Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Privacy should never become another source of uncertainty.

If you choose to trust The WardWise with personal information, you deserve to understand what information is collected, why it is collected, how it is protected, and what choices you have.

The WardWise exists to help patients, families and carers understand, organise and prepare before important healthcare conversations. Because this work may involve sensitive personal information, privacy matters.

This Privacy Policy explains how The WardWise collects, uses, stores and protects personal information. It applies when you visit the website, contact The WardWise, book a session, buy a product, complete a form, send documents, or use any WardWise service.

This policy is written for people in the United Kingdom and is intended to reflect the principles of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Our privacy principles

The WardWise handles information according to a few simple principles.

3. Who The WardWise is

For the purpose of this policy, “The WardWise”, “WardWise”, “we”, “us” or “our” refers to the WardWise healthcare clarity service and publication.

The WardWise provides articles, guides, digital tools, clarity sessions and structured healthcare journey support for people trying to understand healthcare information and prepare for healthcare conversations.

For privacy questions, contact: hello@thewardwise.co.uk.

4. What information we may collect

The information collected depends on how you interact with The WardWise.

Information you provide directly

• your name and contact details
• email address and booking information
• payment and purchase information
• messages, enquiries and support requests
• answers to booking or intake questions
• information shared before, during or after a session
• documents, letters, results, medication lists, discharge summaries or notes you choose to provide
• information about family members, carers or others involved in the healthcare situation, where relevant

Information collected automatically

When you visit the website, some technical information may be collected automatically by the website, hosting provider, analytics tools, security systems, embedded services or browser technologies.

• IP address
• browser and device type
• pages visited
• date and time of visit
• referring website or link
• cookie preferences or similar technical data

5. Healthcare-related and special category information

Some information you choose to share may include health information. Under UK data protection law, health information is treated as “special category data” because it is more sensitive.

The WardWise may receive this information when you ask for help understanding a healthcare situation, preparing questions, building a timeline, reviewing correspondence, or organising information before a healthcare conversation.

Healthcare journeys often become fragmented. One letter may come from one department, another from a different team, and important decisions may depend on understanding how those pieces fit together. Sometimes meaningful clarity requires context.

You should only share information that you are comfortable sharing and that is relevant to the support you are requesting.

Where health-related information is used, it is used to provide the service you requested, support your preparation, maintain context, and help produce summaries, question lists or organisational documents.

6. Why we use your information

The WardWise may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries
• manage bookings and appointments
• deliver clarity calls, private sessions and Healthcare Journey Package support
• prepare for sessions
• review documents or correspondence you choose to provide
• create summaries, timelines, question lists or preparation notes
• process payments and purchases
• send booking confirmations, reminders and follow-up information
• provide customer support for products or services
• improve the website, products and services
• keep appropriate business and financial records
• meet legal, tax, accounting, consumer protection or regulatory obligations

7. Lawful bases for using information

Under UK GDPR, organisations need a lawful basis for using personal information. Depending on the situation, The WardWise may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases.

You can withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis, although this may affect the ability to provide the service.

8. Confidentiality

The WardWise treats client information as confidential. Information is used to understand the situation, prepare for sessions, create relevant materials and support the service being provided.

Information will not be sold. It will not be shared for unrelated marketing. It will not be disclosed to third parties unless needed to provide the service, manage booking or payment systems, comply with legal obligations, protect safety, or with your permission.

Because The WardWise is not an emergency or clinical service, it should not be used to communicate urgent clinical deterioration, immediate risk, safeguarding emergencies or situations requiring emergency medical response.

9. Sharing information with third-party services

The WardWise may use trusted third-party providers to operate the website, manage bookings, process payments, communicate by email, store documents, or deliver digital products.

These providers may process information according to their own privacy policies and data protection obligations.

Calendly

Calendly may be used for booking appointments, collecting booking details, sending confirmations and reminders, and managing availability. Information entered into Calendly is processed by Calendly as part of the booking process.

Stripe or payment providers

Payment providers may process payment details, fraud prevention information, billing information and transaction records. The WardWise does not need to store full card details.

Email and communication providers

Email services may be used to receive enquiries, send replies, share summaries, provide customer support and manage client communication.

Website hosting and security

Hosting providers, security systems and website services may process technical data necessary to keep the website available, secure and functional. This may include services such as Hostinger, Cloudflare or similar providers used for hosting, domain, security, performance or availability.

Digital product platforms

If WardWise products are purchased through a third-party platform such as Payhip or a similar provider, that platform may process order details, payment status, product access and customer support information.

Google Workspace or document tools

Where email, documents, calendars or client materials are managed through tools such as Google Workspace or similar services, those providers may process information needed to store, send, organise or retrieve material.

Analytics and website improvement

The WardWise may use analytics tools in the future to understand how the website is used and where the publication can become clearer. Analytics should be used to improve orientation and readability, not to intrude on visitors.

10. Documents, letters and results you share

You may choose to share healthcare documents, letters, results, appointment notes, discharge summaries, medication lists or other information. These may contain sensitive information about you or someone else.

Please avoid sending information that is not relevant to the support requested. If you send information about another person, you should have appropriate permission or a clear and reasonable basis for doing so.

The WardWise may use shared documents to help organise the situation, prepare for sessions, produce summaries, identify questions, build a timeline, and support the next healthcare conversation.

11. Use of AI support

The WardWise may use AI tools to help organise information, draft summaries, compare documents, explain terminology, improve wording, structure timelines and prepare clearer questions.

AI supports the WardWise process but does not replace human judgement. It does not diagnose, prescribe, make treatment decisions or replace healthcare professionals.

Where AI is used, it should be used to support clarity, organisation and preparation. Information shared with AI tools should be limited to what is relevant and handled with care.

12. How long information is kept

Personal information is kept only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose it was collected, including providing services, maintaining records, resolving queries, meeting accounting obligations, and protecting legitimate business interests.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information:

• enquiry emails may be kept for a reasonable period to respond and maintain context
• booking and payment records may be kept for tax and accounting purposes
• session-related notes or summaries may be kept for continuity where ongoing support is being provided
• healthcare documents may be deleted or retained according to the nature of the service and any agreed arrangement

You may request deletion of information, although some records may need to be retained where there is a legal, accounting or legitimate reason to do so.

13. How information is protected

The WardWise aims to use reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information. These may include secure accounts, password protection, limited access, trusted service providers, and careful handling of sensitive information.

No online system can be guaranteed completely secure. You should avoid sending information by email that you would not be comfortable transmitting through ordinary digital communication. If highly sensitive information is involved, additional secure transfer arrangements may be discussed where appropriate.

14. Cookies and website technologies

The website may use cookies or similar technologies to function, support booking links, improve performance, manage embedded services, or understand how visitors use the site.

More detail is provided in the Cookie Policy. Third-party services such as Calendly, Stripe or embedded tools may also use their own cookies and tracking technologies.

15. Marketing and updates

The WardWise may offer email updates, newsletters or product announcements in the future. You should only receive marketing emails where there is a lawful basis to send them, such as consent or an existing customer relationship where permitted.

You will be able to unsubscribe from marketing emails. Service emails, booking confirmations, payment receipts and necessary client communications may still be sent where required to deliver a service.

16. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have rights including:

• the right to be informed about how your information is used
• the right of access to your personal information
• the right to correct inaccurate information
• the right to request deletion
• the right to restrict processing
• the right to object to certain processing
• the right to data portability in some circumstances
• the right to withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis

To exercise these rights, contact hello@thewardwise.co.uk. You may be asked to confirm your identity before information is released or changed.

17. Subject access requests

You can ask for a copy of personal information held about you. This is known as a subject access request. The WardWise will aim to respond within the timeframe required by UK data protection law.

Identity verification may be required before information is released, especially where the request involves sensitive or healthcare-related information.

If a request involves information about other people, confidential material, legal obligations or disproportionate effort, some information may be limited or withheld where permitted by law.

18. Children and young people

The WardWise is primarily intended for adults, families and carers. If information about a child or young person is shared as part of a family healthcare situation, it should be shared by someone with appropriate responsibility or authority.

Care should be taken before sending information about children or vulnerable people. Only relevant information should be shared.

19. International transfers

Some third-party providers used by The WardWise may process data outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, those providers are expected to use appropriate safeguards for international transfers, such as contractual protections or other recognised mechanisms.

20. Complaints

If you are concerned about how your information has been handled, please contact The WardWise first so the issue can be understood and addressed.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK regulator for data protection matters. The ICO website is ico.org.uk.

21. Changes to this policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated as The WardWise develops, as services change, or as legal requirements evolve. The most current version will be published on this page.

22. Document information

23. Contact

For privacy questions, data requests or concerns, contact:

Email: hello@thewardwise.co.uk

Website: thewardwise.co.uk