What cookies are

A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device when you visit. It lets the site recognise your device on later pages or visits, remember your preferences, and understand how the site is being used.

We also use similar technologies that work in comparable ways, including pixels and tracking beacons (tiny images that record that a page or email has been opened), local storage (data saved in your browser), and software development kits used by third-party tools. In this policy we call all of these “cookies”.

Cookies can be described in three ways:

• First-party cookies are set by us. Third-party cookies are set by another company whose service appears on our site, such as Google.
• Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies stay on your device until they expire or you delete them.
• Essential cookies are needed for the site to function. Non-essential cookies do everything else.

Your consent

Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and the UK GDPR, we can only place non-essential cookies on your device with your consent.

When you first visit our site you’ll see a cookie banner. You can accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or open the settings to choose by category. Non-essential cookies are not set until you agree to them, and consent for one category doesn’t imply consent for another.

You can change or withdraw your choice at any time by using the cookie settings link in the footer of any page, or by clearing cookies in your browser so the banner appears again.

Strictly necessary cookies do not require consent because the site cannot function without them. You can still block them in your browser, but parts of the site will stop working.

The types we use

Strictly necessary

These make the site work. They handle things like page loading, security, form submission, load balancing and remembering your cookie choices. Without them, services you have asked for cannot be provided.

Functional

These remember choices you make to give you a better experience — for example a preference you have set, or details you have already entered into a form. If you block them, some features may be less convenient.

Analytics and performance

These tell us how visitors find and use the site: which pages are popular, how long people stay, where they came from, and where they run into problems. We use this to improve the site. The information is aggregated and we do not use it to identify you personally.

Marketing and advertising

These are used to measure how well our adverts and campaigns perform, and to show relevant advertising to people who have visited our site — for example, letting a practice manager who browsed our services see a reminder about us elsewhere online. They also help us avoid showing you the same advert repeatedly.

Cookies on this site

The table below lists the cookies we typically use. Names and durations are set by the providers and can change without notice, and some cookies appear only if you use a particular feature.

Third parties who set cookies

Some cookies are placed by other companies whose services we use. We don’t control those cookies, and their own privacy policies apply to the data they collect:

• Google — Analytics, Ads, Fonts, reCAPTCHA and Maps. See Google’s privacy policy.
• Meta Platforms — Facebook page plugins and advertising. See Meta’s privacy policy.
• Cloudflare — security and content delivery.
• Our recruitment platform provider — if you follow a link to our jobs hub at hub.rocket-recruitment.co.uk, that site sets its own cookies under its own policy.

Managing cookies in your browser

As well as our cookie banner, you can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you see what cookies are stored, delete them, and block them — either entirely or by site. Blocking all cookies will affect this and most other websites.

• Google Chrome
• Safari
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge

Remember that cookie preferences are per browser and per device, so you’ll need to set them again on a different phone, tablet or computer. Clearing your cookies will also clear the record of your consent choices, so our banner will appear again.

Opting out of advertising

You can opt out of interest-based advertising from many companies at once at Your Online Choices. You can opt out of Google Analytics specifically using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, and you can manage Google ad personalisation at My Ad Center.

Opting out stops adverts being tailored to you. It does not stop you seeing adverts.

Do Not Track

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” setting. There is currently no agreed industry standard for how sites should respond to it, so our site does not alter its behaviour in response to Do Not Track signals. Our cookie banner gives you direct control instead.

Cookies and your personal data

Information collected through cookies — such as an IP address or a device identifier — can be personal data. Where it is, we handle it in line with our Privacy Policy, which explains your rights, including the right to access your data and to object to how we use it.

We rely on your consent as the legal basis for non-essential cookies, and on our legitimate interest in operating a secure, functioning website for strictly necessary ones.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when we add or remove services, or when the law or guidance changes. The date at the top of the page tells you when it last changed. Please check back from time to time.

Contact us

If you have a question about our use of cookies, get in touch.

You can also read guidance on cookies from the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.