Careiverse — A Universe of Care

Careiverse ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our platform.

1. Who We Are

Careiverse is a care home comparison and placement exchange platform operating in the United Kingdom. We help individuals, families, and care providers find, compare, and connect with care services including care homes, nursing homes, home care, supported living, and sheltered accommodation.

2. Data We Collect

Information you provide directly:

Account registration details (name, email address, phone number)
Property search preferences, saved searches, and shortlisted properties
Reviews, ratings, and enquiries you submit about care properties
Placement Exchange listings (current location, preferred location, care needs, timeline)
Contact form submissions and support requests
Provider verification documents (CQC registration number, Companies House data, identity documents)

Information collected automatically:

Device information (browser type, operating system, screen size)
Usage data (pages visited, search queries, time spent on pages)
IP address and approximate location (for location-based search results)
Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see our Cookie Policy)

Information from third parties:

CQC inspection ratings and registration data (publicly available)
Companies House records for provider verification
Authentication providers if you sign in via a third-party service

3. How We Use Your Data

To provide our care home comparison, search, and placement exchange services
To match you with suitable properties based on your preferences and care needs
To verify care provider identities, CQC registration, and Companies House records
To facilitate communication between individuals/families and care providers
To send notifications about saved searches, new matches, and enquiry responses
To display and moderate reviews submitted by users
To improve our platform through anonymised usage analytics
To prevent fraud and ensure the security of our platform
To comply with legal obligations and regulatory requirements

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Contract: Processing necessary to provide our services to you (account management, search functionality, placement exchange)
Legitimate interest: Platform improvement, fraud prevention, and analytics
Consent: Marketing communications and non-essential cookies
Legal obligation: Data retention required by law, responding to regulatory requests

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with:

Care providers: When you make an enquiry or submit a review, relevant details are shared with the provider
Verification partners: CQC and Companies House data is used to verify providers
Service providers: Hosting, email delivery, and analytics services that process data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements
Legal authorities: Where required by law or to protect the safety of users

6. Data Retention

Account data is retained for the lifetime of your account and deleted within 30 days of account closure
Provider verification documents are deleted within 24 hours of processing
Search history and analytics data is anonymised after 12 months
Reviews remain published unless you request removal
Placement Exchange listings are archived 6 months after completion or expiry

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data
Erasure: Request deletion of your data (right to be forgotten)
Portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
Restriction: Request we limit how we process your data
Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interest
Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within one month.

8. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, regular security assessments, and secure hosting infrastructure. Provider verification documents are processed in an isolated environment and permanently deleted after verification.

9. International Transfers

Your data is primarily stored and processed within the United Kingdom. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR requirements.

10. Contact & Complaints

If you have questions about this policy or wish to make a complaint, contact us at [email protected]. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Privacy Policy