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Stroke Prevention Pilot privacy notice

We keep this privacy notice under regular review and was last updated on 3 September 2026.

We respect your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your personal data and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

View an easy read version of the Stroke Prevention Pilot privacy notice (PDF, 642.8 KB).

Who we are

We collect, use and are responsible for certain personal information about you. When we do so we are regulated under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (‘UK GDPR’) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We are responsible as ‘controller’ of that personal information.

Our Public Health department are conducting a pilot aiming to reduce the risk of stroke in the local population. This involves identifying an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation which increases the risk of a stroke happening. If this is present, we would then inform the participant’s GP so they can start medications to reduce the risk of stroke. This pilot also includes the offer of support for any lifestyle changes participants would like to make to reduce their risk of stroke such as being more physically active and stopping smoking. We would like to evaluate this pilot to see if it would be beneficial to offer it to more people across the county.

This pilot is being conducted in partnership with the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley GP federation. Read their privacy notice.

Our Data Protection Officer is Benjamin Watts.

The personal information we collect and use

Information collected by us

In the course of asking for your consent to participate, we collect personal information when you provide it to us. We collect your:

  • name
  • email address
  • date of birth
  • postcode
  • willingness and consent to have an ECG reading taken
  • ECG reading (to be shared with your GP)
  • willingness to be part of the evaluation. All evaluation data will be anonymous and is completely optional:
    • your ethnicity.
    • your awareness of stroke risk factors.
    • any changes to your behaviours to reduce your stroke risk.
    • your feelings of control over your health and motivations around your health.
    • your views on the pilot experience.

We will not be collecting from you any other personal identifiable information about you as part of this pilot.

How we use your personal information

We use your personal information during the course of the pilot to maintain the safety of the pilot and assess its effectiveness. This will help us to know if this is something that we can extend across the rest of Kent to reduce the risk of strokes in the local population.

Once the pilot and its evaluation have been completed, your consent form and our copy of your data will be appropriately destroyed. The GP federation will retain your ECG reading and details within your GP records as part of your regular clinical care.

Reasons we can collect and use your personal information

Ourselves and GP practices involved in this pilot process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

The lawful bases relied upon are:

  • Article 6(1)(e) – Public task, as the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, namely stroke prevention and improvement of population health; and
  • Article 6(1)(c) – Legal obligation, where processing is required to support the provision of health care.
  • Where consent is used (for example, participation in evaluation activities and follow up contact), Article 6(1)(a) – Consent applies. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

We process special category personal data, including ECG readings and other health information, under:

  • Article 9(2)(h) UK GDPR – processing necessary for the purposes of preventive medicine, medical diagnosis, and the provision of health care.

The health or social care purposes condition from Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 is relied upon when relying upon Article 9(2)(h) to process your special category data.

We take appropriate safeguards in respect of your special category data when relying on the conditions above. We:

  • have a retention schedule which explains how long data is retained (see record AS6.6.21)
  • maintain a record of our processing in our ‘Record of Processing Activities’ and record in it any reasons for deviating from the periods in our retention schedule.

How long your personal data will be kept

We will retain your consent form and any data collected from you as part of the evaluation for up to 3 years.

Who we share your personal information with

Your consent form, ECG reading and personal details will only be accessible to the Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley GP federation for the purpose of the study and will not be shared with anyone else. The anonymous data from the evaluation survey will be accessible to our Public Health team and will not be shared with anyone else. Anonymous data on ECG findings and supported lifestyle changes will be shared with the Kent County Council Public Health team by the DGS GP Federation and will not be shared with anyone else.

We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities if required by applicable law or in connection with legal proceedings.

We will share personal information with our legal and professional advisers in the event of a dispute, complaint or claim. We rely on Article 9(2)(f) where the processing of special category data is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or whenever courts are acting in their judicial capacity.

How your GP handles your data

As part of this pilot, your ECG results and relevant health information are added to your GP medical record. Your GP practice is responsible for how your personal data is used for your ongoing clinical care.

Each GP practice has its own privacy notice explaining how patient data is handled, your data protection rights, and how to raise any concerns. You can ask your GP practice for a copy of their privacy notice or find it on your GP practice website.

Your rights

Under the UK GDPR you have rights which you can exercise free of charge which allow you to:

  • know what we are doing with your information and why we are doing it
  • ask to see what information we hold about you (subject access request)
  • ask us to correct any mistakes in the information we hold about you
  • object to direct marketing
  • make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office.

Depending on our reason for using your information you may also be entitled to:

  • object to how we are using your information
  • ask us to delete information we hold about you
  • have your information transferred electronically to you or to another organisation
  • object to decisions being made that significantly affect you
  • stop us using your information in certain ways.

We will always seek to comply with your request however we may be required to hold or use your information to comply with legal duties. Your request may delay or prevent us delivering a service to you.

For further information about your rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, see the guidance from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on individuals’ rights under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation.

If you would like to exercise a right, contact the Information Resilience and Transparency Team at data.protection@kent.gov.uk .

Your right to withdraw your consent

Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you can withdraw your consent to our use of your data at any time. To do this email dgs.health@nhs.net .

Keeping your personal information secure

We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent personal information from being accidentally lost, or used or accessed in an unauthorised way. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to know it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

Who to contact

Contact the Information Resilience and Transparency Team at data.protection@kent.gov.uk to exercise any of your rights, or if you have a complaint about why your information has been collected, how it has been used or how long we have kept it for.

You can contact our Data Protection Officer, Benjamin Watts, at dpo@kent.gov.uk .

UK GDPR also gives you right to lodge a complaint with Information Commissioner, who may be contacted via the Information Commissioner's website or call 03031 231113.

Read our corporate privacy statement.