Background
The Association of Clinical Pathologists understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used. We respect and value the privacy of all of our members and will only collect and use personal data in the ways that are described here, and in a way that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law. The Privacy Information Notice that follows represents the Privacy Policy of the Association.
Information About us
Association of Clinical Pathologists
Company limited under guarantee registered in England and Wales under Companies House number 56184 and Charity Commission registration number 209455.
Registered address: Parkers Cornelius House, 178/180 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2DJ
Data Protection Administrator: shared responsibility by Executive Officers and Employees
Email address: info@pathologists.org.uk
Section 1: What Does This Privacy Infomration Notice Cover?
This Privacy Information Notice explains how we use your personal data: how it is collected, how it is held, and how it is processed. It also explains your rights under the law relating to your personal data.
Section 2: What is Personal Data?
Personal data is defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679; ‘GDPR’) and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.
Personal data is, in simpler terms, any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.
The personal data that we collect and use is set out in Part 5, below.
Note: in the UK, the Data Protection Act 2018 (‘DPA’) is the incorporation into UK law of the GDPR and the two are essentially identical.
Section 3: What Are My Rights?
Under the GDPR/DPA, you have the following rights, which we shall always work to uphold:
a) The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This Privacy Notice should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions using the details in Section 10.
b) The right to access the personal data we hold about you. Section 9 will tell you how to do this.
c) The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete. Please contact us using the details in Section 10 to find out more.
d) The right to be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data that we have. Please contact us using the details in Section 10 to find out more.
e) The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data.
f) The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.
g) The right to data portability. This means that you can ask us for a copy of your personal data held by us to re-use with another service or business in many cases.
For more information about our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us using the details provided in Section 10.
Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Section 4: What Personal Data Do You Collect?
We may collect some or all of the following personal data (this may vary according to your relationship with us):
- Title
- Date of Birth
- Surname
- Forenames
- Qualifications
- General Medical Council (or other similar body) registration number;
- Present Appointment
- Professional and Home address
- Professional and Home Telephone Number
- Mobile Phone Number
- Email Address
- Speciality
- Residential address
- Appointments since Registration (title of appointment & hospital details, date(s) of commencing/ending),
- Principal Publications
- Payment information;
- Information about your preferences and professional interests;
- Roles that you have held within the Association
We do not collect information about you from any third party.
Section 5: How Do You Use My Personal Data?
Under the GDPR/DPA, we must always have a lawful basis for using personal data. This may be because the data is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data, or because it is in our legitimate business interests to use it. Your personal data will be used for the following purposes:
- Providing and managing your membership account with us.
- Supplying our products and services to you. Your personal details are required in order for us to enter into a contract with you.
- Personalising and tailoring our services for you.
- Communicating with you. This may include responding to emails or calls from you.
- Supplying you with information by email and/or post that you have opted in to (you may unsubscribe or opt out at any time by sending an email to the Association at info@pathologists.org.uk.
With your permission, and/or where permitted by law, we may also use your personal data for marketing purposes, which may include contacting you by email and/or post with information, news and offers on our services. You will not be sent any unlawful marketing or spam. We shall always work to protect your rights fully and comply with our obligations under the GDPR/DPA and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, and you will always have the opportunity to opt out.
Section 6: How Long Will You Keep My Personal Data?
We shall not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. Your personal data will be kept for the full period of your membership of the Association, if you are a member, and will be destroyed no later than one year after your membership lapses. For other persons engaging with the Association, such as external contractors and other contributors to our work, we shall keep your data for the period of your involvement with us and destroy it no later than one year after your involvement with the Association ceases. Some other relationships cannot be predicted and, in these circumstances, we shall keep your information indefinitely unless requested not to.
Section 7: How and Where Do You Store or Transfer My Personal Data?
We shall only store your personal data in the UK. This means that it will be fully protected under the DPA.
The security of your personal data is essential to us and, to protect your data, we take a number of important measures, including the following:
- All paper records are stored securely with access controlled by ACP staff.
- Electronic records are stored securely on password-protected machines.
- All financial data is encrypted.
Section 8: Do You Share My Personal Data?
We may sometimes contract with third parties to supply products and/or services to you on behalf of the ACP. These products and services include payment processing, delivery of journals, email and website hosting, and marketing. In some cases, those third parties may require access to some or all of the personal data that we hold for you. Current third-party contracts include:
- BMJ Publishing Group, so that members have access to/receive the Journal of Clinical Pathology.
- Evolve Publishing, so that members can receive copies of the ACP news.
- Abisti Web Consultants, the company that manages the Association’s webpage, so that members can log into the member-only area and tailor their membership dashboard.
- Other companies, for office administration purposes, including: Fastnet (email and domain name hosting), Principal (cloud back-up and IT support), Icaris (membership database management), Square and GoCardless (payment processing).
- In the event that the Association co-hosts an educational meeting or other event with another organisation, the Association may share the names of members who apply to attend the event with the partner organisation, so that the member can benefit from registration arrangements for the event. In such circumstances, we shall share no other information about the member with the partner organisation without the express permission of the member.
If any of your personal data is required by a third party, as described above, we shall take steps to ensure that it is handled safely, securely and in accordance with your rights, our obligations, and the third party’s obligations under the law.
In some limited circumstances, we may legally be required to share certain personal data, which might include yours, if we are involved in legal proceedings or complying with legal obligations, a court order, or the instructions of a government authority.
Section 9: How Can I Access My Personal Data?
If you want to know what personal data we have about you, you can ask us for details of that personal data and for a copy of it (if any such personal data is held). This is known as a “subject access request”.
All subject access requests should be made in writing and sent to the email or postal addresses shown in Section 10.
There is not normally any charge for a subject access request. If your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (for example, if you make repetitive requests) a fee may be charged to cover our administrative costs in responding.
We shall normally respond to your subject access request within 10 business days and, in any case, not more than one month of receiving it. Normally, we aim to provide a complete response, including a copy of your personal data within that time. In some cases, however, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of our progress.
Section 10: How Do I Contact You?
To contact us about anything to do with your personal data and data protection, including to make a subject access request, please use the following details:
Email address: info@pathologists.org.uk.
Postal address: Association of Clinical Pathologists, Parkers Cornelius House, 178/180 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 2DJ
Telephone number: 01273 775700
Changes to this Privacy Notice
We may change this Privacy Notice from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes, or if we change our business in a way that affects personal data protection.
Any changes will be made available via our website www.pathologists.org.uk
11th June 2026