Privacy notice

Last updated August 2026

Who we are

Placement Pal is operated by Alejandra Torres, trading as Placement Pal. Alejandra Torres is the data controller for the personal data described in this notice and decides how and why it is processed.

The short version

Your reflections belong to you. They are stored against your account only, protected by row-level security so that no other user can read them, and you can export or permanently delete them at any time from Settings.

What we collect, why, and our legal basis

• Account data — email, and optionally display name, university, cohort year and field of practice. Used to create and secure your account. Legal basis: performance of our contract with you.
• Placement details — placement name, setting, dates, shift pattern and supervisor's first name. Used to provide the service. Legal basis: performance of our contract.
• Your content — shift logs, reflections, wins, check-ins and voice recordings you create. Used to provide the features you request. Legal basis: performance of our contract.
• Technical and usage data — device identifiers, IP address (including approximate country) and basic usage/telemetry. Used for security, fraud prevention and improving the product. Legal basis: our legitimate interests in running a secure, working service.
• Support messages — anything you send us. Legal basis: legitimate interests in responding to you.
• Subscription data — your plan status and subscription identifiers for Placement Pal Plus. Legal basis: performance of our contract and compliance with legal (tax and accounting) obligations.

Patient information

Do not enter patient-identifiable information. The app is designed for anonymous reflective writing only. Before you save, we run an automated check that flags anything that looks identifiable — names, initials, NHS numbers, dates of birth, addresses or rare diagnoses — and offers a de-identified rewrite. This check is an assistant, not a guarantee: you remain responsible for what you write, under the NMC Code and your university's policies.

Voice recordings and AI

Audio you record is sent to our servers, transcribed, and then discarded — we do not store audio files. Text you submit for transcription, tidying, follow-up questions or drafting is processed by our AI provider solely to return that result. It is not used to train models. AI output is always a draft for you to review and edit.

Who we share data with

• Service providers (subprocessors) — our managed cloud hosting and database provider, and our AI provider for the processing described above.
• Paddle.com — our Merchant of Record and payment processor for Placement Pal Plus. Paddle handles checkout, subscription management, payments, tax compliance, invoicing and refunds, and processes your name, email, billing and payment details as its own controller for those purposes.
• Professional advisers — legal and accounting advisers where necessary.
• Authorities — where we are required to disclose by law.

We do not sell your data and we do not use your reflections to train AI models. Where data is transferred outside the UK/EEA, we rely on adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses.

Storage, security and retention

Data is stored in our managed cloud database, encrypted in transit and at rest, in the UK/EU region. Access is controlled by row-level security policies tied to your authenticated user ID.

• Account, placement and reflective content: kept while your account is active.
• After account deletion: your profile, placements, shift logs, reflections and related entries are permanently deleted immediately, with residual backup copies removed within 30 days.
• Voice audio: discarded immediately after transcription; never stored.
• Accounts inactive for 24 months: we delete or anonymise the data after notifying you at your registered email.
• Subscription and transaction records: retained by Paddle and by us for up to 7 years to meet UK tax and accounting obligations.
• Security and technical logs: kept for up to 12 months.

Cookies

We use essential cookies and local storage only — to keep you signed in, remember your accessibility preferences and support offline use. We do not use advertising cookies. Paddle sets its own cookies during checkout to process your order. You can clear cookies and site data in your browser at any time, though this will sign you out.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict or object to processing, to data portability, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on it. Export any reflection as a PDF from your history at any time, and delete your account from Settings. We respond to requests within one month. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) if you are unhappy with how we handle your data.

Professional use guidance

Read our professional use guidance for how to use Placement Pal, and its AI features, responsibly and in line with confidentiality expectations.

Contact

For any privacy question or request, email hello@placementpal.co.uk. We aim to respond within one month.