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The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (FPM) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. As a membership organisation the processing of members personal data is required in order for us to pursue our legitimate interests. This policy sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us.
This Privacy Policy applies to the personal data of FPM members, website users, prospective FPM members, suppliers, attendees to FPM events and other people who may contact us in find out more about FPM or Pharmaceutical Medicine.
This policy explains when and why we collect personal information, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it to others, and how we keep it secure.
It will be updated from time to time, in line with changes to our systems, processes and procedures, so please check this page occasionally to ensure you’re aware of any changes.
What kind of personal data do we collect and how do we use it?
When you request a service from us, for example when you apply for membership, training or examinations, we need to collect information about you. We will only ask for details that are necessary for providing you with the services you have requested. In addition, where appropriate and in accordance with regulatory or legal requirements, we may also collect information related to your gender, diversity information or details of your fitness to practice and/or professional conduct.
We will process any of your personal data in accordance with our obligations under applicable data protection laws and regulations, for the following reasons: to provide you with the services you have requested; to comply with applicable laws and regulations; for administrative purposes; to assess enquiries; and to provide you with information about us and our services. If, at any time, you do not wish to receive further information about us and our services, contact us at fpm@fpm.org.uk.
Membership
To provide the range of membership services for you, we need to process certain information about you such as your name, contact details, qualifications, date of birth and workplace. We will also collect your banking details to process subscription fees if you have opted to pay via direct debit.
Specialty training and qualifications
If you are in training and/or working towards an FPM qualification we need to collect and use information about you, or individuals at your organisation, to provide you with services such as:
- examination entry
- providing you with access to the trainee e-portfolio
- monitoring your progress through training
- providing you with support in your training programme (or assisting another organisation to do so)
- notifying you of content provided by us which is likely to be relevant and useful
Revalidation
If you are connected to FPM as your designated body for revalidation purposes we need to collect and use information about you to provide you with services such as:
- providing you with access to an appraiser, the appraisal system and e-portfolio
- passing on or receiving relevant revalidation and appraisal information from previous and future employers and designated bodies
- meeting our legal and regulatory obligations in reference to the revalidation legislation and national guidance
- notifying you of content provided by us which is likely to be relevant and useful
Where we are processing data including special category data or data relating to criminal convictions where processing data relating to revalidation we will do so in accordance with our Policy for Processing Data in relation to Revalidation. This is available on request.
Event attendees
When you book on to an FPM event we need to collect and use information about you for the purposes of event administration. Your name, organisation and job title may be printed on a name badge or delegate list made available during the event to other delegates, exhibitors and sponsors. We may take photographs during an event for use in publications and/or social media. We will make it clear when we plan to take photographs, so if you don’t want your photograph being used in this way, let a member of FPM know.
Training attendees
When you book on to an FPM training course we need to collect and use information about you for the purposes of course administration. For in person courses your name, organisation and job title may be printed on a name badge or delegate list made available during the course to the trainer and other delegates. For online courses and for those accessed via the FPM Learning Hub, if the trainer is operating the online platform, your name and email will be provided to allow access to the online platform.
FPM research and surveys and public consultations
When you contribute to an FPM research project or survey we may need to collect and use information about you such as your name and contact details. We use members’ contributions to inform specific projects, but we will not share your contribution more widely, either within FPM, or externally, without your express permission.
When you contribute comments or evidence to a public consultation, via FPM, we will not disclose your personal details to a third party. However, you should be aware that your comments may be shared, potentially verbatim, in the public domain, so personally identifying comments should be avoided.
Volunteering with FPM
When you volunteer with FPM we will need to collect and use information about you such as your name and contact details. If you are volunteering as part of a group, such as a committee or working group, we will share your name and contract details with other members of the volunteer group. We may share your volunteer role, such as being a committee member, with the FPM Board or other FPM committees, but we will not share this information or your contact details externally without your express permission.
Prospective members and enquirers
If you are enquiring about how to become a member of FPM or looking for information about a career in pharmaceutical medicine we need to collect and use information so that we can supply such information directly to you by post, email or telephone.
Suppliers
We need a small amount of personal data from our suppliers such as contact details of relevant individuals for the purposes of administering contracts. We also need other information such as bank details so that we can pay for the services provided (if this is part of the contractual arrangements between us).
How do we collect your personal data?
There are two main ways in which we collect your personal data, either directly from you or from third parties. You may provide personal data to us in a number of ways. These may include:
- directly via our website (www.fpm.org.uk) by entering your details through the MYFPM member area
- providing information via on-line forms, surveys or questionnaires
- collecting your data through a contractual or commercial relationship with you e.g. for membership subscriptions or attending an event
- via a form which could be online as part of our website or a form provided to us as hard copy or electronically, for example an application form as part of the membership registration process
- emailing your CV to us as part of an application process or to apply for a voluntary appointment
Personal data may be given to us through another organisation with which you have registered and we may be required to process that data to fulfil services that you expect of us. This could include one of the following:
- via a regulatory body such as the General Medical Council
- via another authorised body with whom joint education or professional development takes place
- via organisations with whom there is a sharing of registration for events or activities
How is your information used?
We will process any of your personal data, in accordance with our obligations under applicable data protection laws and regulations, for the following reasons:
- to provide you with the services you have requested
- to comply with applicable laws and regulations
- for administrative purposes
- to assess enquiries
- to provide you with information about us and our services
Who do we share your personal data with?
We may disclose your personal information to third parties if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data to comply with any legal obligation, or to enforce or apply any agreements; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of FPM, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations to comply with statutory regulations as well as with those organisations with whom you and we have reciprocal agreements for providing services for education or professional development.
We will also pass your information to our third-party service providers, this includes our accountants, auditors and IT support provider. Where we use third-party service providers, we disclose only the personal information that is necessary to deliver the service and we have a contract in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own purposes.
Protecting your data
We will take all appropriate technical and organisational steps to protect the confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity of your data, including when sharing your data within our organisation and with authorised third parties.
How long is the information retained for?
We hold your personal information only as long as necessary and in line with our Data Retention Policy, which can be viewed on request.
We will only retain your personal information for a limited period of time. This will depend on a number of factors, including:
- any laws or regulations that we are required to follow;
- whether we are in a legal or other type of dispute with each other or any third party;
- the type of information that we hold about you; and
- whether we are asked by you or a regulatory authority to keep your personal information for a valid reason.
FPM has a Data Retention Policy to ensure that personal data processed for any purpose(s) shall only be kept for as long as a business process requires or to fulfil legal obligations to record keeping, depending on which is the longest.
Other websites
Our website contains links to other websites. This privacy policy only applies to our website so when you link to other websites you should read their own privacy policies.
Contacting you
We will make appropriate contact with you to provide the agreed services. We will also contact you for marketing purposes where we believe you may have a legitimate interest in the information we are providing. You have a right at any time to stop us from contacting you for marketing purposes and you can change your marketing preferences at any time by emailing fpm@fpm.org.uk.
Use of cookies
Cookies are small pieces of information sent by a website to your computer and stored on your hard drive to allow that website to recognise you when you visit. They collect statistical data about your browsing actions and patterns and do not identify you as an individual.
Types of cookie used by FPM
Third party cookies are set by another website, for example we use a third-party analytics company, Google Analytics, who set their own cookie to perform this service.
Session Cookies are stored only temporarily during a browsing session and are deleted from the user’s device when the browser is closed.
Persistent cookies are saved on your computer for a fixed period (usually a year or longer) and are not deleted when the browser is closed. They are used where we need to know who you are for more than one browsing session. For example, we use this type of cookie to store your preferences, so that they are remembered for the next visit. They are used on the main FPM website, Revalidation e-portfolio and CPD e-portfolio.
Why do we use cookies?
To provide personalised services to individual users, to improve your user experience by enabling the website to ‘remember’ you, either for the duration of your visit (using a ‘session cookie’) or for repeat visits (using a ‘persistent cookie’) and to help us to monitor and improve the services we offer.
Managing Cookies
For more information about cookies and managing them, visit http://www.aboutcookies.org.uk, this includes information about how they can be disabled in most commonly used browsers. However, you should be aware that disabling certain cookies may cause the website not to function properly.
Transferring information out of the European Economic Area (EEA)
FPM may use third parties to process data on its behalf. Such processing, which may be outside the European Economic Area, is subject to contractual restrictions with regard to confidentiality and security, in addition to the obligations imposed by the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, May 2018).
Your rights
Individuals are provided with legal rights governing the use of their personal data. These rights are known as individual rights under the General Data Protection Regulation.
The following list details these rights:
- the right to be informed about the personal data being processed
- the right of access to your personal data
- the right to object to the processing of your personal data
- the right to restrict the processing of your personal data
- the right to rectification of your personal data
- the right to erasure of your personal data
- the right to data portability (to receive an electronic copy of your personal data)
- rights relating to automated decision making including profiling
Further information on your individual rights can be found at https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/.
You can exercise your individual rights at any time. However, there may be some situations where we may be unable to fully meet your request, for example if you make a request to delete all your personal data, we may be required to retain some data for taxation, regulatory, statutory or other legitimate purposes.
Right to complain
If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the way in which we process your personal data please contact us. You also have the right to complain to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO may be contacted via its website which is https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ or by calling their helpline on 0303 123 1113.
How to contact us?
Any questions regarding how we collect, store or process data should be sent by email to fpm@fpm.org.uk or by post to:
The Data Protection Officer
FPM
19 Angel Gate
326a City Road
London EC1V 2PT
Review of our privacy policy and practices
We will make changes to this statement from time to time. If we change our privacy policy we will post the changes on this page. The amended privacy policy will apply from the date it is posted on our site and will govern the way in which we collect and use personal information from the date of the change.
Last updated: 19 October 2022
See also our Terms and Conditions