Privacy Policy
Health Choice is built on the principle that people should stay in control of their own health decisions — and that includes control over their own information. This policy explains, in plain English, exactly what we collect, why, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it.
Last updated: June 2026. Health Choice ("we", "us", "our") operates the website at healthchoice.org.uk. We are the data controller for the personal information described below and we process it in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
The short version
We are an independent consumer-empowerment resource for home health and independent living. We are not a shop, we do not sell anything, and we do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to anyone. The only personal data we hold is what you choose to give us — when you subscribe to our newsletter or send us a message through the contact form — plus a small amount of anonymous, aggregated information about how the site is used, which helps us write better guides. That is the whole of it.
1. What we collect, and when
When you sign up for the newsletter
Our newsletter sign-up asks for your email address. Providing your email is the only information required to subscribe. We use it solely to send you the guides, updates, and consumer-rights briefings you asked for. We do not require your name, your age, your health conditions, or anything about why you are interested — and we ask you not to include sensitive health details in any optional field, because you do not need to share them with us to receive our guidance.
When you use the contact form
Our contact form asks for your name, your email address, and your message. We use these only to read and reply to what you have sent. If your message happens to mention a health condition or personal circumstance, please share only what you are comfortable with — we cannot give individual medical advice and we would always direct you to a qualified professional, so there is rarely a need to include sensitive details.
When you simply read the site
You can read every guide on Health Choice without giving us any personal information at all. Browsing does not require an account, a login, or a sign-up.
2. Our lawful basis for using your data
UK GDPR requires us to have a clear, lawful reason for processing your information. Ours are straightforward:
- Newsletter — consent. We send you our newsletter only because you actively asked us to. You gave your consent by subscribing, and you can withdraw it at any time (see "Your rights" below). Withdrawing is as easy as subscribing was.
- Contact form — legitimate interests. When you write to us, we process your message under our legitimate interest in responding to genuine enquiries. You would reasonably expect a reply, and replying is the only thing we use that information for.
- Analytics — legitimate interests. We have a legitimate interest in understanding which guides are read and useful so we can improve them, balanced against your privacy by using only aggregated, anonymised measurement (see below).
3. How long we keep it
- Newsletter email addresses are kept for as long as you remain subscribed. If you unsubscribe, we remove your address from our active mailing list promptly, and we keep a minimal suppression record (your email, flagged "do not contact") only so that we honour your choice and do not accidentally email you again.
- Contact form messages are kept for up to 12 months after your enquiry is resolved, so we have context if you write back, after which they are deleted.
- Analytics data is aggregated and not tied to you as an individual; the underlying anonymous records are retained no longer than 14 months.
4. Analytics and how we measure the site
To understand whether our guides are reaching and helping people, we use privacy-respecting, aggregated analytics. This tells us things like which pages are most read and roughly where in the UK our readers are — at a regional, non-identifying level. We do not build advertising profiles, we do not track you across other websites, and we do not use your reading habits to target you with ads. Where our analytics relies on cookies or similar technologies, you are asked for your choice, and you can decline non-essential cookies without losing access to any guide. Our separate Cookie Policy sets out the specifics.
5. Who we share it with
We do not sell or trade your personal data. We share it only with the service providers we rely on to run the site and send the newsletter — for example, our email delivery and website hosting providers — and only to the extent they need it to perform that task on our behalf. They act on our instructions, are bound to keep your data secure, and may not use it for their own purposes. We may also disclose information where we are legally required to do so. Where any provider processes data outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards (such as UK adequacy or standard contractual clauses) are in place.
6. How we protect it
We keep your information secure using appropriate technical and organisational measures, including encrypted connections to our site, restricted access to subscriber and enquiry data, and keeping the amount of personal data we hold to the minimum we genuinely need. Because we deliberately collect so little, there is very little to put at risk.
7. Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have strong rights over your own data, and as an organisation founded on the idea of people staying in control of their own health choices, we take them seriously. You have the right to:
- Be informed — which is what this policy is for.
- Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Rectify anything that is inaccurate or incomplete.
- Erase your data — ask us to delete it, and we will, unless we are legally required to keep it.
- Restrict or object to how we use it.
- Withdraw consent at any time. Every newsletter contains a one-click unsubscribe link, and you can also email us to be removed.
- Data portability — receive the data you gave us in a portable format.
To exercise any of these rights, simply contact us (see below). We will respond within one month, and we will never charge you for making a reasonable request.
8. Children
Health Choice is written for adults managing their own or a loved one's health and independence. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with information, please contact us and we will delete it.
9. Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle your data, we will update this page and revise the "last updated" date above. Any significant change affecting newsletter subscribers will be flagged to you directly.
10. Contacting us, and your right to complain
If you have any question about your privacy, want to exercise one of your rights, or would like us to delete your data, please reach us through our contact page. We aim to reply to every privacy request promptly and plainly.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), at ico.org.uk. We would always rather hear from you first so we can put things right — but the regulator is there for you, and we will never stand in the way of you contacting them.