GDPR - Complaints

Making a Data Protection Complaint

If you believe that the University has not handled your personal data in accordance with data protection law, you have the right to raise a complaint with us. We take all data protection complaints seriously and will investigate them promptly and fairly.

How to Make a complaint

You can maker a complaint in any of the following ways:

• Submitting this complaint form to dp.officer@northumbria.ac.uk
• By direct email: dp.officer@northumbria.ac.uk
• By Post: Data Protection Officer, Legal Services Team, Pandon Building, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE2 1XE

Although you are not obliged to use the form in order to make a complaint, by using it, it may make it easier for us to understand the nature and details of your complaint more efficiently.

How we handle complaints

Your complaint will be managed in line with our GDPR Complaints Procedure:

• We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days.
• We will investigate yore complaint and aim to provide a full response within one calendar month.
• If your complaint is complex, we may need more time, but we will keep you informed why. We will respond no late than three months from the date we received your complaint.

• Our response will tell you what we found, what we are doing about it, and how to take the matter further if you remain dissatisfied.

Confidentiality

We will handle your complaint with care and discretion. However, if your complaint concerns how a specific member of staff has handled your personal data, we will need to make that person aware of the issues raised so that they can respond. We may also need to share details of your complaint with other staff within the University on a need-to-know basis in order to investigate it fully.

If you are not happy with our response

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the University's investigation, you may request a review by the General Counsel within 20 working days of receiving our response. Please contact the Data Protection Officer to request a review.

You also have the right to complain directly to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) the UK's independent supervisory authority for data protection. You can do this at any time, including before or during the University's own investigation. You do not need to wait for the University to respond before contacting the ICO.

• Website: www.ico.org.uk
• Telephone: 0303 123 1113
• Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

We encourage you to contact us first so that we have the opportunity to address your concerns.

How we use your Information 

The personal data you provide when making a complaint is processed by the University to investigate your complaint and respond to you. Our legal basis for processing this information is Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR legal obligation. We are required by law to respond to individuals exercising their data protection rights, including the right to make a complaint under Article 77 UK GDPR. Full details of processing are included in the Privacy notice section of the complaints form.