Your privacy

Policy statement

Downwood Veterinary Centre is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. As a data controller, we are responsible for how we hold and use personal information about you.

This privacy policy describes how we collect and use personal information about you in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Contact details

Full name of legal entity: Downwood Veterinary Centre Ltd
Email: admin@downwoodvets.co.uk
Horam: 6-8 High Street, Horam, East Sussex, TN21 0EJ
Ringmer: Suite 4, Ash House, The Broyle, Ringmer, BN8 5NN

Website cookies

The only cookies in use on this website, other than functional cookies, are for Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a web analytics tool that helps website owners understand how visitors engage with their website. Google Analytics customers can view reports about how visitors interact with their website so that they can improve it.

Like many services, Google Analytics uses first-party cookies to track visitor interactions, in our case to collect information about how visitors use our site. We then use the information to compile reports and to help us improve our site.

Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. These cookies are used to store information such as the time that the current visit occurred, whether the visitor has been to the site before and what site referred the visitor to the web page. Google Analytics collects this information anonymously and reports website trends without identifying the individual visitor.

Other websites

This website may have links to other websites. We are not responsible for the contents, accuracy or reliability of any material appearing on other websites. Links to other websites do not imply any kind of endorsement or recommendation. When you link to other websites you should read their own privacy policies.

Data protection

In collecting and processing your personal information, we will comply with the data protection law in force at the time. This requires that the personal information we hold about you must be:

• Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way.
• Collected only for valid purposes that we have explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes.
• Relevant to the purposes we have told you about and limited only to those purposes.
• Accurate and kept up to date.
• Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told you about.
• Kept securely.

Information we hold

• Your name
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Your pet’s medical records

How is your personal information collected?

We collect your personal information directly from you. If you are introduced to us by an intermediary we will obtain some personal information from them when they introduce you to us. We may also obtain your information from publicly available directories and credit reference agencies.

Data retention

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

How we will use information about you

We only use your personal information when the law allows us to. We are required to explain what legal grounds justify our processing of your personal information. There may be several grounds for our use of your information. The legal grounds that are relevant to us:

• Where we consider, on balance, it is appropriate for us to do so, processing necessary for the legitimate interests of our business operations.
• For compliance with laws that apply to us.
• For establishment, defence and enforcement of our legal rights.
• To deal with requests from you to exercise your rights under data protection laws.
• When we share information with law enforcement bodies, governmental and regulatory bodies such as HMRC.

Is your personal information transferred outside the UK or the EEA?

We are based in the UK, but sometimes your personal information may be transferred outside the UK or EEA. Where we do, we ensure the recipient protects the data to the same standard as the EEA, or the transfer will be to a country with equivalent laws to the EEA, or to organisations which are part of Privacy Shield.

Data security

We have appropriate security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. We limit access to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. We have procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.

Your rights in connection with personal data

Under certain circumstances, the law grants you specific rights. These are summarised below. Your rights may be limited and subject to restrictions in certain situations.

• The right to be informed about the processing of your personal information.
• The right to request access to your personal information and to obtain information about how we process it.
• The right to request correction of the personal information that we hold about you if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
• The right to request erasure of your personal information (the “right to be forgotten”).
• The right to object to processing of your personal information.
• The right to request the restriction of processing of your personal information.
• The right to move, copy or transfer your personal information (“data portability”).
• The right to withdraw consent, where you may have provided your consent, for that specific processing at any time.

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal information unless your request is unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances. We may need specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and to exercise your rights.

You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues.

Policy changes

We reserve the right to update this privacy notice at any time. We may also notify you in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal information.

This policy was last updated on 25th January 2026.