Privacy Policy
Last updated: 9 June 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information PharmSee (pharmsee.co.uk, "we", "us") collects when you visit the site, how it is used, who it is shared with, and what choices you have. PharmSee is operated from England and complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR). The Data Controller for any personal data processed by this Site is the operator of PharmSee, contactable at [email protected].
1. Information we collect directly
PharmSee does not require accounts, logins or registration. We do not ask visitors for names, postal addresses or phone numbers. The only information you might actively send us is what you choose to include in an email to [email protected] — for example, a correction request, a takedown request, or a press enquiry. We retain those messages for as long as needed to handle the enquiry and any related follow-up, and then delete them.
2. Information collected automatically
Like almost every website, our hosting infrastructure automatically receives standard server log data when you load a page. This includes:
- Your IP address (used for security, abuse prevention, and to determine the approximate country)
- The pages you requested and the timestamp
- Your browser type, operating system and device class (sent in the standard HTTP User-Agent header)
- The referring page, if your browser sent one
Server logs are retained for up to 30 days and used solely for site security, debugging and aggregate traffic measurement. They are not used to build user profiles.
3. Cookies and similar technologies
A cookie is a small text file that a website (or a third party loaded on it) saves in your browser. PharmSee uses a small number of cookies, grouped into three categories below. Non-essential cookies (analytics and advertising) are only loaded after you click "Accept" on our cookie consent banner. If you decline, or close the banner without accepting, Google Analytics and Google AdSense are not loaded for your session.
3.1 Strictly necessary cookies
These are required for the site to function and are exempt from consent under PECR. We currently use only minimal session cookies set by our own domain to remember your consent choice itself (so we don't show the banner on every page).
3.2 Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4)
If you accept analytics, we load Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provided by Google Ireland Limited. GA4 sets cookies such as _ga and _ga_* to measure aggregate site usage (page views, broad geography, device class, time on page). IP addresses are anonymised by Google before storage. We use GA4 to understand which articles and pages are useful so we can improve them. We do not use GA4 audiences or remarketing.
3.3 Advertising cookies (Google AdSense)
If you accept advertising, we load Google AdSense provided by Google Ireland Limited. AdSense and its partners may set cookies (such as IDE, NID, __gads, __gpi) to deliver ads, measure ad performance and, where consent permits, to personalise advertising. As an AdSense publisher we comply with the Google EU User Consent Policy. If you do not consent to personalised advertising, AdSense will serve only non-personalised ads (NPA), which still use cookies for frequency capping and fraud prevention. You can read about how Google uses cookies for advertising at policies.google.com/technologies/ads, and opt out of personalised advertising at adssettings.google.com.
A summary of the categories and who controls them:
| Cookie category | Set by | Purpose | Set without consent? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | PharmSee (first party) | Remember consent choice; basic site function | Yes (exempt under PECR) |
| Analytics (GA4) | Google Ireland Limited | Aggregate, anonymised traffic measurement | No — opt-in only |
| Advertising (AdSense) | Google Ireland Limited & partners | Ad serving, measurement, optionally personalisation | No — opt-in only |
You can withdraw your consent at any time by clearing your cookies for this site and refusing the consent banner the next time it is shown, or by visiting our Cookie Policy page where you can re-open the consent banner.
4. Third parties we share data with
We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing. The third-party services we load on this site, only when you consent, and the data they receive, are:
- Google Ireland Limited (Google Analytics & Google AdSense) — receives standard advertising and analytics signals (IP, user-agent, URL, cookie identifiers) under Google's own privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
- Cloudflare, Inc. — our content delivery and security provider, which processes IP addresses and request metadata as a Data Processor to deliver and protect the site. Cloudflare's privacy notice is at cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.
- Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com / fonts.gstatic.com) — used to deliver web fonts. Browser requests for fonts include your IP address.
Some of these processors may transfer data outside the UK / EEA. Such transfers rely on the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or other valid UK GDPR Article 46 safeguards.
5. Legal basis for processing
- Strictly necessary cookies and server logs: our legitimate interest in operating, securing and improving the site (UK GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).
- Analytics and advertising cookies: your consent (UK GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) and PECR reg. 6), which you can withdraw at any time.
- Correspondence with us: our legitimate interest in responding to your enquiry (UK GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)).
6. Public data we display
PharmSee aggregates and displays publicly available data from UK government and public-sector sources. Where this data includes the names and professional addresses of pharmacies, GP practices or other NHS contractors, that information is already in the public domain and published by the relevant government bodies for public use under the Open Government Licence v3.0. We do not display patient data, prescribing data identifiable to individuals, or any private personal information. Full source attribution is on our Data Sources page.
If you are an individual named on any page (for example, as a contact on an aggregated public job listing) and you believe your data should not appear, please use the takedown process on our Contact page.
7. Data retention
- Server logs: up to 30 days
- Email correspondence: for as long as required to handle the enquiry, then deleted
- Cookies set by us: see Cookie Policy for individual durations
- Cookies set by Google: governed by Google's published retention policies
8. Your rights under UK GDPR
Regardless of whether we hold personal data about you, you always have the right to:
- Ask what personal data we hold about you (right of access)
- Ask us to correct inaccurate data (right to rectification)
- Ask us to delete your data (right to erasure), subject to legal exemptions
- Object to or restrict certain processing
- Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you believe your rights have been infringed
To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected] with the subject "Data subject request". We respond within 30 days as required by UK GDPR Article 12.
9. Children
PharmSee is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has provided personal data to us, please contact us and we will delete it.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date at the top of the page. Continued use of the site after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
11. Contact
For any privacy-related question, including data subject requests, email [email protected]. See also our Cookie Policy, Terms of Use and Data Sources.