Privacy Policy
AHC Recruitment
Privacy Policy, GDPR and Data Protection
Why this policy exists
This privacy policy explains how we collect and process your information. Please read it together with any other data protection documents we may have sent you. This policy supplements other such documents and is not intended to override them. All references to information in this policy, means any data which identifies a natural person or which allows that person to be identified when combined with other data.
This privacy policy is provided in accordance with our obligations under applicable privacy and data protection law, including the UK retained version of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
We keep our privacy policy under regular review. The version of the policy became effective on the date shown above.
Who we are and how you can contact us
We are AHC Recruitment Limited, a private company limited by shares with company number 14310745. Our registered office address is 1a Broomy Hill, Hereford, HR4 0LJ.
You can contact us at the above address or by e-mailing info@ahcrecruitment.com. If you would like to speak to us call us on 0115 888 3559.
Please refer to the sections on Our GDPR Owners, your rights to know what personal data we hold and to control how we use it and How to make a complaint for further contact information.
Our GDPR owners
We have appointed GDPR owners who oversee our handling of personal data.
You can contact our GDPR owners at 1a Broomy Hill, Hereford, HR4 0LJ or by e-mail at info@ahcrecruitement.com or by calling 0115 888 3559.
What personal data we collect about you
We have set out below the information we may collect, use, store and transfer:
Contact data including billing address, delivery address, email address and telephone numbers.
Financial data including bank account, billing address and payment card details.
Identity data including your name, marital status, title, date of birth, and gender.
Transaction data including details about payments made and other details of services and content supplied.
Technical data including information about use of a website, internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, screen resolution and other technical characteristics of your device, your use of our services and applications and connection to our website.
Usage data including information about your visit, including the website that referred you to our website (if applicable), the path that you take through and from our website (including date and time); pages that you viewed or searched for; page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page.
Marketing and communications data including preferences in receiving marketing from us and third parties and communication preferences.
Employment data includes current and past employment, experience, qualifications, skills, interests and any other information disclosed by you.
Aggregated data such as statistical or demographic data. Aggregated data may be derived from your information but is not considered ‘personal data’ in law as it does not reveal your identity. However, if we combine or connect such data with your information so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we will apply this policy to such combined data.
Special categories of data, it is unlikely, but possible that in the course of providing services we may also collect special categories of personal data (such as race, ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about health, and information about criminal convictions and offences).
How we collect your information
We use different methods to collect data including through:
Information you provide to us directly. You may give us details such as a name, email address and other contact details in person, or by filling in forms on our website or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email, social media and/or otherwise. This includes information provided when you:
contact us via our website;
participate in an event which we have attended or organised;
request our services;
meet with, contact or engage with our staff;
subscribe to our publications or newsletters, or request any other information to be sent to you;
contact us about a role with us;
respond to a survey, make a complaint or give us some feedback
Automated technologies or interactions. When you interact with our website, we may automatically collect technical data about your equipment, IP address, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this data by using cookies and other similar technologies. We may also receive technical data if you visit other websites employing our cookies.
Third parties and publicly available sources. We may receive personal data from various third parties as set out below:
identity and contact data from other individuals at your organisation
information given to us by our clients and businesses that we work with
technical data from analytics providers and/or search information providers; and
employment, identity and contact data from recruitment agencies, previous employers, etc.
We may also collect personal data from recruitment agencies, background check providers, the Disclosure and Barring Service in respect of criminal convictions (unless we are lawfully allowed to use the service), and your named referees.
We have set out below the information we may collect, use, store and transfer:
What we use your personal data for
We use your personal data in the following ways:
Personal data that you provide to us is used to:
provide you with the information, products and services that you request from us;
provide you with marketing information in accordance with your marketing preferences (see How we use your personal data for marketing);
manage and administer our business;
review and improve our service; and
(in the case of a job application via our website), assess your skills, qualifications and suitability for the work, to carry out background checks, to communicate with you about the recruitment process, to keep records relating to our hiring process and to comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
Personal data that we receive from third parties is combined with the personal data that you provide to us and used for the purposes described above.
Personal data about your use of our website is used to:
administer our website and for internal operations including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes;
to improve our website to ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer or mobile device;
to allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so;
as part of our efforts to keep our site safe and secure; and
to measure or understand the effectiveness of advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you; and
to make suggestions and recommendations to you and other users of our site about services that may interest you or them.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and allows us to improve our website. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies. For more information about the cookies we use, see our cookie policy.
Information relating to children
This website and our services are not intended for children and we do not knowingly collect information on children. If you believe that we have received information on someone under the age of 18, please contact us.
When we need your consent to use your personal data
We will only collect and use information when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your information so we can provide our services, for marketing and if required by law.
Whilst we always want you to be aware of how we are using your personal data, this does not necessarily mean that we are required to ask for your consent before we can use it. In the day to day running of our business, we may use your personal data without asking for your consent because:
We are entering into and carrying out our obligations under a contract with you; and
we need to use your personal data for our own legitimate purposes (such as the administration and management of our business or for the improvement of our services or deciding whether to enter into a contract of employment with you) and our doing so will not interfere with your privacy rights.
In exceptional circumstances, we may wish to use your personal data for a different purpose which does require your consent. In these circumstances, we will contact you to explain how we wish to use your data and to ask for your consent. You are not required to give consent just because we ask for it. If you do give consent you can change your mind and withdraw it later.
Please refer to the section on how we use your personal data for marketing to read about marketing consents.
Change of Purpose
We will only use your information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you wish to get an explanation as to how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, contact us.
If we need to use your information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please note that we may process your information without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.
Personal data you are legally obliged to provide
You are not under a legal obligation to provide us with any of your personal data but please note that if you elect not to provide us with your personal data we may be unable to provide our services to you or to process your application successfully.
Your rights
Privacy laws give you certain rights. For example, you can choose whether to receive marketing from us and you can ask us what information we have about you - this is called the right of subject access.
You can exercise this right by completing this form, by sending us a written request at any time or by calling us on 0115 888 3559.
Please mark your correspondence "Subject Access Request" and send it to our GDPR Owners (see the section on Our GDPR Owners for contact details).
You also have rights to:
You have the right to:
Request access.This means you can ask us to give you a copy of the information we hold about you.
Request correction. This means if we have incomplete or inaccurate information, you can ask us to correct it. It is important that the information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if the information you provide us changes as our relationship evolves. Note, we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.
Request erasure. This means you can ask us to delete or remove any information we have if there is no good reason for us continuing to have it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove information where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your information to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.
Object to processing.This means you can contact us if you feel our use of your information impacts on your rights and freedoms. This applies if we are: (a) relying on our legitimate interest (or those of a third party) to use your information; (b) if we are using your information for direct marketing purposes; (c) if you believe we are using your information unlawfully; or (d) where we need to erase you information to comply with local laws. It is unlikely, but in some cases we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.
Request restriction.This means you can ask us to suspend using your information in the following scenarios: (a) if you want us to establish the data’s accuracy; (b) where our use of the information is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it; (c) where you need us to hold the information even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or (d) you have objected to our use of your information but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.
Request transfer. This means you can ask us to transfer the information we hold on you to you, or to a third party. We will provide to you, or the third party you have chosen, your information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use, or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.
Withdraw consent.This means you can tell us that you no longer consent to our use of your information at any time where we are relying on consent to process your information. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain services or content to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent. Note that this will only apply to any information where we were previously relying on consent as the legal basis to use your information. This action will also not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent
You can find full details of your personal data rights on the Information Commissioner’s Office website atwww.ico.org.uk.
Automated decision making and profiling
We do not make use of automated decision making or profiling.
When we will share your personal data with others
We share your data with the following people in the day-to-day running of our business:
any business partners, suppliers and sub-contractors we work with to provide you with goods or services that you have requested from us;
individuals and organisations who hold information related to your reference or application to work with us, such as current, past or prospective employers, educators and examining bodies and employment and recruitment agencies;
tax, audit, or other authorities, when we believe in good faith that the law or other regulation requires us to share this data (for example, because of a request by a tax authority or in connection with any anticipated litigation);
third party service providers who perform functions on our behalf (including external consultants, business associates and professional advisers such as lawyers, auditors and accountants, technical support functions and IT consultants carrying out testing and development work on our business technology systems);
third party outsourced IT and document storage providers where we have an appropriate processing agreement (or similar protections) in place;
individuals and organisations who hold information related to your reference or application to work with us, such as current, past or prospective employers and recruitment agencies;
individuals and organisations who hold information related to your reference or application to work with us, such as current, past or prospective employers and recruitment agencies;
potential employers and other recruitment agencies and organisations to increase your chances of finding employment;
third party partners, job boards and job aggregators where we consider this will improve your chances of finding employment;
third parties who we have retained to provide services such as reference, qualification and criminal convictions checks, to the extent that these checks are appropriate and in accordance with local laws;
advertisers and advertising networks (see How we use your personal data for marketing for more information;
analytics and search engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimisation of our site;
credit reference agencies for the purpose of assessing your credit score where this is a condition of us entering into a contract with you; and
If you have an account with us, we may share the information submitted under your account among all of our services in order to provide you with a seamless experience and to improve the quality of our services. We will not disclose your account information to other non-affiliated persons except in the limited circumstances authorised in this policy, or with your consent.
We may also share your personal information with third parties on a one-off basis, for example, if:
we sell or buy any business or assets (including our own), in which case we will disclose your personal data to the prospective seller or buyer of such business or assets; or
we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce or apply our website terms of use or our terms and conditions of supply and other agreements; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our customers, ourselves or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
How we keep your personal data safe
We take every care to ensure that your personal data is kept secure. The security measures we take include:
only storing your personal data on our secure servers and third-party systems that meet our security recommendations;
encrypting any payment transactions made through our website using SSL technology;
ensuring that our staff receive regular data security awareness training;
keeping paper records to a minimum and ensuring that those we do have are stored in locked filing cabinets on our office premises;
maintaining up to date firewalls and anti-virus software to minimise the risk of unauthorised access to our systems;
enforcing a strict policy on the use of mobile devices and out of office working; and
Please remember that you are responsible for keeping your passwords secure. If we have given you (or you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. Please do not share your passwords with anyone.
Unfortunately, sending information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of personal data sent to our website; you send us personal data at your own risk. Once we have received your personal data, we will use strict procedures and security features (some of which are described above) to try to prevent unauthorised access.
How we use your personal data for marketing
We will add your details to our marketing database if:
you make an enquiry about our services; or
you buy our services; or
you have told a third party that you would like them to pass us your contact details so that we can send you updates about our services; or
you have registered an account on our website and have indicated during the sign-up process that you are happy to receive marketing communications.
We may send you marketing communications by e-mail, telephone, or text message.
You can ask us to only send you marketing communications by particular methods (for example, you may be happy to receive e-mails from us but not telephone calls), about specific subjects (for example social care) or you may ask us not to send you any marketing communications at all.
We may ask you to indicate your marketing preferences when you first register an account on our website. You can check and update your current marketing preferences at any time by logging into your account on our website or calling or e-mailing us using the details set out in the Who we are and how you can contact us section above.
We never share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.
When we will send your personal data to other countries
The third parties we send information to may be based outside the UK. If they are, their use of your information will involve a transfer of data outside the UK. Whenever we transfer personal data out of the UK, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented:
We will only transfer information to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data by the Information Commissioner’s Office. For further details, see the Information Commissioner’s Office website.
Where we use certain service providers, we may use specific contracts approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office with the service provider which give the information the same protection it has in the UK. For further details, see the Information Commissioner’s Office website for the transfer of personal data to third countries.
How long we keep your personal data
We only keep your personal data for as long as we actually need it. In practice this means that we will keep:
We will delete your personal data from our systems if we have not had any meaningful contact with you (or, where appropriate, the company you are working for or with) for two years (or for such longer period as we believe in good faith that the law or relevant regulators require us to preserve your data). After this period, it is likely your data will no longer be relevant for the purposes for which it was collected.
For those candidates whose services are provided via a third-party company or other entity, "meaningful contact" with you means meaningful contact with the company or entity which supplies your services. Where we are notified by such company or entity that it no longer has that relationship with you, we will retain your data for no longer than two years from that point or, if later, for the period of two years from the point we subsequently have meaningful contact directly with you.
When we refer to "meaningful contact", we mean, for example, communication between us (either verbal or written), or where you are actively engaging with our online services. If you are a candidate, we will consider there to be meaningful contact with you if you submit your updated CV onto our website or take part in any of our online training. We will also consider it meaningful contact if you communicate with us about potential roles, either by verbal or written communication or click through from any of our marketing communications. Your receipt, opening or reading of an email or other digital message from us will not count as meaningful contact – this will only occur in cases where you click-through or reply directly.
Please note that we may anonymise your personal data or use it for statistical purposes. We keep anonymised and statistical data indefinitely, but we take care to ensure that such data can no longer identify or be connected to any individual.
How you can make a complaint
If you are unhappy with the way we have used your personal data, please contact our GDPR Owners to discuss this using the contact details set out in the Who we are and how you can contact us section above.
You are also entitled to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office which you can do by visiting www.ico.org.uk. Whilst you are not required to do so, we encourage you to contact us directly to discuss any concerns that you may have and to allow us an opportunity to address these before you contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.
How we keep this policy up to date
We will review and update this policy from time to time. This may be to reflect a change in the services we offer or to our internal procedures or it may be to reflect a change in the law.
The easiest way to check for updates is by looking for the latest version of this policy on our website (www.ahcrecruitment.com) or you can contact us (see who we are and how to contact us) to ask us to send you the latest version of our policy.
Each time we update our policy we will update the policy version number shown in the footer and at the end of the policy and the date on which that version of the policy came into force.
This is policy version 2 which came into effect on 4 November 2024.