Helpline privacy notice

This privacy policy should be read in conjunction with Colchester City Council’s privacy policy.

This privacy policy should be read in conjunction with Colchester City Council’s privacy policy.

Information we collect

We may collect:

  • name
  • address
  • contact details
  • relative or friend contact details
  • medical information
  • financial information

Who we may share your information with

We may share your information with:

  • emergency services
  • doctors’ surgeries and hospitals
  • social services
  • Colchester Borough Homes
  • Colchester City Council
  • Essex Integrated Care Board
  • Urgent Community Response Team (UCRS)
  • Tendring District Council
  • third parties, where consent has been given

Why we use your personal data

The lawful bases for processing your personal data under UK GDPR Article 6 are:

  • contract, where processing is necessary for a contract we have with you, or because you have asked us to take specific steps before entering into a contract
  • vital interests, where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life

Helpline needs this information to provide a service to you as part of your contract.

Special category data

The lawful bases for processing special category data under UK GDPR Article 9 are:

  • explicit consent under Article 9(2)(a)
  • vital interests under Article 9(2)(c)
  • substantial public interest under Article 9(2)(g) and paragraph 18, Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018

Criminal offence data is not specifically processed as part of this service. However, it may be collected by accident.

If this happens, the lawful basis for processing is paragraphs 10 and 18, Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

How long we keep your information

We will only keep your personal data for as long as necessary and in line with our retention schedules.

Service user data is kept while the service is active, plus 3 years after cancellation or the end of the service.

Financial information is kept for 6 years, plus the current year.

For more information, email helpline@colchester.gov.uk.

Careline Tendring transfer

This section explains how your personal data is handled following the transfer of services from Tendring District Council’s Careline to Colchester City Council’s Helpline 24/7.

Your privacy is important to us. We want to make sure you know how your data will be handled if you chose to transfer to the Colchester service.

Effective date: 7 August 2025

Change of data controller

As a result of the service transfer, the new data controller responsible for your personal data is Amphora Trading Limited (ATL), an arms-length trading company of Colchester City Council.

This means Amphora Trading Limited and Colchester City Council are now responsible for making sure your data is processed in line with data protection law.

Tendring District Council will still need to keep your historical data in line with its retention periods.

Personal data collected or shared as part of the transfer

The personal data shared as part of the service transfer includes:

  • full names and, where applicable, preferred names of service users and people connected to service users
  • residential addresses of service users and people connected to service users
  • contact telephone numbers and email addresses of service users and people connected to service users
  • details of service users’ next of kin
  • financial information of service users or payers for the Careline service, where applicable
  • relevant security information, such as key safe codes and passwords, to be used for emergency access
  • relevant physical or mental health conditions
  • history of Careline service usage
  • relevant religious or philosophical beliefs

Why this data is used

Your personal data is processed to make sure there is continuity of the services you have subscribed to.

The lawful bases for sharing your personal data under UK GDPR Article 6 are:

  • contract, where processing is necessary for a contract with you, or because you have asked for specific steps to be taken before entering into a contract
  • legitimate interests, where processing is necessary for your legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party

The lawful basis for processing special category data under UK GDPR Article 9 is:

  • substantial public interest under Article 9(2)(g) and paragraph 18, Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018

Criminal offence data is not specifically processed as part of this service. However, it may be collected by accident.

If this happens, the lawful basis for processing is paragraphs 10 and 18, Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Tendring District Council may still process your data after the transfer to meet its contractual obligations from when it provided the Careline service, and to meet its retention requirements.

Tendring District Council may also need to contact you about any money owed for services provided while you were contracted to Tendring Careline.

The lawful bases for this under UK GDPR Article 6 are:

  • contract, where processing is necessary for a contract with you
  • legitimate interests, where processing is necessary for your legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party

The lawful basis for processing special category data under UK GDPR Article 9 is:

  • substantial public interest under Article 9(2)(g)

How long Tendring District Council keeps your information

Your personal data will be kept for no longer than necessary, or as required by law.

Service user data is kept while the service is active, plus 2 years after cancellation or the end of the service.

Financial information is kept for 6 years, plus the current year.

See Tendring District Council’s Retention Schedule for more details.

How we protect and store your personal data

We take the confidentiality of personal information seriously.

We use recognised security and access controls to protect your information from:

  • unauthorised access
  • loss
  • misuse
  • alteration
  • corruption

We have procedures and processes in place to make sure your personal information is managed appropriately.

Updates to this privacy notice

We regularly review and update this privacy notice to reflect changes in our processes and procedures, and to comply with changes in the law.

When changes are made, we will update the last reviewed date on this notice.

You should review this notice from time to time to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Page last reviewed: April 2026