How we use your information

How we use your information

The UK CAA's Medical Department collects and stores your name, address, email address, telephone number and medical data for the purpose of overseeing fitness of Pilots and Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs), and for formulating guidance on medical standards.  This incorporates all medical examinations associated with the initial issue, and revalidation or renewal of medical certificates for both private and commercial pilots and air traffic controllers. A medical fitness assessment encompasses the physical, mental and psychological fitness of aviation personnel.

The Medical Department also undertakes research into aircrew health and many other aspects of flight safety including the health of air traffic controllers. 

Why we process your personal information

The processing of your personal information is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject. 

Who sees your personal information and why

The CAA takes data protection very seriously and keeps a complete record of who has access to your data and any actions made against your record. Enforcement action will be taken against any misuse or inappropriate access to your data.

The system used to process your information is called Cellma.  An applicant can access their own personal data and medical record in Cellma. 

Limited CAA medical staff use Cellma to access to your data in order to complete their routine, working functions.  Aero Medical Examiners (AME), AME administrative and clinical staff, and other health professionals including cardiologists, optometrist and ophthalmologists all have access to your data in Cellma. In all cases, users only have the level of access required to undertake their role in supporting regulatory, certificatory and enforcement functions.

Access to Cellma is regularly monitored and audited by the CAA.  

Cellma is provided by RioMed, a UK-based company. RioMed also has offices overseas. 

All of the CAA Medical data, including a full backup, is stored within the UK. A small number of CAA and RioMed IT staff have controlled access to your information for the purpose of system support. Technical system support provided by RioMed is performed by their India office. They do not have routine or regular access to your data. Access will be made on a case-by-case basis with necessary safeguards in place. The usual reason for accessing the system will be to fix a technical problem.

In the event that we do transfer personal data to outside of the EU, we ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place to certify that it is adequately protected as required by data protection legislation.

We will also disclose personal information to other bodies or individuals when required to do so by, or under, any act of legislation, by any rule of law, and by court order.

More information about RioMed.

We need to share some of your non-medical personal data with Worldpay, based in the UK, for the purpose of processing payments. The CAA does not process or store any of your payment card data. The processing of your personal data is necessary for the purposes of our, or our third party's contract and does not affect your fundamental rights and freedoms as a data subject.

To ensure secure customer identity and access management, Multi-Factor authentication is used. The CAA uses Azure Active Directory B2C. Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) B2C is Microsoft's business-to-consumer identity management service. Your username and phone number is required during the authentication process. No other personal data is shared during the authentication process. 

Information about privacy at Microsoft. 
 
If your AME or medical professional is located outside of the EU the CAA has safeguards in place to ensure the security of your information, in compliance with GDPR regulations.

How long we keep your personal information and why

The CAA Medical Department Records Retention Schedule states that Private Pilot medical records will be kept for 10 years following the expiry of the last medical certificate issued, at which stage any medical records held will be archived. Class 1 and Class 3, or for any pilot who has flown commercially, medical records are kept for 70 years (for research purposes - any data used is anonymised). 

Your individual rights

You may submit an enquiry or make a complaint at any time by emailing  FOI.requests@caa.co.uk.  Further rights as a data subject can be found here.  Contact details of the CAA's Data Protection Officer can be found here.  You have a right to complain to the ICO about the CAA's processing of personal data.  Access to our General privacy notice can be found here.

This privacy notice is subject to change.