Subject access

This is known as the right of subject access which entitles you to ask us for information including:

• what information we hold about you
• how we got it 
• why we're holding it
• who we share or intend to share it with 
• how long we intend to store it
• how we protect it if we send the information outside the European Economic Area

You have the right to see this information or be given a copy.  We have the right to provide information requested in a summary format rather than copies of original files.

There are certain circumstances when the charity may have to refuse your request but these are limited and we will always try to give you as much information as possible, explaining our decision.  

Usually, references that we have provide to third parties about staff, volunteers etc. are considered confidential and will not be supplied as part of a Subject Access Request.  

For more information about the charity’s approach to data protection or subject access please contact our data protection officer.

• Email: [email protected]
• Written inquiries: Data Protection Officer, Parkinson's UK, 215 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1EJ 

Requesting information about yourself

It is important to remember that the right of subject access only applies to information about you. Whilst there are circumstances when it is OK to request information about someone else these situations are limited and you must be able to demonstrate that you have their agreement or the necessary authority (ie power of attorney).

Before responding to any request the charity must be able to satisfy itself that the information you’re requesting is about you and that you are who you say you are. This is so we don’t accidentally supply information to or about the wrong people. So we can confirm your identity please include certified copies of the following documents with your request:  

• a piece of photographic id e.g. a passport or drivers licence, to confirm your identity 
• a utility bill to confirm your postal address

The above requirements must be met before your request can be processed and failure to do so may invalidate your request or delay our response. But once we have these details the charity has 1 month (including weekends and bank holidays) to supply the information to you or explain why your request has been refused.

To help us locate your information and therefore respond to your request more quickly please give us the details of any specific details you are after including any relevant time periods.

To assist you make a valid request and avoid any delays please submit your request using the form attached. Completed forms are processed centrally and should be ideally submitted directly to the data protection officer.  

A request can be made:

• verbally, including by phone
• in writing
• to anyone in Parkinson's UK

Requests submitted in another written format or submitted to another member of Parkinson's UK staff will still be responded to but may be subject to delays.

There are no limits to the number of information requests you can submit. However, we are not obliged to respond to repeated requests for the same information unless it is likely that the information has changed in some way since your last request.

Repeated requests will be therefore be considered on a case by case basis and may be refused if we consider that the request is for information we have already provided.

Once we have all the information necessary to respond to your request we’ll provide your information to you within one month. This time frame may be extended by up to two months if your request is particularly complex. 

Requesting information about someone else

You only have the right to request access to information about yourself unless you can prove that you are formally managing the affairs of someone else ie by having been granted lasting power or attorney or having them sign a letter allowing this.

In these circumstances please complete section 1 of the request form identifying yourself and then in section 2 the individual concerned, indicating that you are formally acting on their behalf. You will also need to enclose a copy of any relevant paperwork that shows you have the necessary authority to do this.

Those with parental responsibility may request information about their children but you must remember that the information itself and the right to access it remains that of the child. The charity's responsibility in these cases is therefore to the child and we must take their best interests into account. This means that information requests about children will be considered on a case by case basis. If we consider that the child is old enough to understand their right of subject access and is able to interpret the information we will supply them the request from a parent may be refused and the child instructed to submit a request in their own right.

It is also important to remember that your rights only apply to living individuals. Therefore requests for information about deceased individuals are not valid and may be refused. However, if you are the executor of their will, or the legal successor, we may be able to provide you some information in confidence. Please contact the data protection officer to discuss this. 

What happens next?

We will acknowledge receipt of your request in writing either by email (if an email address is provided) or by letter.  We aim to acknowledge an information request within five working days of it being received. Your acknowledgement will record the date your request was received and the deadline by which you can expect a response from us.

If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your request or a response from us by the stated deadline please contact the data protection officer.  

Our response to your request, unless stated otherwise, you will be supplied with associated information in hard copy to the address you specified in section 1 of the information request form.  

If you would prefer to receive our response in another format ie by email or sent to another address ie a secondary residential or workplace address, please specify this in section 4 of the information request form. Please be aware that if another address is requested additional verification of this address will be required e.g. a confirmation email or another utility bill.

We aim to respond to all requests within the statutory one month deadline. This time frame may be extended by up to two months if your request is particularly complex.  Our response will either include the information you requested or an explanation of why we have decided to refuse to provide any or all of it.