CNHC Data Protection Policy

The Policy

This is a statement of the data protection policy adopted by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). To perform its function, the CNHC needs to collect and use certain types of information about complementary and natural healthcare practitioners who register or apply to register with the CNHC.

The CNHC regards the lawful and correct treatment of personal information as important to the achievement of our objectives. We therefore strive to ensure that our organisation treats personal information lawfully and correctly.

Data Protection Principles

The CNHC endorses and is committed to adhering to the eight data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 1998.

The eight Principles require that personal information is:

  • Fairly and lawfully processed
  • Processed for limited purposes
  • Adequate, relevant and not excessive
  • Accurate, and kept up-to-date
  • Not kept longer than necessary
  • Processed in accordance with the data subject’s rights
  • Secure
  • Not transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area without adequate protection being provided to the personal data on individual subjects

Use of Your Personal Data

We will use personal information provided by you for the purpose of registration, or gathered by CNHC for the following purposes:

  • To decide your eligibility for entry on to the CNHC Register
  • To enable the general public to search the Register to check your registration status
  • To administer, update and maintain the Register
  • To process and respond to requests, enquiries and complaints received from you
  • To process and respond to requests, enquiries and complaints received about your fitness to practise
  • To provide services requested by you
  • To communicate with you about CNHC services, events and news
  • To analyse trends and profiles and compile statistics
  • For audit purposes
  • To carry out customer satisfaction research
  • To prevent or detect fraud
  • To enable third parties to carry out any of the above on our behalf

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out above and we will remove it when the purposes have been met.

The Published Register

CNHC will make part of your register entry available to any enquirer as part of the published register.

The public can inspect the following information on the online register:

  • Your full name
  • Your profession or practice discipline
  • Your approximate work location
  • Your registration number
  • Any restrictions imposed on your registration

Your home address, contact details, website address, date of birth and other data are not available to the public unless given to us specifically for that purpose by you.

Consent to collect personal information

In compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998, when a new applicant applies to register with the CNHC he or she will be asked to formally consent to allow the CNHC to collect and process their personal information.

The CNHC must process registrant’s and new applicant’s personal information to perform its function. If an individual is not content to allow the CNHC to process personal information, that individual will not be eligible for registration with the CNHC.

Security and Storage of Your Personal Data

CNHC will take appropriate technical and organisational measures to limit the opportunity for unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and to guard against accidental loss, destruction of, or damage to personal data. Appropriate contractual obligations shall be incorporated into contracts that CNHC enters into with third parties.

CNHC shall ensure that staff employed to undertake data processing are aware of their responsibilities in relation to the processing of personal data as it applies to their area of work.

Sharing of Personal Data

We share information in the following circumstances:

  • Where we are required to do so by law
  • When you have given consent for us to do so
  • When you are applying for fast track entry to the register and we need to confirm that you have previously met the standards of education and training set by the professional association of which you have told us you are a member. We will share information with your professional association in order to facilitate your entry to the CNHC register

Access to your personal information

You have a right to request a copy of the personal information that CNHC holds about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. We will ask for proof of identity before we disclose any personal information and we may charge a £10 administration fee.  Copies of available information will be supplied to your registered address.

Requests should be made, in writing, to the CNHC Registrar at 83 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0HW.

Please note: some information (such as references) is confidential and will not be supplied.

Amendment of Personal Data Held

If you believe that the personal information we hold on you is incorrect, you should submit corrections, either via your personal log-in page on the CNHC website, or in writing to the CNHC Registrar as soon as possible. You should include your registered address, work address and your registration or application number or reference.

Breach of Obligations

Any concerns regarding a breach of the data protection obligations imposed upon the CNHC should be addressed to the Registrar, in the first instance. If an applicant or registrant wishes to lodge a formal complaint about a possible breach, they should write to the Registrar of the CNHC.

Data Controller

Any personal information that you provide on this website is controlled by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC). CNHC is registered with the Information Commission, Reference Number: Z1361970.