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Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 2026

This website, southlondonmaternalhealthresearch.co.uk (the “Site”), is operated by the South London Maternal Health Research team, which was part of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London, hosted at King’s College London.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling any personal information we collect about you with care and in accordance with the law. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit this Site, how we use it, and your rights in relation to it.

Please read this policy carefully. By using this Site, you accept the practices described here.

1. Who we are

The data controller for this Site is:

This Site is a legacy archive preserving the research outputs, publications, impact case studies and resources produced by the NIHR ARC South London Maternity and Perinatal Mental Health theme during its programme (2019–2026).

2. What information we collect

This is primarily an informational website. We collect only limited personal data, as described below.

a) Information you give us directly

If you use a contact form or email us directly, we will collect the information you provide, which may include your name, email address, organisation, and the content of your message. We use this solely to respond to your enquiry.

b) Information collected automatically

When you visit this Site, our web server and analytics tools may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• Your IP address (anonymised where possible)
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Referring website (how you found us)
• Date and time of your visit

This information is collected in aggregate and is used only to understand how the Site is being used and to improve it. It does not identify you personally.

c) Cookies

This Site uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — for the following purposes:

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of this Site. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or delete them at any time — please refer to your browser’s help documentation for instructions.

3. How we use your information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to enquiries — if you contact us, we will use your details to reply.
• To operate and improve the Site — analytics data helps us understand what content is most useful and identify any technical issues.
• To comply with legal obligations — we may retain certain records as required by law.

We do not use your personal data for marketing, profiling, or automated decision-making.

4. Legal basis for processing (UK GDPR)

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), we rely on the following lawful bases for processing your personal data:

• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) — for website analytics and improving the Site, where these interests are not overridden by your privacy rights.
• Contract / pre-contractual steps (Article 6(1)(b)) — where you contact us with an enquiry, processing your details is necessary to respond.
• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) — for non-essential cookies, where you have given explicit consent via our cookie notice.

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share limited data with the following third parties only where necessary:

• WordPress / web hosting provider — our website is hosted on a third-party server. Your data is processed by them solely to deliver the Site to you.
• Analytics providers — if analytics are enabled (e.g. Google Analytics), anonymised usage data is shared with them under appropriate data processing agreements.
• King’s College London — as the host institution for this research, KCL’s data governance policies and IT infrastructure may apply. KCL’s own privacy notice is available at kcl.ac.uk/terms/privacy.
• Legal or regulatory authorities — if required to do so by law.

All third-party processors are required to handle your data securely and only for the purposes we specify.

6. Links to third-party websites

This Site contains links to external websites, including journal publications (e.g. The Lancet, BMJ, PLOS), the NIHR, NHS England, King’s College London, and other research organisations.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies when you visit them.

7. How long we keep your data

• Contact enquiries — we retain correspondence for up to 2 years, after which it is securely deleted unless there is a legal reason to keep it longer.
• Analytics data — anonymised aggregated data may be retained indefinitely. Any personally identifiable analytics data is retained for no longer than 26 months.
• Cookies — retained on your device for the duration listed in the cookies table above.

8. How we protect your information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful loss, alteration, or unauthorised access. These include:

• HTTPS encryption on all pages of this Site
• Regular software and security updates
• Restricted access to any personal data we hold

However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we do our best to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [INSERT CONTACT EMAIL]. We will respond within one month of receiving your request. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

10. How to complain

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us in the first instance so we can try to resolve your concern.

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s data protection regulator:

11. Children’s privacy

This Site is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date at the top. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Continued use of this Site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

This Privacy Policy was prepared in May 2026 and applies to the website southlondonmaternalhealthresearch.co.uk. It does not apply to the research studies, clinical trials, or data collected as part of research projects listed on this Site — those are governed by separate ethics approvals and participant information sheets.