Privacy Notice – Easy Read

We are Essex Partnership University Trust.

We help people with their mental health, community health, and learning needs.

We have lots of staff who work in hospitals, clinics, and at home to take care of people.

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT)
The Lodge
Lodge Approach
Wickford
SS11 7XX

Telephone: 0300 123 0808

We promise to keep your information safe and private.

This means we will:

• Only use your information for reasons allowed by law.
• Only share it if it is needed for your care, for safety, or because the law says we must.
• Keep it accurate and up to date.
• Store it safely so nobody can see it unless they are allowed.

We follow UK data protection law, including theUK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

We also respect your right to privacy under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998. This means sharing information about you is always necessary, safe, and fair.

We keep your information to:

• Give you safe care and treatment
• Make sure staff have the right information about you
• Plan and improve services
• Keep people safe
• Meet legal duties

We only collect what we need.

Your care team keeps records to help look after you.

These may include:

• Your name, address, birthday, and NHS number
• Phone, email, or family contact details

Health information

• Medical history
• Mental health assessments
• Care plans
• Medication details

Other information

• Emergency contact details
• Information from other health or social care services
• Appointment details

We use this information to:

• Give safe and proper care
• Keep you and others safe
• Make our services better
• Check that we are following the law

Appointment Reminders

If you give us your phone number, we may send text reminders for appointments.
You can say “no” at any time, and we will respect your choice.

This may include:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Therapists
• Support staff
• Other NHS services involved in your care
• Social care services

We may share information:

• If the law says we must
• If someone is at serious risk of harm
• If you give us permission

We do not sell your information.

We use secure computer systems to store your records.

This may include:

• Electronic patient record systems
• Secure email
• Online appointment systems
• Video appointments

We use passwords, encryption, and security checks.

If we use digital tools from trusted companies, they must follow strict NHS data rules.

You have rights about your information:

• See it – you can ask to see what we hold
• Correct it – if it’s wrong, we can fix it
• Delete it – sometimes we can delete it, but some information must be kept by law
• Limit use – ask us to limit how we use it
• Object – tell us if you don’t want it used for research or planning
• Move it – ask for your info to be sent to another NHS service

In some cases, you can ask us to delete your information. But sometimes we must keep it by law.

Data Protection Officer (DPO): [email protected]

Complaints Department: Complaints & Compliments – EPUT

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): 0303 123 1113 or ico.org.uk/concerns

• We review this privacy notice regularly
• We may update it if laws change
• The latest version will always be on our website
• If you need this information in large print, Easy Read with pictures, audio, or another language, please ask us