This notice explains how Portsmouth City Council collects, uses and protects information relating to birth records.
For general information about how Portsmouth City Council processes personal information for public health purposes, please see the Public Health Privacy Notice.
Who we are
Portsmouth City Council Public Health is part of Portsmouth City Council, which is the data controller for the personal information described in this notice.
Contact details
Public Health Intelligence Team
Public Health Portsmouth
Portsmouth City Council
Floor 2, Core 2
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2AL
Email: publichealth@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Telephone: 023 9268 8217
What information we collect
Portsmouth City Council has a Data Sharing Agreement with NHS England for the supply of Civil Registration births data in accordance with section 261(5)(d) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
The births dataset contains personal information that could potentially identify an individual.
Personal data contained within the dataset may include:
- Address
- Place of birth
- Postcode of the mother's usual residence
- Postcode of the child's place of birth
- Child's NHS number
- Child's date of birth
The dataset may also contain:
- Sex of the child
- Birth weight
- Birth in marriage indicator
- Country of birth of parents
- Parents' occupation and socio-economic status
- Stillbirth indicator
- Mother's age
The data is processed by Portsmouth City Council in accordance with current data protection legislation.
Where we get your information from
Birth records are supplied to Portsmouth City Council by NHS England under a Data Sharing Agreement and in accordance with section 261(5)(d) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
Why we use your information
We use birth records information to:
- Monitor population health and demographic changes within Portsmouth.
- Support statistical analysis and public health intelligence.
- Inform the planning and commissioning of health and public health services.
- Identify and address health inequalities.
- Support planning for fertility and maternity services.
- Protect and improve the health of the local population.
Typical uses of births data include informing:
- Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs)
- Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategies
- The Director of Public Health Annual Report
- Reports commissioned by the Health and Wellbeing Board
- Public health commissioning strategies and plans
- Public health advice to NHS commissioners
- Local health profiles
- Health impact assessments
- Responses to requests for health and wellbeing information and intelligence
Statistical outputs using births data may include:
- Monitoring trends in birth rates
- Community profiles
- Monitoring stillbirth rates
- Low birthweight analysis
- Analysis by maternal age, including younger and older mothers for service planning purposes
How we use personal information
Most analysis is carried out using aggregated or anonymised information.
However, in some circumstances, specific personal data is required to support public health functions, including:
- Understanding the relationship between place of residence and place of birth (using addresses and postcodes).
- Monitoring seasonal trends in birth rates (using dates of birth).
- Supporting safeguarding investigations relating to child deaths or stillbirths, where a child's NHS number may be required.
Where personal data is used, we minimise the amount of identifiable information wherever possible.
For example, we may:
- Replace dates of birth with month of birth.
- Replace home addresses and postcodes with larger geographical areas such as electoral wards.
No personal information is published.
To protect confidentiality, numbers and rates based on counts fewer than five are suppressed in published reports. All published outputs comply with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Disclosure Control Guidance for Birth and Death Statistics.
Our lawful basis for processing
UK GDPR Article 6
The lawful basis for processing personal data is:
Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR – Public Task
Processing is necessary for Portsmouth City Council to perform its official functions and public tasks.
UK GDPR Article 9
The condition for processing special category personal data is:
Article 9(2)(h) UK GDPR – Health and Social Care
Processing is necessary for preventive medicine, medical diagnosis, health or social care services, treatment, and the management of health and social care systems and services.
Automated decision-making and profiling
Portsmouth City Council does not use automated decision-making or profiling in relation to the processing described in this privacy notice.
Who we share your information with
Most information produced from birth records is published as anonymous statistical information in reports, publications and papers presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board and partner organisations.
We never publish information that could directly identify an individual.
Personal information will only be shared where:
- You have provided consent; or
- There is a clear legal basis for sharing the information; or
- Sharing is necessary to protect someone from significant harm; or
- Sharing is necessary for the prevention or detection of crime.
How we keep your information secure
Portsmouth City Council processes personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Birth records are stored within secure systems and are only accessible to authorised members of the Public Health Intelligence Team who have been approved to access the data.
Staff with access to the information are trained in:
- Data protection
- Information governance
- Confidentiality requirements
We have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect information and ensure it is retained only for as long as necessary and in accordance with:
- Legal requirements; and
- The data sharing agreement between NHS England and Portsmouth City Council.
How long we keep your information
Information is retained only for as long as necessary and in accordance with legal requirements and the NHS England data sharing agreement.
Your data protection rights
Under UK data protection law, you have rights which may include:
- Access to your personal information
- Correction of inaccurate information
- Restriction of processing in certain circumstances
- Objection to processing in certain circumstances
You may also be able to opt out of Portsmouth City Council Public Health receiving or holding personally identifiable information, depending on the specific programme or dataset involved.
Please note that there may be circumstances where information must continue to be processed to fulfil a public task, legal obligation, safeguarding duty or criminal investigation requirement.
For information about your rights or opting out, contact:
Email: publichealth@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Complaints and queries
If you would like further information about how birth records are processed, please contact:
Public Health Intelligence Team
Public Health Portsmouth
Portsmouth City Council
Floor 2, Core 2
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2AL
Email: publichealth@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Telephone: 023 9268 8217
If you are unhappy with how your information has been used, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Information Commissioner's Office
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
You can find further information on the Information Commissioner's Office website.
Changes to this privacy notice
We keep this privacy notice under regular review.
Last updated: 5 June 2026