Privacy & Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to UrgentCover ("UrgentCover", "we", "us", "our"). We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect information in relation to our website, www.urgentcover.co.uk (the "Service"), and your choices about the collection and use of your information.

UrgentCover Ltd. is the data controller responsible for your personal data. Our registered address is 26 Chester Avenue, Sale, M33 4NS, United Kingdom.

By using our Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect different types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our Service to you.

a) Information Provided Directly by You:

For Dental Practices: When you register, we collect information such as practice name, contact person name, email address, phone number, practice address, CQC Provider ID, website (optional), and login credentials. When you post a job, we collect details about the job requirements (job type, dates, times, hourly rate).
For Locum Staff: When you register, we collect information such as your name, email address, mobile number, GDC number, job type/role, address, postcode, and login credentials. To verify your account, we require you to upload documents such as proof of identity (passport/visa), GDC registration certificate, professional indemnity insurance, DBS certificate, proof of qualifications, proof of Hepatitis B immunity, CPR/BLS certificate, safeguarding certificate, CV, and IRMER certificate (if applicable).
Communications: If you contact us directly (e.g., via email or contact form), we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.

b) Information Collected Automatically:

Log Data: We may automatically collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our Service ("Log Data"). This Log Data may include information such as your computer's Internet Protocol ("IP") address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other statistics.
Cookies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our Service and hold certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.

3. How We Use Your Information

UrgentCover uses the collected data for various purposes:

To provide and maintain our Service.
To register and manage your account.
To verify the identity and qualifications of Locum Staff through document review by our internal admin team.
To verify the legitimacy of Dental Practices (e.g., via CQC checks).
To facilitate the posting of jobs by Practices and the notification of relevant Locum Staff.
To enable communication between Practices and Locums (through the platform, if applicable) and between us and users.
To process transactions and facilitate invoicing (though direct payments may be handled outside the platform).
To notify you about changes to our Service.
To provide customer support.
To monitor the usage of our Service and detect/prevent technical issues or fraud.
To improve our Service and develop new features.
To comply with legal obligations.

4. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018:

Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., signing up for marketing emails, although core service processing relies on other bases).
Contract: The processing is necessary for a contract we have with you (i.e., to provide the UrgentCover Service as described in our Terms and Conditions).
Legal Obligation: The processing is necessary for us to comply with the law (e.g., verifying identity or right to work).
Legitimate Interests: The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests (e.g., fraud prevention, service improvement, verifying professional credentials for safety).

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We only share your information in the following limited circumstances:

Between Users (as necessary for the Service):
- When a Practice posts a job, relevant details (excluding sensitive contact info initially) are shared with potentially suitable Locums via notifications.
- When a Locum accepts a job, necessary details (e.g., Locum name, GDC number, contact info as needed for the engagement) are shared with the Practice, and Practice details (name, address, job specifics) are confirmed with the Locum.
Verification: Uploaded documents for Locum verification are accessed only by authorized internal UrgentCover administrative staff for the sole purpose of verification. They are never shared with Practices or other third parties, unless required by law.
Service Providers: We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our Service (e.g., cloud hosting - Microsoft Azure, SMS notifications - Twilio, email delivery). These third parties have access to your personal data only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.
Legal Requirements: We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or a government agency).
Business Transfer: If UrgentCover is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, your personal data may be transferred.

6. Data Security

The security of your data is important to us. We use robust technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, or access.

Sensitive documents are stored securely in Microsoft Azure Blob Storage with encryption at rest. Access to these documents and other personal data is strictly limited to personnel who need it to perform their job functions (e.g., verification team, support staff).

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, remember that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Absolute security cannot be guaranteed.

7. Data Retention

We will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use your personal data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

Account information is generally kept as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter in case you decide to re-activate the services, or as required for legal and compliance purposes. Verification documents may be retained according to regulatory requirements or our internal policies.

8. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights including:

Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. Please contact us at [Your Contact Email, e.g., privacy@urgentcover.co.uk] if you wish to make a request.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we have used your data. The ICO’s contact details can be found at: www.ico.org.uk.

9. Cookies Policy

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. Essential cookies are necessary for the website to function. We may also use non-essential cookies (e.g., for analytics) if you provide consent. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last modified" date at the top.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.