CheckTick takes data protection and governance seriously. This guide explains how we handle your survey data, who can access it, and your responsibilities as a data custodian.

What is Data Governance?

Data governance is the framework that ensures survey data is:

  • Secure - Protected from unauthorized access
  • Compliant - Meets legal and regulatory requirements
  • Controlled - Only accessible to authorized people
  • Time-limited - Not kept longer than necessary
  • Audited - All access is logged and traceable

Why Does It Matter?

When you collect survey data, especially in healthcare, you may be handling sensitive or personal information. Good data governance protects:

  • Participants - Their privacy and confidentiality
  • Your organization - From data breaches and compliance violations
  • You - From legal liability and reputational damage

Key Principles

1. Access Control

Not everyone can access survey data. Access is strictly controlled based on roles:

Role Can View Responses Can Download Data Can Extend Retention
Survey Creator ✅ Own surveys ✅ Own surveys ✅ Own surveys
Organization Owner ✅ All org surveys ✅ All org surveys ✅ All org surveys
Data Custodian* ❌ No ✅ Assigned surveys ❌ No
Editor ❌ No ❌ No ❌ No
Viewer ❌ No ❌ No ❌ No

* Optional role - can be assigned per survey for data management delegation

Organization Administrative Authority To ensure accountability, every CheckTick Organization must have at least one designated Owner.

Provisioning:

Owners have the exclusive right to invite new members and assign roles (Editor, Viewer, Data Custodian).

Deprovisioning:

Owners are responsible for removing users who no longer require access (e.g., staff who have left the Trust).

CheckTick Support:

CheckTick staff will only intervene in account management upon a verified request from the registered Organization Owner or via a formal legal instruction.

2. Survey Closure

Data can only be downloaded after a survey has been formally closed. Closing a survey:

  • Locks all responses (no further edits)
  • Enables data export functionality
  • Starts the retention countdown
  • Triggers automatic deletion warnings

This ensures data is only extracted when collection is complete.

3. Time-Limited Storage

Survey data is not kept indefinitely. By default:

  • Data is kept for 6 months after survey closure
  • You receive warnings at 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day before deletion
  • Data is automatically deleted unless you extend retention
  • Maximum retention period is 24 months

4. Audit Trail

Every data access is logged:

  • Who downloaded data
  • When they downloaded it
  • What survey data was downloaded
  • Their stated purpose
  • Their IP address

Organization administrators receive email notifications for all data downloads.

5. User Responsibility

When you download data, you become responsible for:

  • Storing it securely (encrypted, password-protected location)
  • Not sharing it inappropriately
  • Deleting it when no longer needed
  • Reporting any data breaches
  • Complying with your organization's data policies

Data Lifecycle

┌─────────────────┐
│ Survey Created  │
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Collect Data    │ ← Responses locked in database (encrypted)
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Survey Closed   │ ← Retention period starts (6 months default)
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Data Available  │ ← Can be downloaded by authorized users
│  for Export     │   All downloads logged and audited
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ├─────────► Can extend retention (up to 24 months)
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Deletion        │ ← Warnings sent at 1 month, 1 week, 1 day
│   Warnings      │
└────────┬────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Auto-Deletion   │ ← Data removed from database and backups
└─────────────────┘   Permanent and irreversible

Special Cases

In rare cases, a legal hold may be placed on survey data:

  • Prevents automatic deletion
  • Applied by organization owners or administrators
  • Requires a documented reason
  • Used when data is subject to legal proceedings or investigations
  • All legal holds are logged and audited

Ownership Transfer

If a survey creator leaves the organization:

  • Survey ownership automatically transfers to the organization owner
  • All permissions and access rights are maintained
  • Both parties are notified via email
  • Audit trail records the transfer

Data Custodian Role

Organizations can designate a Data Custodian for specific surveys:

  • Can download data but cannot edit the survey
  • Useful for delegating data management
  • Receives deletion warning emails
  • Does not have permission to extend retention
  • Optional - not required for every survey

Your Responsibilities

As a Survey Creator

  • Close surveys promptly when data collection is complete
  • Download data only when necessary
  • Store downloaded data securely
  • Delete local copies when no longer needed
  • Respond to deletion warnings before deadlines
  • Justify any retention extensions

As an Organization Owner

  • Set clear data policies for your organization
  • Monitor data downloads across all surveys
  • Review retention extensions
  • Ensure appropriate access controls
  • Designate data custodians when appropriate
  • Respond to legal hold requests

As a Data Custodian

  • Download data only when authorized
  • Follow your organization's data handling procedures
  • Store exports securely
  • Report any security concerns immediately
  • Maintain confidentiality

Getting Help

If you have questions about data governance:

  1. Review the detailed guides:
  2. Data Export - How to download data
  3. Data Retention - Retention policies and deadlines
  4. Data Security - Security best practices

  5. Data Policy - Formal data policy

  6. Contact your organization's data protection officer (if designated)

  7. For technical issues: GitHub Issues

  8. For security concerns: Contact your organization administrator immediately

Compliance

CheckTick is designed to support compliance with:

  • GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
  • UK Data Protection Act 2018
  • NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit
  • Caldicott Principles
  • Research ethics requirements

However, you are responsible for ensuring your specific use case complies with applicable regulations. CheckTick provides the tools - you provide the governance.

Next Steps