Last updated: 22nd September 2026
1. About this Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to the Infection Prevention Society (IPS).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you:
- visit our website;
- become, or apply to become, an IPS member;
- register for or attend an IPS event, conference, webinar or meeting;
- participate in IPS activities, committees, branches, Special Interest Groups or volunteering;
- purchase a product or service from us;
- subscribe to communications;
- complete a survey or provide feedback; or
- otherwise communicate or interact with IPS.
It also explains your rights in relation to your personal information.
Our separate Cookie Policy explains how we use cookies and similar technologies. Our Retention Policy provides further information about how long different types of information are retained.
2. Who we are
The Infection Prevention Society is responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is used and is the data controller for that information.
The Infection Prevention Society is registered in England as a limited liability company. Our registered number is 0627384 and our registered office is:
Infection Prevention Society
6th Floor, Appold Street
London
EC2A 2AP
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how IPS uses your information, please contact:
IPS Governance and Engagement Manager
3. The information we may collect
The information we collect depends on your relationship and interaction with IPS.
It may include:
- your name and contact details;
- address;
- email address and telephone number;
- membership information;
- employer, job title, professional role and professional interests;
- branch or Special Interest Group involvement;
- event registrations and attendance;
- payment and transaction information;
- communications with IPS;
- survey and feedback responses;
- photographs or video recordings;
- accessibility requirements;
- dietary requirements;
- equality monitoring information, including ethnic group, where you choose to provide it;
- information relating to volunteering, committees or governance roles; and
- technical information generated when you use our website or digital services.
We aim to collect only the information that is necessary for the relevant purpose.
4. Special category personal information
Some information requires additional protection under data protection law. This is known as special category personal data.
Information IPS may process which falls within this category includes:
- racial or ethnic origin provided for equality monitoring;
- health information disclosed through accessibility requirements;
- dietary information where this reveals information about health, religion or belief; and
- other sensitive information that an individual chooses or needs to provide in connection with an IPS activity.
IPS will only process special category information where there is an appropriate lawful basis and an additional condition under UK data protection law.
We apply additional safeguards to this information, including restricting access, collecting only what is necessary and applying appropriate retention and security arrangements.
5. How and why we use your information
We use personal information only where we have a lawful reason to do so.
Membership
We use personal information to:
- process membership applications and renewals;
- administer membership accounts and payments;
- provide membership benefits and services;
- communicate with members about IPS activity;
- support branch and Special Interest Group participation; and
- understand and improve our membership offer.
Where processing is necessary to provide your membership, our lawful basis is normally contract.
For associated administration, governance and service improvement, we may also rely on our legitimate interests in operating and developing IPS effectively.
Events, conferences and meetings
We use personal information to:
- process event registrations;
- administer payment;
- communicate with delegates before, during and after an event;
- produce delegate information and name badges where required;
- manage accessibility and dietary requirements;
- administer continuing professional development or accreditation where applicable;
- provide online event access;
- evaluate events and understand participation;
- manage event security, conduct and safeguarding; and
- fulfil our contractual obligations to delegates.
Our lawful basis will normally be contract where the processing is necessary to provide the event you have booked.
We may also rely on legitimate interests where information is required to operate, evaluate and improve our events and activities.
6. Equity monitoring at our events
IPS may invite people registering for or attending our events to provide optional equality monitoring information, including information about their ethnic group.
We collect this information to help us:
- understand who our events are reaching;
- identify patterns or gaps in participation;
- monitor equality of access and opportunity;
- inform future event and engagement activity; and
- assess progress over time.
Providing equality monitoring information is entirely optional. Choosing not to provide it will not affect your registration, attendance, membership or access to IPS services.
Our lawful basis for using this information is our legitimate interest in understanding and improving the reach, accessibility and inclusiveness of IPS’s charitable and professional activities.
Information concerning racial or ethnic origin is special category personal data. IPS therefore applies the additional legal conditions and safeguards required for this type of information.
Access to individual responses will be restricted. Equality monitoring information will normally be analysed and reported in aggregate, and IPS will avoid reporting small groups where doing so could make individuals identifiable.
The information will not be used to make decisions about individual attendees.
7. Accessibility and dietary information
Where you tell us about an accessibility or dietary requirement, we use that information so that we can make appropriate arrangements for your participation in an event or activity.
Because this information may reveal health, religious or other sensitive information, it may constitute special category personal data.
We restrict access to this information and share it only where reasonably necessary to make the requested arrangements, for example with a venue, caterer or event organiser.
8. Webinar and online meetings
IPS uses platforms including Zoom and Microsoft Teams to deliver webinars and online meetings.
Where necessary to provide access to an online event, we may share your name, email address and other relevant registration information with the platform provider so that access details can be created and supplied.
The information will be used for the administration and delivery of the relevant event and handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the applicable provider arrangements.
9. Professional conference organisers and other event providers
IPS may appoint external organisations to help us deliver events.
For the 2026 annual conference, Millbrook Medical Conferences (“Millbrook”) is our Professional Conference Organiser.
Information relating to IP2026 may therefore be processed by Millbrook on behalf of IPS. This may include registration information, payment or booking information, event communications and any optional equality monitoring information you choose to provide.
Millbrook will process this information on IPS’s instructions and for the purposes for which IPS has collected it, including administering and delivering the conference and, where applicable, supporting equality monitoring.
Millbrook will not use information collected on behalf of IPS for its own marketing purposes unless you have separately agreed to this directly with Millbrook.
10. Website information
When you use our website, we may collect technical information such as:
- browser and device type;
- operating system;
- IP address;
- pages visited;
- dates and times of visits;
- downloads;
- page interactions;
- referring pages; and
- information about website performance or errors.
We use this information to operate, protect and improve our website and digital services.
Where cookies or similar technologies require consent, we will ask for that consent through our cookie controls.
Further details are available in our Cookie Policy.
11. Payments
IPS keeps appropriate records of payments made for membership, events and other services.
Payment card information is processed securely through our payment providers and is not ordinarily stored by IPS.
Direct debit payments may be processed through providers such as GoCardless or other approved payment services.
We use payment information where necessary to fulfil our contract with you and to meet our legal and financial obligations.
12. Communications and marketing
We may contact you about services, events or activities relevant to your relationship with IPS.
Some communications are necessary to administer membership, event registrations or other services you have requested. These are service communications rather than marketing.
Where we send promotional or marketing communications, we will comply with applicable data protection and electronic marketing legislation.
Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:
- your consent;
- a permitted soft opt-in; or
- our legitimate interests, where the law permits this.
You can change your marketing preferences or unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time.
Unsubscribing from marketing does not prevent IPS from sending essential communications concerning a membership, event booking, payment, governance role or other service you are receiving.
IPS will not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing.
We will not share your information with exhibitors, sponsors or other commercial organisations for their own marketing purposes unless you have been clearly informed and have provided any consent required.
13. Surveys, feedback and research
We may invite members, event attendees or other people involved with IPS to provide feedback or complete surveys.
We will explain the purpose of the survey and how the information will be used where this is not already clear from this Privacy Policy.
Where survey responses are intended to be anonymous, we will take reasonable steps to ensure they cannot be linked back to individuals.
14. Photographs and video
Photographs and video may be taken at IPS events or activities.
Where appropriate, we will inform attendees that photography or recording will take place and explain how images may be used.
We will provide reasonable arrangements for people who do not wish to appear in identifiable promotional photography wherever practicable.
Recordings or images may be retained for communications, educational, historical or archival purposes in accordance with our retention arrangements.
15. Who we share information with
We may share personal information with trusted organisations that provide services on our behalf where this is necessary.
These may include:
- professional conference and event organisers;
- event venues and caterers;
- IT and website providers;
- membership and customer relationship management systems;
- email and communications providers;
- webinar and videoconferencing platforms;
- payment processors;
- accountants, auditors and professional advisers;
- software and cloud service providers; and
- other contractors supporting IPS activities.
We require organisations acting as processors on our behalf to protect personal information and to use it only in accordance with our instructions and the relevant contractual arrangements.
We may also disclose personal information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights, protect individuals, investigate misconduct or meet regulatory obligations.
16. International transfers
Some suppliers or digital services may process information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, IPS will ensure that an appropriate mechanism or safeguard is in place where required by UK data protection law.
This may include:
- UK adequacy regulations;
- the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
- the UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses; or
- another lawful transfer mechanism.
17. How long we keep information
We do not keep personal information for longer than necessary.
Retention periods depend on:
- why the information was collected;
- legal or regulatory requirements;
- contractual requirements;
- financial and accounting obligations;
- safeguarding or complaints requirements; and
- whether information has legitimate historical or archival value.
Further details are set out in the IPS Retention & Disposal Schedule.
Equality monitoring information will be retained only for as long as necessary for the monitoring purpose. Where information is required for longer-term trend analysis, IPS will use anonymised or aggregated information wherever practicable.
18. How we protect your information
IPS uses proportionate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from:
- unauthorised access;
- accidental loss;
- inappropriate disclosure;
- alteration;
- destruction; or
- misuse.
Measures may include:
- access controls;
- restricted permissions;
- password protection;
- multi-factor authentication;
- secure cloud services;
- appropriate processor contracts;
- staff training; and
- secure deletion and disposal arrangements.
No method of electronic transmission or storage can eliminate every risk, but IPS takes reasonable and proportionate steps to protect the information entrusted to us.
19. Automated decision-making and profiling
IPS does not currently use personal information to make solely automated decisions about individuals which produce legal or similarly significant effects.
If this changes, we will provide the information and safeguards required by data protection law.
20. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- ask for access to the personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
- ask us to delete information;
- ask us to restrict how information is used;
- object to certain processing;
- receive certain information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
- raise concerns about how your information is being used.
These rights do not apply in exactly the same way in every circumstance. For example, we may sometimes be legally required to retain information even if you ask us to delete it.
If you withdraw consent, this does not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.
To exercise your rights, contact:
IPS Governance and Engagement Manager
We may need to confirm your identity before responding to a request. We will only request information that is reasonably necessary for that purpose.
21. Complaints
If you have concerns about how IPS has used your personal information, please contact us in the first instance:
IPS Governance and Engagement Manager
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection.
Details are available at www.ico.org.uk.
22. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We will review this Privacy Policy periodically and update it where our activities, systems, suppliers or legal obligations change.
The latest version will be published on the IPS website and the “Last Updated” date at the top of the policy will be amended.
Where a change would materially affect how we use information already collected, we will consider whether additional notification or other action is required.