Privacy Notice for NHS Knowledge and Library Services
rivacy Notice for NHS Knowledge and Library Services
By submitting personal data to us, you agree that we, your NHS Knowledge and Library Service, may collect, use and store any such personal information data in accordance with relevant data protection legislation and regulations, as described in this Privacy Notice.
Further details on relevant data protection legislation and regulations can be found on the website of the Information Commissioner’s Office.
This privacy notice explains:
- why we hold your personal data
- how you can find out what data we hold, and have that data updated or deleted
- who may have access to your data
- how your data is processed and stored
- how long your data is retained
- how you can request that we stop contacting you
If you have any concerns related to this Privacy Notice or have any queries about the use of your personal data, please contact us.
1. Why we hold your personal data
We store your personal data so that we can effectively deliver knowledge and library services and contact you if we need to about the services that we provide.
2. How you can find out what data we have, and have that data updated
For more information please contact us.
3. Who may have access to your data
Your data is accessible to knowledge and library service staff who use systems to deliver knowledge and library services to the NHS in England.
In addition, your data is accessible to the system suppliers and system managers who provide and manage these systems. You may view the privacy policies of individual systems in the appendix.
Staff at all organisations work in compliance with this Privacy Notice and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
We will share your data with others only if required to do so by law. We will never sell your data to anyone or share it in a way not described in this notice without your permission.
4. How your data is processed and stored
When you register to use an NHS Knowledge and Library Service, we input the data into our systems.
If you notify us of a change to your data, we update the systems accordingly.
Technical safeguards are in place to help ensure that your data is kept safe and only disclosed to people who are authorised to view it.
5. How long your data is retained
Your data is kept for as long as you wish to receive knowledge and library services. If you cease to require the use of these services and have no outstanding items, we will delete your data on request.
User records are created with an expiry date of 3 years. If you choose not to renew your membership, user records will be deleted 2 years after the expiry date, if there are no outstanding loans or fees.
Records will be kept for a maximum of 5 years if there are outstanding loans or fees, or until the items are returned and/or the fees paid. Records will be kept for 7 years if you have requested and been supplied with an article from a non-NHS library.
We will securely destroy any personal data about you when it is no longer of use.
6. How you can request that we stop contacting you
If you wish to stop receiving communications about knowledge and library services, please contact us.
7. Data security
We have put in place reasonable and appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed.
8. Your rights in connection with personal data
Under certain circumstances, by law you have the right to:
- request access to your personal data. This enables you to receive details of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are processing it lawfully.
- request correction of the personal data that we hold about you.
- request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it.
- request the restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal data about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.
If you want to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
NHS England and NHS Knowledge and Library Services
Last updated: 16 December 2025