CICM's Virtual Learning Environment

This notice is to explain why we collect your personal data, and what we do with it, and to ensure that we are working in accordance with the new EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); terms from the regulation are indicated in bold. 

The College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, is a non-profit company, registration number 2868027.

When you supply your personal details to us, communicate by email, and when we receive your written submissions, this information is stored and processed in line with the GDPR requirements: 

Personal Data 

We keep your interview record sheet and all accompanying attachments and notes in your personal file.

We keep your completed application form for the purposes of contacting you, or your next of kin, as required. Your contact details will remain on our database so that we can keep you updated of upcoming Continued Professional Development courses, job opportunities and other pertinent information.

We keep details of your contact information and your CPD record (where known) so as to be able to recommend CICM graduates to potential clients who may ask. After graduation, you have the right to have your details removed, please contact admin@cicm.org.uk if you would like to be removing from our mailing list.

In line with Health Sciences University policies, some data may be sent to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), Government Departments (including the UKVI), Funding Councils,, partner institutions and similar organisations. We will not pass or sell your personal data to any third party for the purposes of advertising.

Sensitive Data 

Sensitive data is a sub-category of personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs. Examples of special category data we may hold about you include any personal requirements that you may have around lectures or practical skills sessions.

 Academic records 

We keep details of your academic achievements to enable us to monitor your progress while working towards your degree. We need this record of achievements so that the Health Sciences University can award you with the correct degree.

 We keep these records stored on CICM’s secure server so that we can provide you with evidence in the future, should you request it.

 We keep scanned copies of your submitted work/exam papers on our secure server. These will be kept on CICM’s secure server and deleted 18 months from the date of the relevant Assessment Board, in line with CICM policy. This allows for reference back to scripts if required and includes allowance for an appeal to be lodged. All hard copy assignments will be returned to you with comment, we will keep electronic copies on our secure server.

 This information will only be shared in the pursuit of our core business, namely educating in Chinese Medicine. It will be shared with our staff/tutors in the pursuit of our legitimate interest, namely educating in Chinese Medicine.

There may be a requirement to share with Health Sciences University as part of their review process.

Emails

 We keep email correspondence for 2 years post graduation or from formal withdrawal from the course and they are then deleted from our server. This is to ensure that we have an audit trail of all correspondences between you and CICM staff should it be required.

 If you defer, we will keep all correspondence for 2 years after the last day that you are eligible to re start the course as designated by the validating body.

 Your correspondence will only be shared with staff working on behalf of CICM as necessary – for example CICM tutors or our IT provider.

Storage

Your information is stored on our secure server which is maintained by Tri Computers. We keep records of your personal data on a Filemaker Pro Database on our secure server also for the purposes of contacting you as necessary.

We also keep records of any sensitive data on FileMaker Pro database, allowing all staff to be aware of your individual requirements, and HESA reporting to take place.

 Paper records will be kept in a locked cabinet at the CICM office to which only authorized staff have access. It will not leave our premises. We will delete the hard copy of all the above personal information 6 months after you graduate.

As a graduate, you may withdraw your consent of us holding your data or receiving correspondence at any time – please email admin@cicm.org.uk and request that you are removed from our mailing list.

You also have the right to request that your information is deleted. please email admin@cicm.org.uk and request that your personal data is removed from our database. We cannot fulfil our teaching obligations to current students without this information, therefore no such request can be obligated.

You have the right to see what personal data of yours we hold, and you can also ask us to correct any factual errors. We are legally required to respond to any reasonable request from a client to see their personal data within a timescale of 30 days. However, we would ensure that we responded as soon as we possibly could to any reasonable request for access to personal records.

If you feel that we are mishandling your personal data in some way, you have the right to complain. Please first raise your concern with us, by contacting admin@cicm.org.uk as we hope very much we will be able deal with any concerns you might have. However, you can also raise a concern directly with the Information Commissioner’s Office on https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ 

Review date: 2022