Who we are and what we do
The NHS Long Term Plan sets out important ambitions for cancer including the overarching commitment to ensure that by 2028:
- 55,000 more people will survive five years or more each year following diagnosis
- Three in four (75%) cancers will be diagnosed at an early stage.
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance is responsible for leading the local delivery of this plan. We do this by bringing together clinical and managerial leaders from our local hospital trusts and other health and social care organisations to transform the diagnosis, treatment and care for cancer patients.
To support this, we may receive data from hospitals and health care organisations, regarding patients who have been referred for investigations or treatment for cancer who live or who are treated within the Cheshire and Merseyside region.
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance treats the confidentiality of the data we hold very seriously. This privacy notice provides an overview of the information we hold, why we hold it and how we will look after it.
This privacy notice is part of our programme to make the data processing activities we carry out transparent.
This privacy notice will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure it is in line with national guidance and legislation. This privacy notice was last reviewed in December 2023.
The data we receive will be pseudonymised – in a format that does not directly identify individuals, and that will have originally been collected by the organisations providing NHS services.
The data will include details of any hospital attendance, age, gender and clinical information such as diagnoses and treatment received. It will not contain your NHS number, your name, address, postcode or date of birth. Your NHS number will have been replaced by a unique code that Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance will use to ensure that the data about your treatment is linked together, but we will not be able to identify your NHS number from this or use it in any other way to identify you.
The data will be analysed to assist in the evaluation of care received and used to identify the strengths and weaknesses within the system to see where changes are required, and in learning. This information, in an anonymised format, may be provided to hospitals, health and social care organisations and those responsible for planning healthcare services to evaluate the services provided and the outcomes of that care, and in learning.
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance is hosted by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust. Further information about us and what we do is available from the ‘About Us’ section of our website. See this link here.
Fair Processing – Data Protection
Organisations that process personal data must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDPR restricts how we can use an individual’s data and consists of sevend Data Protection principles* that must be applied when processing data.
Under current data protection law, organisations that process personal data, must also register as a 'Data Controller', and notify the Information Commissioner (ICO) why they need to process the data. As Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance is hosted by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, the Trust is the ‘Data Controller’ for the purposes of information collected by them for providing and managing healthcare to their patients and for also ensuring that any organisation it hosts, such as the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, complies with the GDPR and Data Protection principles.
You can access the Trust’s Privacy Notice by clicking here. This explains how the Trust uses and manages the information it holds about its patients, including how it is shared within the NHS and with non-NHS organisations, and how the Trust maintains confidentiality.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust is registered with the Information Commissioner: registration number Z7367711. Further details can be found here on the ICO website here.
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance does not receive any NHS identifiable data directly from The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust or from any of the other Trusts that provide cancer treatment. We receive pseudonymised or anonymised data, as explained above.
If you are actively involved in our engagement and consultation activities, we will collect and process personal confidential data which you share with us.
Legal Basis
We will obtain your consent for this purpose, when you initially contact us to get involved in our engagement and consultation activities.
Where you submit your details to us for involvement purposes, we will only use your information for this purpose. You can opt out at any time by contacting us using our contact details at the end of this document
General Data Protection Regulation
For processing personal data:
- Article 6(1)(a) - the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes.
For processing special categories of personal data:
- Article 9(2)(a) - the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes.
In instances where the legal basis for sharing of confidential personal information relies on the patient's explicit or implied consent, you have the right at any time to refuse consent to the information sharing, or to withdraw your consent previously given.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is personal data?
Personal data is information that relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data.
What is pseudonymised data?
Data about individuals but with identifying details (such as name or NHS number) replaced with a unique code.
What is anonymised data?
Data about individuals but with all identifying details removed.
How do we keep your information confidential?
Everyone working for the NHS has a legal duty to keep information about you confidential. The NHS Care Record Guarantee and NHS Constitution provide a commitment that all NHS organisations and those providing care on behalf of the NHS will use records about you in ways that respect your rights and promote your health and well-being.
All information that we hold about you will be held securely and confidentially. We use administrative and technical controls to do this.
Even though Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance does not receive identifiable information about you, we ensure that only authorised staff can access the pseudonymised data and that when we provide the information to other healthcare organisations as indicated above, it is anonymised.
All staff receive appropriate and ongoing training to ensure they are aware of their personal responsibilities and have contractual obligations to uphold confidentiality, enforceable through disciplinary procedures.
Why do we share information with other healthcare organisations?
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance will share anonymised data with NHS organisations that are responsible for providing cancer services in the region to assist them in identifying where changes or improvements may be required, and to be used in learning.
Where information is to be shared, Information Sharing Agreements will be in place between all of the sharing parties involved.
How long will we retain data?
The pseudonymised or anonymised data will be destroyed or retained in accordance with The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre's ‘Data Protection and Confidentiality Policy’ and ‘Data Retention Policy’. We do not keep your records for longer than necessary.
Can I see my information?
Under the GDPR a person may request access to information (with some exemptions) that any organisation holds about them. This is known as the Right of Subject Access.
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance does not hold any information that identifies you. If you wish to access your health records or any personal information about you, you need to directly contact the organisation that provided your NHS services.
If you require access to your health records held by The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, you must make a written request to:
The Information Governance Manager
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Wirrral
Clatterbridge Road
Wirral
CH63 4JY
Tel: (0151) 556 5844
E-mail: ccf-tr.cccdataprotectionofficer@nhs.net
The Trust can only provide access to information it holds.
How do I make a Freedom of Information Request?
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) gives you the right to access recorded information held by public authorities. The FOI Act does this in two ways:
- Public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities; and
- Members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.
When submitting an FOI request, you must do this in writing with a clear description of the information you require and we must respond to you within 20 working days. You can send us a letter or email (please ensure you enter your email address correctly as we will need to respond to you). We do not accept any verbal requests.
A person may ask for any information that is held by a public authority although this does not mean that the authority is always obliged to provide the information. In some cases, there will be good reason why an authority should not make public some or all of the information requested. In addition, the FOI Act contains a number of exemptions that allow authorities to withhold some types of information. Different exemptions apply to different types of information.
All of our Freedom of Information responses are published on our website on a monthly basis. Before submitting your request, please check our website and if you cannot find the information you are looking for, please send us a Freedom of Information request via one of the methods below.
Please note:
The FOI Act does not give people access to their own personal data (information about themselves) such as their health records or personnel records. If you want to see information that The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust holds about you, you will need to make a Subject Access Request, as detailed above.
You can submit an FOI request by using one of the methods listed below:
By post:
Document Control Manager and Freedom of Information Lead,
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Clatterbridge Road
Bebington
Wirral
CH63 4JY
By email:
Further Information
If you have any questions or concerns regarding how we use your information or how to apply for a Subject Access Request or Freedom of Information Request, please contact the Trust’s Information Governance Team:
Document Control Manager & Freedom of Information Lead,
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Clatterbridge Road
Bebington
Wirral
CH63 4JY
Email: ccf-tr.foi@nhs.net
Information Commissioner's Office
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the regulator for current data Protections Laws and offer independent advice and guidance on the law and personal data, including your rights and how to access your personal information.
Additionally, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner if you should ever be dissatisfied with the way the Trust has handled or shared your personal information:
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745
Information Commissioner's Office website - www.ico.org.uk
Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance - General Enquiries
If you have any general enquiries or feedback relating to the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, please contact us at the following email address:
*The GDPR sets out seven key principles:
- Lawfulness, fairness and transparency
- Purpose limitation
- Data minimisation
- Accuracy
- Storage limitation
- Integrity and confidentiality
- Accountability