Who we are

Doorstep Vet Company Limited, trading as Doorstep Vet, is the controller responsible for your personal information. This notice explains how we collect, use, store and share information when you register with us, use our veterinary services, visit doorstep.vet or otherwise contact us.

Our address is Unit G1B Stephenson, Prestwick Park, Prestwick, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE20 9SJ. You can contact us at hello@doorstep.vet or on 0191 543 9632.

This privacy notice was last updated on 22/10/2026

The type of personal information we collect

We collect and process information relevant to our relationship with you, including:

Personal identifiers, contacts and characteristics. This could be any information about yourself such as (but not limited to) your name, title, address, and contact details such as telephone and e mail. As we are a mobile service it may also include information specific to your address such as access requirements.
Information about your pet, including clinical records linked to your client account
Financial and account information, including invoices, payments, refunds, outstanding balances and relevant payment details.
Correspondence, enquiries, complaints and your communication and marketing preferences.
Technical information, such as your IP address, browser and device information, and information about how you use our website.

How we obtain information

Most information is provided directly by you when you register, complete forms, book appointments or communicate with us by telephone, email, social media or in person.

We also receive personal information indirectly through automatic collection via our website – we may automatically collect technical information including internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform and other technology. We may also have a list of URLs, starting with a referring site, a list of activity on this site, and the site you exit to. This information does not reveal your specific identity (like your name or contact information) This information is primarily needed to maintain the security and operation of our Services, and for our internal analytics and reporting purposes.

Like many businesses, we also collect information through cookies and similar technologies. Specific information is set out in our Cookie Notice.

We also receive information indirectly form third parties such as:

other vet practices. In order to provide the best level of care for your pet we may request clinical histories and account information from other practices you have previously used.
analytics providers such as Google Analytics.
publicly available sources such as Companies House and the electoral register.
third parties we are working closely with such as technical, payment and delivery services.

How and why we use your information

We use your information only where we have a lawful basis under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended. The basis depends on the purpose:

Providing our services — We use information to register you, arrange appointments, navigate to your address, provide veterinary services, communicate about your pet’s care, issue invoices and process payments. Where necessary to provide services you request or take steps before entering into a contract, we rely on performance of a contract.

Legal obligations — We use and retain information where necessary to meet applicable legal requirements, including tax and accounting obligations.

Managing and protecting our practice — We may use information to handle queries and complaints, maintain secure systems, assess and improve our services, and establish, exercise or defend legal claims. Where appropriate, we rely on our legitimate interests in running and protecting our business and providing an effective service. We consider whether these interests are outweighed by your rights and interests.

Recovering outstanding payments — We rely on our legitimate interests in recovering money owed for services provided, as explained in the debt recovery section below.

Marketing — We rely on your consent for optional promotional emails and text messages. You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing.

Routine communications about appointments, treatment, invoices and your existing services are separate from optional promotional communications. Opting out of marketing will not prevent necessary service messages.

We send newsletters and promotional messages by email or text only where you have opted in. You can unsubscribe using the option in the message or by contacting hello@doorstep.vet. We will not treat a message as a routine service reminder if it contains promotional content.

We may share this information with:

Where necessary for the relevant purpose, we may share information with laboratories, pet insurers, digital veterinary support providers, microchip databases and other veterinary practices involved in your pet’s care.

We also use service providers supporting our practice software, website, IT, communications, payments and deliveries. They receive only the information needed for their role, subject to appropriate data protection arrangements.

We may share necessary information with professional advisers, authorities where required by law, and parties involved in a proposed sale, transfer or merger of our business, subject to appropriate safeguards. Debt recovery sharing is explained below.

Outstanding accounts and debt recovery

We may use your personal information to manage outstanding accounts, send payment reminders, resolve payment queries and recover money owed to us.

Where an account remains unpaid, we may share relevant information with a debt collection agency or legal advisers assisting us with recovery. This may include your name, address, contact details, invoice and payment history, and relevant correspondence about the outstanding account. We will only share information necessary for this purpose and will take appropriate steps to ensure it is shared securely.

We rely on our legitimate interests in recovering payment for services provided and managing our business. Before sharing information for this purpose, we assess whether it is necessary and proportionate and balance our interests against your rights and interests.

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will consider any objection in accordance with data protection law. An objection does not automatically prevent further processing: we may continue where we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or where processing is needed to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

How we protect your information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure. No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure; this does not limit our responsibility to protect your information under data protection law.

How long we keep your information

We keep personal data for the length of time needed to meet the purposes we collected it for. This includes providing a service you have requested, or meeting legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

We normally retain client account information and associated records for seven years after your involvement with us ends. We may retain relevant records for longer where necessary for an ongoing complaint, debt recovery matter, legal claim or legal requirement. We review those records and delete or anonymise them when they are no longer needed.

Some information may be kept for shorter periods according to its purpose. We retain only the information needed to record and respect a marketing opt-out. Cookie retention periods are explained in our Cookie Notice.

Website information and cookies

We use technical information to maintain the security and operation of our website and to understand its use. IP addresses, online identifiers and related technical information may be personal data even where they do not directly include your name.

Our Cookie Notice explains the cookies and similar technologies we use, their purposes and durations, and how you can manage your choices. Where consent is required, we obtain it before using the relevant technology.

Your data protection rights

Under certain circumstances, under data protection law you have rights including:

Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing – You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights as long as the request is reasonable and not excessive.

Please contact us at hello@doorstep.vet if you wish to make a request.

How to complain

If you have any concerns or questions about our use of your personal information, please contact Jessica Perkins, Practice Manager – jessica@doorstep.vet

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – please see www.ico.org.uk for details of how to raise a concern. You do not have to complain to us first, although we welcome the opportunity to address your concerns.