Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Discover how we handle your data, plus explore the terms of use for this site
This Privacy Policy sets out details about how The Royal College of Midwives (“RCM”, “We” or “Us”) will use any personal information that it collects about you. We encourage you to read this Policy as it explains the RCM’s practices involving the use of personal information, and sets out information about rights that you may have under applicable laws.
The RCM is the controller of any personal information that We collect about you under applicable data protection laws. If you have any questions about this Policy, or about the RCM’s use of your personal information, please email [email protected].
If you would like more information about how to get in touch or the support or services We can provide our members, please visit the Contact Us section of the website.
How We collect personal information
If you are a member of the RCM or you apply to become a member
If you are member of the RCM, or if you apply to become a member, We will collect from you and hold information including your name, gender, date of birth, the date you qualified as a midwife, any professional affiliations you have, your home address, telephone number, email address, employer, place of work or study, job title, working hours, job grade, contract type, sphere of practice and professional qualifications.
We will use the personal information that We collect about you to:
- assess your eligibility to become a member of the RCM;
- verify your identity and qualifications;
- administer your membership, including by collecting membership payments from you;
- administer the RCM and fulfil its aims, for example, by lobbying on initiatives or running internal elections, assessing and developing services which may be of interest to members;
- provide you with services and advice that you request, for example, in relation to tax claims, or branded materials for Branch events you may be organising;
- comply with Our legal obligations and protect and defend Our rights and interests;
- keep you up to date with news about the RCM’s activities by email and by post, according to your communication preferences.
We may also ask you to provide Us with sensitive or “special category” personal information such as your ethnic origin, details of any disabilities you have, your religion or belief and your sexual orientation. You do not have to provide Us with this information, however if you do choose to do so, We will use it to ensure that services are delivered in an equitable and non-discriminatory way. We may also anonymise sensitive or “special category” personal information in order to gather statistics and assess the demographics of Our membership.
If you register for an account on the RCM website
If you register for an account on the RCM website, We will collect information about you including your surname, RCM number and email address. We will use this information to:
- verify that you are eligible to create an account;
- allow you to log in to your account, once it has been created, including access to i-learn and i-folio, Evidence Based Midwifery and Midwives Magazine and other articles and EBooks and search databases;
- administer access to your account and ensure its security;
- keep Our systems secure; and
- contact you about your account where required.
If you contact us, including in person, by post, telephone, email or through forms available on the RCM website
You can contact Us in various ways, including through Our agents via Our web chat service, by emailing Us, sending Us mail or by telephone. If you contact Us in any of these ways, We will collect the information that you choose to provide and will use it:
- to investigate any query or complaint that you raise with Us;
- to provide any advice or assistance that you request from Us;
- keep you up to date with news about the RCM’s activities by email and by post, according to your communication preferences.
How We may share your personal information
We will disclose personal information We hold about you to:
- your employer, where you consent to Us doing so or where this is necessary for Us to provide a service or advice that you have requested from Us;
- our service providers, such as IT hosting companies, support services and call centres including but not limited to RCM Connect;
- third parties involved in the publishing of Our magazine;
- entities providing fulfilment services on Our behalf, such as sending you membership joining packs;
- banks and financial institutions that process payments on Our behalf;
- professional advisors such as lawyers, accountants, auditors, and financial advisors;
- regulatory authorities including tax authorities;
- our Alliance Partners and affinity partners, a list of whom can be found on Our website;
- law enforcement agencies, courts and other tribunals; and
- if you join any of the RCM’s networks, working forums or electronic groups (including email, social media and messaging apps), your contact information will be used and shared within that group so that relevant information can be shared with you.
Our legal basis for using your personal information
Entering into and performing a contract with you: We process some personal information as this is necessary to perform the Membership Agreement, as appropriate to your level of membership.
For other justifiable reasons, including legal obligations We are under and Our legitimate interests: We process your personal information where necessary for the RCM to comply with legal and regulatory obligations We are under, including as a trade union; in addition, where it is necessary for legitimate interests the RCM has in conducting Our business and affairs. These include the RCM’s interests in:
- responding to queries that you raise;
- promoting the RCM’s activities and furthering Our organisational objectives;
- protecting and enforcing the RCM’s rights, including through legal processes.
Retention of personal information
The period for which We will retain personal information will vary depending on the purposes that it was collected for, as well as the requirements of any applicable law or regulation.
For example, if you are a member of the RCM, We will store your personal information for as long as you are a member and then for 25 years. Aside from this, we may store your personal information for as long as is required for compliance with tax legislation.
Your rights
You may have certain rights in relation to personal information that We hold about you, including the rights to request that it is erased, that its processing is restricted, or that any inaccurate personal information is rectified. You may also have the right to object to the processing of your personal information, or in some circumstances to obtain a copy of the personal information in machine readable format. Any such request should be submitted in writing to [email protected].
Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Policy will be reviewed from time to time to take account of changes to Our operations or practices and, further, to make sure it remains appropriate to any changes in law, technology and the business environment. Any personal information held will be governed by Our most current Policy.
Privacy and cookies
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) imposes restrictions on the use of any personal information you provide with the aim of protecting personal data and your privacy. The personal information you provide will be used for the purposes you specify only and will not be passed to third parties.
We upload cookies to your computer when you visit this website in order to improve the service we offer. Cookies may also be uploaded to your computer by third parties such as companies displaying advertisements on this website.
Data protection
If you have a question about data protection or would like to find out more about how the RCM handles, processes and stores your data please email us at [email protected].
You also have the right to request a copy of the personal information that we hold about you. Please submit your request in writing to [email protected].
Disclaimer
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained on this website is accurate and up to date, because of the nature of this medium neither The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) nor their publishing partners Redactive Publishing Limited (Redactive) accept responsibility for the accuracy or validity of any of the information contained in or accessed from this website and accepts no liability for errors, loss or damages suffered by use of or reliance on any information published here.
Similarly, neither the RCM nor Redactive endorses any product or information accessed through this website, or intend to create any contractual or other legal relation with RCM members, course participants or any other person using this website.
Users of this website seeking health-related information or advice should in all cases consult a qualified midwife or other appropriately qualified health professional.
Copyright
©2015 The Royal College of Midwives – all rights reserved.
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) authorises users of this site to copy documents or pages published by the RCM on this website for your own personal and non-commercial use only, provided that your copies retain all copyright or other proprietary notices and any disclaimer contained in such documents or pages.
Trademark
The Royal College of Midwives logo, crest and name are registered trademarks of The Royal College of Midwives and may not be used without permission.
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