COOKIE POLICY
Last Updated: 22 March 2026
1. Introduction and Scope
Acerta24 (“we,” “us,” “our,” or “the Company”) operates the website https://acerta24.com/ (the “Website”). This Cookie Policy explains how we use cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our Website, what data we collect, and how you can control your preferences. This policy applies to all visitors, service users, job applicants, healthcare professionals, and business partners who access our Website. By continuing to browse our Website, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy, unless you have adjusted your browser settings to refuse cookies. We are committed to transparency and compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, provide a better user experience, and give website owners information about how visitors use their site.
Cookies may be:
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First-party cookies: Set by the website you are visiting (in this case, Acerta24).
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Third-party cookies: Set by parties other than the website owner, typically for analytics, advertising, or embedded content.
Cookies can remain on your device for different periods:
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Session cookies: Temporary cookies that are deleted when you close your browser.
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Persistent cookies: Remain on your device for a set period or until you manually delete them.
3. Why We Use Cookies
At Acerta24, we use cookies for several important purposes:
3.1 Essential Operations
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Enabling core Website functionality
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Maintaining security and protecting against fraud
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Remembering your preferences and settings
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Facilitating the operation of our contact forms and job application systems
3.2 Performance and Analytics
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Understanding how visitors interact with our Website
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Identifying which pages are most frequently visited
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Monitoring Website performance and loading times
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Detecting and resolving technical errors
3.3 Functionality Enhancement
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Remembering your language preferences
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Storing accessibility settings
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Enabling social media sharing features
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Personalising your experience based on previous visits
3.4 Marketing and Communications
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Measuring the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns
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Understanding which services generate the most interest
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Improving our recruitment outreach for healthcare professionals
4. Types of Cookies We Use
4.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies (Essential)
These cookies are essential for the Website to function properly. They cannot be switched off in our systems. You can set your browser to block these cookies, but some parts of the Website will not work.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
acerta_session |
Maintains your session state across page navigation | Session | Acerta24 |
acerta_csrf |
Security token to prevent cross-site request forgery | Session | Acerta24 |
cookie_consent |
Stores your cookie preference settings | 1 year | Acerta24 |
acerta_auth |
Maintains authentication status for staff portal (if applicable) | Session | Acerta24 |
Legal Basis: Legitimate interests in ensuring Website security and functionality.
4.2 Performance/Analytics Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our Website. They help us understand which pages are most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga |
Google Analytics – distinguishes users | 2 years | |
_ga_[property-id] |
Google Analytics – persists session state | 2 years | |
_gid |
Google Analytics – distinguishes users (24 hours) | 24 hours | |
_gat |
Google Analytics – throttles request rate | 1 minute | |
_gac_[property-id] |
Google Analytics – stores campaign information | 90 days |
Data Collected: IP address (anonymised), browser type, device information, pages visited, time spent on site, referring website.
Legal Basis: Your consent (can be withdrawn at any time).
4.3 Functionality Cookies
These cookies enable the Website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
acerta_language |
Remembers your preferred language setting | 1 year | Acerta24 |
acerta_accessibility |
Stores accessibility preferences (font size, contrast) | 1 year | Acerta24 |
acerta_returning_visitor |
Identifies returning visitors for personalised greetings | 30 days | Acerta24 |
Legal Basis: Your consent (can be withdrawn at any time).
4.4 Targeting/Marketing Cookies
These cookies may be set through our Website by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other sites.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
_fbp |
Facebook Pixel – tracks conversions and builds audience segments | 3 months | Meta/Facebook |
fr |
Facebook – delivers, measures, and improves relevance of ads | 3 months | Meta/Facebook |
ads/ga-audiences |
Google Ads – remarketing to website visitors | Session | |
IDE |
Google DoubleClick – serves personalised advertisements | 1 year | |
test_cookie |
Google DoubleClick – checks if browser supports cookies | 15 minutes |
Legal Basis: Your explicit consent (can be withdrawn at any time).
4.5 Social Media Cookies
These cookies are set by social media services that we have added to the Website to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
li_gc |
LinkedIn – stores consent for cookie usage | 2 years | |
lms_ads |
LinkedIn – identifies LinkedIn Members for advertising | 30 days | |
lms_analytics |
LinkedIn – synchronises LinkedIn Ads ID | 30 days | |
personalization_id |
Twitter/X – tracks user behaviour for advertising | 2 years | Twitter/X |
Legal Basis: Your consent (can be withdrawn at any time).
5. Cookies Used in Our Specific Services
5.1 Care Services Enquiry Forms
When you submit an enquiry about our care at home or supported living services, we use cookies to:
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Remember your form progress if you navigate away
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Prevent duplicate submissions
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Maintain security during the submission process
5.2 Healthcare Staffing and Recruitment Portal
For healthcare professionals applying for positions:
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Session management for secure document uploads (CVs, certifications)
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Preference storage for job alerts and saved searches
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Application progress tracking
5.3 Staff Portal (if applicable)
For registered nurses and support workers:
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Authentication and secure login sessions
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Shift booking preferences
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Compliance document tracking
6. Third-Party Services and Integrations
We use services from the following third parties that may set cookies on your device:
6.1 Google Services
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Google Analytics: Website usage analytics
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Google Maps: Displaying our office locations (if applicable)
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Google reCAPTCHA: Form spam protection
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Google Fonts: Typography rendering
6.2 Social Media Platforms
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LinkedIn (professional networking and recruitment)
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Facebook/Meta (community engagement and recruitment)
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Twitter/X (news and updates)
6.3 Communication Tools
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Email service providers (for newsletter subscriptions)
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Live chat services (if implemented)
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Video conferencing tools (for virtual consultations)
6.4 Healthcare-Specific Services
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Care management software integrations
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Compliance and training platforms
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NHS and local authority portal connections (where applicable)
7. Data Collected Through Cookies
The data we collect through cookies may include:
7.1 Technical Information
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IP address (anonymised where possible)
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Browser type and version
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Operating system
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Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
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Screen resolution
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Language preferences
7.2 Usage Information
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Pages visited and time spent on each page
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Navigation path through the Website
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Referring website or search engine
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Search terms used to find our Website
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Downloaded documents (brochures, application forms)
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Videos watched and interaction with media content
7.3 Location Information
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General geographic location (country, region, city) derived from IP address
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Time zone information
Note: We do not use cookies to collect special category data (health information, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, etc.) without explicit consent and a valid legal basis under UK GDPR Article 9.
8. How Long We Keep Cookie Data
| Cookie Category | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Strictly Necessary | Session to 1 year |
| Performance/Analytics | 1 minute to 2 years |
| Functionality | 30 days to 1 year |
| Targeting/Marketing | 15 minutes to 2 years |
| Social Media | 30 days to 2 years |
After these periods expire, cookies are automatically deleted from your device. You can also manually delete cookies at any time through your browser settings.
9. Your Cookie Choices and Control
9.1 Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit our Website, you will see a cookie consent banner allowing you to:
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Accept all cookies
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Reject non-essential cookies
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Customise your preferences by category
You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of our Website.
9.2 Browser Controls
You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. Most web browsers allow you to:
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View cookies stored on your device
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Delete individual cookies or all cookies
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Block cookies from specific websites
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Block all third-party cookies
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Block all cookies entirely
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Receive warnings before cookies are placed
How to manage cookies in popular browsers:
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Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
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Mozilla Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
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Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies
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Apple Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data
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Opera: Settings > Privacy & security > Cookies
9.3 Opt-Out of Specific Services
You can opt out of specific third-party services:
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Google Analytics: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
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Google Ads: Manage your preferences at adssettings.google.com
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Facebook Ads: Adjust your ad preferences at facebook.com/adpreferences
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LinkedIn Ads: Manage settings at linkedin.com/psettings/advertising
9.4 Do Not Track Signals
Our Website respects “Do Not Track” (DNT) signals sent by your browser. If you have DNT enabled, we will automatically disable non-essential cookies.
10. Impact of Refusing Cookies
If you choose to refuse or delete cookies, please note:
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Essential cookies: If blocked, the Website may not function correctly, and you may be unable to submit enquiries or applications.
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Analytics cookies: We will not be able to track your visit, which reduces our ability to improve the Website based on user behaviour.
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Functionality cookies: Your preferences (language, accessibility settings) will not be remembered between visits.
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Marketing cookies: You will still see advertisements, but they may be less relevant to your interests.
11. Cookies and Personal Data
Some cookies collect personal data as defined by UK GDPR. Where this occurs:
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We process personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy
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We ensure data minimisation – only collecting what is necessary
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We implement appropriate security measures to protect your data
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We do not sell your personal data to third parties
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International data transfers are protected by Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) where applicable
For more information about how we process your personal data, please refer to our [Privacy Policy].
12. Special Considerations for Vulnerable Users
Given that Acerta24 provides care services, we recognise that some Website users may be vulnerable adults or individuals with impaired decision-making capacity. In such cases:
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We recommend that care decisions be made with the support of family members, advocates, or legal representatives
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Our cookie consent mechanism is designed to be simple and clear
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We do not use cookies to track vulnerable users across the internet for marketing purposes
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Essential cookies required for service delivery take precedence
13. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect:
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Changes in technology or legislation
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New services or features on our Website
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Changes in our use of cookies
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Feedback from users and regulatory authorities
When we make significant changes, we will:
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Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy
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Notify you through a banner on our Website
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Send an email notification to registered users (where applicable)
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Request renewed consent if necessary
We recommend checking this policy periodically for any changes.
14. Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:
Data Protection Officer (DPO)
Acerta24
Email: dpo@acerta24.com
Address: [Insert Registered Office Address] Phone: [Insert Phone Number]
Email: dpo@acerta24.com
Address: [Insert Registered Office Address] Phone: [Insert Phone Number]
Data Protection Queries
For general data protection queries:
Email: privacy@acerta24.com
Email: privacy@acerta24.com
Response Times
We aim to respond to all cookie and privacy-related queries within 30 days. Complex requests may take up to 60 days, in which case we will inform you of the delay.
15. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights regarding cookies that process personal data:
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Right to be informed – This Cookie Policy fulfills this obligation
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Right of access – Request copies of your personal data
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Right to rectification – Request correction of inaccurate data
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Right to erasure – Request deletion of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”)
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Right to restrict processing – Request limitation on how we use your data
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Right to data portability – Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
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Right to object – Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
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Rights related to automated decision-making – Not subject to decisions based solely on automated processing
To exercise these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer using the details above.
16. Complaints
If you believe we have not handled your cookie preferences or personal data appropriately, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
We encourage you to contact us first so we can attempt to resolve any issues directly.
17. Governing Law
This Cookie Policy is governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from this policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
18. Acceptance of This Cookie Policy
By continuing to use the Acerta24 Website without changing your cookie settings, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Cookie Policy and our associated Privacy Policy.
END OF COOKIE POLICY
This Cookie Policy was created specifically for Acerta24, a health and social care services provider, and addresses the specific regulatory requirements of the UK healthcare sector, including compliance with UK GDPR, PECR, and CQC (Care Quality Commission) guidelines regarding data protection in care settings.