On behalf of the three Royal Colleges of Physicians
The Consultant and SAS Physician census 2022

Data processing

We take your data privacy very seriously. All data will be collected and maintained in accordance with the Data Protection Act (2018).

Data obtained from our projects will be used for monitoring, administration and research purposes by departments within the three Royal Colleges of Physicians (Edinburgh, Glasgow and London). Specifically:

> to undertake the annual census of consultant physicians, SAS physicians and higher specialty trainees in the UK, and similar projects in cooperation with other departments within the three Royal Colleges of Physicians.
> to publish anonymous, aggregated and trended data from the censuses and similar projects.
> to undertake the annual support and citation process for the Advisory Committee on Clinical Impact Awards for physicians (ACCIA) and similar processes.
> to consider existing members of our Royal Colleges for the appropriate fellowship election processes. This would include those who have MRCP UK and are not already member of our Colleges.
> to provide an evidence base to shape the three Royal Colleges of Physicians' policy, aid our fellows and members and improve standards of medicine for patients.
> to support all physicians and protect patients.

No personal data will ever be released as part of this process.

In order to do this:

> We will collect census data using secure online forms, and process that data under legitimate interest in ways which do not impact your rights, freedoms or interests.
> We will carry out analysis of demographic data and trends in such data, in order to look at specifics and patterns in the UK medical workforce
> We will share census information with the GMC and medical specialty societies as part of a process to confirm that our data are up to date, to ensure accuracy of the information we publish in our annual studies of the medical workforce.

No sensitive personal data nor opinion data will be shared.

Your data will be retained within each college's systems in order to maintain a history of your censuses and, where you are a Member or Fellow, for continued cross-RCP departmental purposes.

For more information about how we manage your census data please see our data processing statement