6018.

Cookies

Cookies are small files placed on your device by your web browser. They tell us when you have visited our website and which pages you looked at, without identifying you personally. This helps us understand what people find useful so we can improve the site.

Managing cookies

You can delete cookies at any time. Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but you can change your settings to block them or to tell you when one is set. Your browser's help pages explain how. Blocking cookies may make some parts of the site work less well. You can also contact us for help.

Our commitment

Unique Services Portfolio is committed to an inclusive, diverse and equitable environment across all of our home care and healthcare consultancy work. We recognise our responsibility to promote fairness, accessibility and respect for everyone who uses our services, our digital platforms or works with our teams.

This policy sets out our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in line with the Equality Act 2010, data protection law and recognised NHS and healthcare governance standards.

Equal opportunity for everyone

We have a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination. Everyone has equal access to our services, digital content and teams, regardless of:

• Race, ethnicity or cultural background
• Gender, gender identity or expression
• Sexual orientation
• Age
• Disability, long-term health condition or neurodiversity
• Religion or belief
• Pregnancy or maternity
• Marriage or civil partnership
• Socioeconomic background
• Nationality or immigration status

This includes every other protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, and applies to our clients, employees, contractors, partners and website users.

Inclusive care and consultancy

As a home care provider and healthcare management consultancy, we:

• make sure our advice reflects the diversity of the people and communities it affects;
• promote inclusive leadership and workforce development;
• build EDI into healthcare strategy, governance and service improvement;
• train our teams in inclusive, culturally competent communication;
• recognise the different needs of staff, patients and stakeholders; and
• consider health inequalities and accessibility barriers in every recommendation.

Accessibility and digital inclusion

We want our website to be usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. We work towards the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standard, which means:

• Clear navigationSimple, predictable menus and page structure.
• Screen readersContent that works with assistive technology.
• Alt textDescriptions for every meaningful image.
• High contrastText and controls that are easy to see.
• Keyboard friendlyEverything can be used without a mouse.
• Accessible documentsDownloads in accessible formats.

We review our digital platforms regularly to remove barriers. If anything on this website is hard to use, please let us know.

Safe and respectful interactions

Everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate harassment, bullying, hate speech, discriminatory behaviour or unprofessional conduct of any kind. This applies everywhere we communicate, including email, meetings, digital platforms and this website.

Continuous improvement

• We review this policy regularly.
• We monitor compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
• We train our staff in EDI, accessibility and unconscious bias.
• We welcome feedback from clients, partners and website users.
• We build EDI into our strategic decisions and the services we deliver.

Feedback and contact

We welcome your comments, concerns and suggestions about this policy and how we put it into practice. Your views help us create a more inclusive, equitable and accessible environment for everyone. Get in touch with our team.

Separate policies for England and Scotland

England and Scotland have different laws and regulators, so our London and Glasgow offices each have their own Safeguarding and Complaints policies. Choose the office that provides your care.