Information about cookies
We want to improve the information on our website to make it clear, useful and reliable. In order to achieve this, sometimes small amounts of information is placed on your device, eg computer or mobile phone.
These are small files known as 'cookies'. A cookie often includes a randomly generated number which is stored on your device. Many cookies are automatically deleted after you finish using the website.
The cookies used by this website do not contain any of your personal information, and we cannot use them to find out who you are. We do not make any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. Cookies enable us to improve the experience of visitors to the Trust website and measure the website performance.
By moving further from the front page to other sections of the Trust website, you are consenting to this cookie being held for the duration of the browser session.
To find out how to manage, control, delete cookies, see your browser's help section or your mobile device manual. Or you can visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org/ , where you can find detailed information on cookies. Please be aware that restricting cookies may impact on the functionality of our website.
How does this website use cookies?
The majority of cookies we use are ‘analytical’ cookies. These enable us to recognise and count the number of visitors, and understand how people are using the site. This enables us to improve the way our website works, for example by making sure users can find what they need easily.
The individual analytical cookies we use are shown below.
Videos
We sometimes embed video content from websites such as YouTube. As a result, when you visit a page containing such content, you may be presented with cookies from these websites. The Trust does not control the dissemination of these cookies and you should check the relevant third party's website for more information.
Sharing content
You may also see embedded ‘share’ buttons on our web pages. These enable you to share content with your friends through popular social networks. When you click on one of these buttons, a cookie may be set by the service you have chosen to share content through. Again, the Trust does not control the dissemination of these cookies, and you are advised to check the relevant third party’s website for more information.
Google Maps
In addition, we sometimes embed content from Google Maps to help you plan a route to the location you need as easily as possible. As a result, when accessing Google Maps via this site, you may be presented with additional cookies. The Trust does not control the dissemination of these cookies and you should check the Google Maps website for more information.
Technical information
You can find technical information about the cookies on this website below:
- __utma: This cookie is used to determine unique visitors to the site and it is updated with each page view. Additionally, this cookie is provided with a unique ID that Google Analytics uses to ensure both the validity and accessibility of the cookie as an extra security measure.
- __utmb: This cookie is used to establish and continue a user session with the site. When a user views a page on the site, the Google Analytics code attempts to update this cookie. If it does not find the cookie, a new one is written and a new session is established. Each time a user visits a different page on your site; this cookie is updated to expire in 30 minutes, thus continuing a single session for as long as user activity continues within 30-minute intervals.
- __utmc: This cookie is no longer used by the ga.js tracking code to determine session status. Historically, this cookie operated in conjunction with the __utmb cookie to determine whether or not to establish a new session for the user. For backwards compatibility purposes with sites still using the urchin.js tracking code, this cookie will continue to be written and will expire when the user exits the browser.
- __utmz: This cookie stores the type of referral used by the visitor to reach the site, whether via a direct method, a referring link, a website search, or a campaign such as an ad or an email link. It is used to calculate search engine traffic, ad campaigns and page navigation within the site. The cookie is updated with each page view on the site.
- __utma is persistent and lasts 2 years from the current visit. __umtb is persistent but expires 12 hours after the visit. __utmc is session based and __utmz is persistent and lasts 6 months from the visit. All are third party and set by Google. The data from each of these is all encrypted and relates to no personal information about the visitor.
- StylePicker:fontsizer: If the user changes the font size using the font changer in the top right corner the site sets this cookie. The value of this can either be; Small Text, Medium Text or Large Text. This contains no personal information. It is persistent and lasts for 1 year. It is a third party cookie. In addition, when this is toggled the server sets an ASP.NET_SessionId cookie. This stores a unique encoded id for your session with the website. The server uses when trying to remember data between pages on the website. This is considered a first party cookie and is session based so it will disappear when the user closes their browser. No personal data is stored in this cookie.
Further information
If you have any further questions about how we protect the confidentiality of information that we hold about you, then contact our Information Governance Department under lg.ig@nhs.net.