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Privacy

       1. This website is owned by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (“RCSEd”), Nicolson St, Edinburgh, EH8 9DW, United Kingdom. RCSEd is a registered charity with charity number SC005317 and a Royal Charter company with company number RC000466.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh operates as a Group through its Faculties, subsidiary companies and related entities, and this Privacy Statement applies to all Faculties, subsidiaries and related entities within the Group.

  1. RCSEd is committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining the security of any personal information you provide to us. We are a Data Controller and registered on the Data Protection Register of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) with registration number Z5731683. Our entry may be viewed at https://ico.org.uk/ESDWebPages/Entry/Z5731683.
  1. You can contact RCSEd’s Data Protection team by emailing dataprotection@rcsed.ac.uk 
  1. The purpose of this statement is to explain to you what personal information RCSEd collects about you and how RCSEd may use this information via the following services:
  • Any RCSEd website or application/registration form that references this privacy policy
  • Official RCSEd digital communications channels
  • Telephone, letters and other correspondence
  1. RCSEd does not collect sensitive/special category information about you except when you specifically and knowingly provide it. RCSEd collects data to uniquely identify you as an individual in relation to applications for Membership, Examinations, Courses or other events you apply for. RCSEd also collects data to allow analysis and evaluation regarding the equality and fairness of its service provision and offerings.
  1. RCSEd collects data directly from you in order to carry out its activities. The data collected falls within the following categories: 
  • Membership data (for example name, date of birth, election data, contact details etc.)

We will retain this information for the duration of your membership + 7 years. Thereafter, only a small part of the data will be kept as a core archival record.

  • Examinations data (for example data about your exams applications, submissions and results)

We will retain this information for the duration of your membership + 7 years. Thereafter, only a small part of the data will be kept as a core archival record.

  • Course, events and webinar data (for example data about your course application and attendance)

We will retain this information for the duration of your membership + 7 years.

  • Equality Monitoring Information (ethnicity, religion, etc.)

This data will be held to generate required monitoring reports and will be retained for the duration of your membership.

  • Professional information (speciality, grade, place of work, etc.)

We will always retain this data in an anonymised format to understand trends over time. We will only hold it in a way that connects it to you for the time you are engaged with us and our services and for up to 7 years afterwards.

  • Financial records

We will retain financial records for 7 years after they were made and thereafter only record that a payment was made. Financial records will be destroyed once the standard retention period has elapsed.

  1. RCSEd has legitimate business interests to collect and process the categories of data mentioned above. RCSEd’s legitimate interests allow RCSEd to provide membership services, operate examinations and run courses in the interests of the data subject, as well as using anonymised data to monitor trends and to improve its services. RCSEd will only use this data in ways that its data subjects would reasonably expect, and will not use this data in an intrusive manner. RCSEd will always provide the option to opt-out when it is possible to do so.
  1. RCSEd may sometimes rely on your consent to process your data. Where your express consent has been obtained, RCSEd will only use your data for the purposes for which your consent was given. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting the College’s DPO at dataprotection@rcsed.ac.uk.
  1. If you register for an account with RCSEd’s websites, the information you provide will be used to allow you to log into and use the advanced features of the website.
  1. RCSEd uses cookies to collect user information from the website. This is information from you, such as but not limited to, your browser type and your Internet Protocol (IP) Address. For the avoidance of doubt, we treat this type of information as personal data. RCSEd uses this Information to track, evaluate, and improve the use of its website. Read more information about cookies here.
  1. Unless you tell us otherwise, RCSEd may occasionally advise you of new activities or website features. RCSEd may alert you electronically by e-mail to important surgical or medical information. RCSEd may offer services on a limited basis to demographically identified groups of users. You may opt-out of this at any time by following the instructions in the marketing communication that you receive, by setting your preferences in your profile, or by contacting us. You may choose not to allow RCSEd to use your information like this in the first place by checking the appropriate box when providing your information on your initial registration.
  1. Subject to the other clauses in this Privacy Statement, RCSEd does not share personal data with third parties without your permission.
  1. RCSEd will on occasion share a reasonable amount of personal data with third parties in order to carry out its activities and missions – for example, with other partner Colleges, or with mailing companies who process routine correspondence with the membership on our behalf. RCSEd will only share the minimal amount of data necessary for the agreed purposes, and will use and continue to develop robust data sharing agreements with the said third parties.
  1. RCSEd does not permit third parties to use the personal data for their own purposes and only permits them to process Members’ personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with the RCSEd’s instructions.
  1. It is usual, as part of a recruitment process, for a medical professional’s prospective employer to use trusted third party companies such as EPIC/EFMG, DataFlow, or other similar companies, to verify the references, qualifications and credentials claimed by the medical professional. These companies will contact institutions such as RCSEd to verify these credentials. Upon request from these companies, RCSEd will confirm whether the information provided by the medical professional is accurate. This is a College Member’s benefit only, and will not apply to Fellows and Members who are not in good standing with RCSEd. In this instance, the medical professional will have to contact the College directly to reinstate their membership or to pay an administration fee if they wish to have their credentials verified.
  1. RCSEd does on occasions and when relevant only share limited information with constituents of its Group (e.g. subsidiary companies or Faculties). RCSEd will only do so in accordance with UK data protection legislation.
  1. RCSEd will occasionally transfer personal data outside the EEA and will do so in accordance with UK data protection legislation and this Privacy Statement. RCSEd will transfer information to its Malaysian subsidiary, RCSEd Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. for the purpose of carrying out RCSEd activities within the ASEAN region. Information will concern solely RCSEd’s Fellows, Members and Affiliate members within the following countries:
  • Malaysia
  • Myanmar
  • Indonesia
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • Thailand

Personal data transferred may include:

  • Surname and First Name
  • Status (Surgical or Dental)
  • Subscription Category
  • Country of Domicile
  • Personal and/or professional email Address
  • Telephone Number
  • Specialty
  1. RCSEd may also disclose your personal information to prevent an emergency, to prevent harm to others, to respond to legal requirements (for instance requests from the General Medical Council or other similar regulatory bodies), to protect or enforce its rights, to protect or enforce the rights of a third party, or as required or permitted by law (including, without limitation, to comply with a subpoena or court order).
  1. RCSEd may use your information for market research and statistical analysis, and may use reputable partners, suppliers or agencies to process limited personal information on our behalf to help us provide our services to you. When doing do so, strict instructions will be given on the processing of data and the security of it and they will not use your data for their own business purposes.
  1. RCSEd may disclose your details to prospective or actual purchasers of part or the whole of the business or the company (or their professional advisors). RCSEd may also disclose your details to its professional advisors for other purposes connected with the operation of the business.
  1. RCSEd follows strict security procedures in the storage and disclosure of information which you have given, to prevent unauthorised access in accordance with UK data protection legislation.
  1. RCSEd’s hosting site is located in the United Kingdom. All systems are firewall-protected. RCSEd also uses encryption techniques and authentication procedures to maintain the security of your personal data and prevent unauthorised access to your account and to RCSEd systems. You are responsible for keeping your account login details confidential.
  1. In order to maintain the accuracy of RCSEd’s database, you can check or update your personal details on your profile page or by contacting us using our “contact us” form or by email our DPO directly at dataprotection@rcsed.ac.uk.
  1. You are entitled to receive a copy of the information we hold. Please contact us at dataprotection@rcsed.ac.uk for further details, or to make a request.
  1. You can choose to stop receiving marketing communications from us at any time by following the instructions in the marketing communication that you receive, by setting your preferences in your profile, or by contacting us using our “contact us” form or by emailing dataprotection@rcsed.ac.uk.

You have a right to raise concerns or make a formal complaint by contacting the ICO’s Office at https://ico.org.uk.

  1. As part of RCSEd’s commitment to providing the best possible service to its members and constituents, RCSEd may monitor and record telephone calls initiated and answered in its Edinburgh and Birmingham business offices.
  1. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although RCSEd will do its best to protect your personal data, it cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to or from RCSEd Website(s) via the internet.
  1. The RCSEd Privacy Statement was updated on 01 May 2019. By using this site, you consent to the collection and use by RCSEd of your information, in the manner specified in this Privacy Policy. RCSEd reserves the right to change or amend this Privacy Policy prospectively at any time by posting the revised Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review periodically this Privacy Policy to be informed of how RCSEd is protecting your information.