Privacy
Introduction
VDS Support is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data.
This Privacy Notice explains how we use personal data within the VetSafe Platform.
Data Protection Officer contact details
Any questions regarding this Privacy Notice and our privacy practices should be sent:
By email: [email protected]
In writing: The Data Protection Officer, The Veterinary Defence Society Limited, 4 Haig Court, Parkgate Industrial Estate, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 8XZ.
By phone: +44 (0)1565 652737.
About us
The VetSafe Platform and associated services are provided by VDS Support Limited (VDS Support), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Veterinary Defence Society Limited (The VDS).
Our UK registered address is 4 Haig Court, Parkgate Industrial Estate, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 8XZ. We are registered in England and Wales under company number 2159441.
The VDS has two wholly owned subsidiary companies - VDS Support Limited (VDS Support) and VDS Training Services Limited (VDS Training).
VDS Support operates the VetSafe Platform and introduces access to products that have a close affinity and resonance with the protection and wellbeing needs of Veterinary professionals.
VDS Training develops and delivers non-clinical risk mitigation training for vets, RVN and other members of the veterinary profession.
In this Privacy Notice ‘VDS’, ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ means the VDS Support Limited. ‘You’ and ‘your’ mean the individual VetSafe Platform user. We use the term ‘Subscriber’ for any organisation or practice which authorises their employees or associates to become a ‘User’ on VetSafe.
Further interaction with VDS outside of the use of the VetSafe Platform, for example for a Member covered by a policy, is documented in the VDS Privacy Notice available here: https://www.thevds.co.uk/privacy
The personal data we collect
Personal data can be anything that identifies and relates to a living person. This can include information that when linked with other information, allows a person to be uniquely identified. For example, this could be your name and contact details. The personal data that we collect will depend on your relationship with us.
If you provide personal data to us about other individuals, you agree that you will inform them about the contents of this Privacy Notice and ensure that you have the lawful right to provide this.
When you call The VDS we may record your call. This helps us with quality assurance and allows us monitor the services we provide.
For individual users of the VetSafe Platform:
VDS Support is a Data Controller for any personal data held within the VetSafe Platform, where it supports VDS Insurance. The Subscriber shall also be a Data Controller of Personal Data in respect of any User data. The Subscriber shall have sole responsibility for the legality, reliability, integrity, accuracy and quality of the Subscriber Content.
‘Subscriber content’ is the information added to the VetSafe Platform by the organisation which subscribes to the VetSafe service, this may include personal information such as your name and email address.
The Subscriber and VDS Support will have access to the Subscriber Content and may be required to access this as part of maintaining your account, such as for resetting passwords etc.
We will retain Subscriber Content for developing insights and management information, but since User data is deleted this information will not be able to be linked back to you.
As part of the contractual agreement with your employer, VDS Support may share your personal details with VDS Training to provide access to any training.
When we contact you
There may be reasons for us to contact you whilst you are a VetSafe User or you have enquired about or purchased a product or service from VDS Training or through VDS Support. This contact may be email, post, telephone or SMS.
We encourage you to let us know your preferences by keeping your Personal Details updated on your profile.
1. Service communications
We may send VetSafe Users information to keep them informed about the VetSafe Service or any important changes to their account.
2. Marketing communications
You can choose your preferences about how you would like to receive information about products and services from any of VDS Support or VDS Training that might be of interest. This may include details of the range of training courses and resources provided by VDS Training, or details about those products and services introduced through VDS Support.
This information will be posted or emailed to you depending on how you set your preferences. If you would rather not receive marketing communications, you can let us know at any time by using the unsubscribe function in our marketing emails.
The recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data
From time to time, we will share your personal information with VDS Training and with other third parties. We will keep your personal information confidential and only share it with the third parties listed below for the purposes set out in this Privacy Notice.
Where relevant, we may share your personal information with:
VDS Training;
Other third parties who assist in the administration of the VetSafe Platform, such as technical teams when dealing with data issues;
Third parties who handle our direct marketing on our behalf (this includes, for example, inclusion or suppression of your personal information from our contact lists, sending marketing communications, and analysis of responses to our marketing communications);
Selected third parties in connection with any sale, transfer or disposal of our business;
Where necessary, courts and other alternative dispute resolution providers.
Transferring your information outside of the UK
VDS Support do not routinely transfer personal data outside of the UK or the EU. The VetSafe Platforms data servers are situated in the UK and normal administrative usage occurs within the UK.
If there are exceptional circumstances where your personal data needs to be processed outside of the UK or the EU, we will ensure that we have put in place recognised safeguards or that the transfer is subject to a recognised exception (as documented in UK and EU Data Protection Regulation).
- Model Clauses (also known as Standard Contractual Clauses) are standard clauses in contracts to ensure that any personal data leaving the UK will be transferred in compliance with data-protection law.
- Transfers permitted in specific situations where a derogation applies as set out in Data Protection Act 2018 (and any subsequent legislation). For example, where it is necessary
to transfer information to perform our contract with you.
How we store your information
We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to encrypt and protect VetSafe Platform data. We use strict procedures and security features to protect personal data from unauthorised access. Data is held in the United Kingdom using secure servers. We also have procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify the Subscriber and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
How long is your information kept for?
VDS Support will delete your User profile data when you leave your employment. If your personal data was added as a first notification of loss, connected with VDS Insurance, you may still be identifiable on our claims records for a period of up to 30 years.
Your data protection rights
You have certain rights over the personal information that we hold about you.
Since the Subscriber is the Controller of your personal data, you should refer to them if you wish to exercise these rights.
Here is a summary of the rights that apply:
Right of access
You have a right to request access to the personal data that is held about you. You also have the right to request a copy of the information held about you.
Right to have inaccurate personal information corrected
You have the right to have inaccurate or incomplete information held about you corrected. The accuracy of your information is important. If your details change, or if you believe any of the other information held is inaccurate or out of date, please let your Subscriber know.
Right of erasure
You may ask to delete some or all of your personal information and in certain cases.
Right to restrict use
You have a right to ask us to restrict the processing of some or all of your personal information if there is a disagreement about its accuracy, or we are not lawfully allowed to use it.
Right for your personal information to be portable
You have the right to request that some of your personal data is provided to you, or to another data controller, in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
Right to object
You have the right to object to processing where we are using your personal information:
based on legitimate interests:
for direct marketing; or
for statistical/research purposes.
Right in relation to automated decision-making including profiling
You have the right to request to reconsider a decision or take a new decision that is not based solely on automated processing. VetSafe does not use your personal information to make automated decisions.
Please note that exceptions apply to a number of these rights, and not all rights will be applicable in all circumstances.
How to complain
If you are not satisfied with our use of your personal data or our response to any request by you to exercise any of your rights, or if you think we have breached data protection legislation, you have the right to complain to the ICO, details below.
Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate)
01625 545745 (national rate)
Email: [email protected]
If you fail to provide personal data
Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you and you fail to provide the data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter with you to provide you with our services. In this case, we may have to cancel your subscription.
Review of this Policy
We keep this Privacy Notice under regular review it was last updated in October 2024.