Privacy notice - Committees and Trustees

Our contact details

Name: Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)
Address: 5-11 Theobalds Road, London, WC1X 8SH
Phone Number: +44 (0)20 7092 6000
E-mail: Data Protection Officer: information.governance@rcpch.ac.uk

General enquiries can be sent via our contact form or contact the relevant team directly.

Where do we get your personal data from?

Most of the data we use to administer your membership will be directly provided by you as part of your application form, or within the course of your business with the College.  Where we find it necessary to seek references or verification, we will inform you in advance.

How will we use the information we collect about you?

You are providing the RCPCH with some of your personal data in your application and you will continue to provide us with subsequent information about yourself for different purposes throughout your relationship with the College.

The College undertakes to look after this data with care and in accordance with UK data protection legislation which is currently GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in conjunction with the Data Protection Act 2018.

We will process your information in accordance with one of the following data protection legal bases:

“Legitimate interest” - where we have assessed that the benefits of us processing your data are legitimate and not outweighed by your interests or legal rights
"Consent" - where you have given your explicit consent for us to do so

As part of our agreement with you, we will process your personal data for the following purposes:

• We will use your personal data to process your application, which may include gathering references or conflict of interest information. (Legitimate interest)
• If successful we will process your personal data for the purposes of administering the committee/ Trustee Board and to contact you about committee/Trustee business. For example, your personal data may be in minutes, papers, agendas and terms of reference. Board Minutes and Papers are only circulated internally; and committee minutes and papers are circulated within the specific committee of which you are a member. (Legitimate interest)
• We will use your details to administer your membership of the committee/trustee board, for example to pay any expenses. (Legitimate interest)
• Where necessary, we will also contact you about undertaking any necessary training required by the role. (Legitimate interest)
• For some roles, there is a requirement to have your chosen email address made publicly available on the RCPCH website. Where this is applicable, this will be detailed in the job description. If the applicant is unable to provide this, it may affect the eligibility of the applicant. You can change your contact details at any time by contacting us. (Legitimate interest)
• We may occasionally take photographs for our own publicity. We will gain your consent for this prior to any photographs being taken.(Consent)
• We may use your contact details to send you surveys or communicate other events/activities of interest that are directly related to your role, where it is in our legitimate interest to do so. You can opt out at any time by contacting the team that manages the committee (Legitimate interest)
• If you are unsuccessful, we may contact you about similar opportunities. If you do not want to hear from us, please inform us. (Legitimate interest)
• If you are also a member, we will process your personal data in line with our Membership Privacy Notice. 
• Where we are relying on legitimate interests, we will always balance our legitimate interests against your rights as an individual and make sure we only use personal information in a way or for a purpose that you would reasonably expect in accordance with this notice and that does not intrude on your privacy.

We collect equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) data as it is in the public interest for us to ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and monitor and promote equal opportunities in paediatrics. We ask all those representing the College (such as officers and committee members) to provide EDI data, although it is not a requirement to submit these details. More information is available in the EDI Privacy Notice

Participation in RCPCH Committees is conditional upon meeting our good standing requirements.

Information security

In accordance with data protection legislation, we have a legal duty to protect any information we collect from you and we have measures in place to ensure your data is securely and safely stored and transferred where necessary.
To enable us to provide you with certain services, we may need to transfer your data outside of the EEA (European Economic Area). However, we will only do so where adequate and appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure compliance and to protect your data in line with GDPR. If you have provided us with a contact email or address which is based outside of the EEA or explicitly consent to this.

Where do we get your personal data from?

Most of the data we use to administer your membership will be directly provided by you as part of your application form, or within the course of your business with the College.   Where we find it necessary to seek references or verification, we will inform you in advance.

Information we share

We will share information internally between relevant departments where necessary to fulfil our activities or to support our work (Legitimate interest).  

We also share information with third parties, such as the Charities Commission, where there is a statutory requirement or legal obligation to do so.   

How long will we keep your information for?

We regularly review what information we hold about you and delete it in line with College Retention Schedules. If successful, we will retain your personal data for the length of your membership of the committee/trustee board plus 6 years. If unsuccessful, we will hold your application for 6 months from the end of the application process, so that we can contact you about any similar opportunities or provide feedback. 

Some of the committee/trustee documents will be reviewed after 10 years and retained permanently in the college archives for historical purposes.  

Accessing and updating your personal information

It is your responsibility to ensure that the details you provide to us for your membership of the Board or committee are kept up to date and accurate. You can update your details at any time, including updating your mailing preferences, by contacting the team that manages your committee.

Where you have consented to us using your personal data, you can withdraw consent at any time.

Understanding GDPR and your data rights

To help you understand more about the information in this and all our privacy notices, see our page, Understanding GDPR and your data rights. This explains common words and phrases used in our privacy notices, describes our use of artificial intelligence (AI) and details the rights you have in relation to the processing of your personal data under UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Last updated 27 November 2025