Privacy and Magic Notes

This Privacy Notice explains how the Magic Notes service at Buckinghamshire Council (the data controller) will use the personal information we collect about you when you use this service.

Magic Notes is a web application used by Adult Social Care and Children's Social Care to record conversations during interactions with their services. Staff members use this application to process the information you provide. Magic Notes primarily serves two functions: it records conversations through Artificial Intelligence (AI) transcription and summarisation, producing key action summaries.

Your explicit consent is required for any conversation with council staff to be recorded using Magic Notes. The AI technology is solely used to create transcripts and summaries, which are then reviewed by Adult Social Care or Children's Social Care personnel and integrated into a case management system. This ensures a comprehensive record of Buckinghamshire Council's efforts to enhance your health and wellbeing, tailoring services to your individual needs.

Please note, AI is not involved in decision-making regarding the services you may receive. Its role is limited to documenting your conversations with Adult Social Care or Children's Social Care staff, providing an efficient and precise method of recording your needs.

We can hold the following information on you:

• your name
• your contact details, including phone number and email address
• Details of any discussions, observations, or information shared during your interactions with social care professionals, as recorded in Magic Notes (including summaries or transcripts of conversations).

We need your information to:

• accurately record and document your interactions with social care professionals
• improve the quality, consistency, and completeness of social care records
• support timely and effective care planning and decision-making
• meet our statutory duties under social care legislation
• ensure transparency and enable you to exercise your rights regarding your data
• Magic Notes uses advanced speech-to-text and AI summarisation to create accurate records, allowing practitioners to focus on direct engagement with you.

Your consent is required for the use of Magic Notes. Whilst we have a statutory basis for collecting social care information, the use Magic Notes is voluntary, and you retain the right to decline the recording of conversations.

If anyone in the meeting objects to the use of Magic Notes at the start of a meeting then the tool will not be used. If you refuse to provide consent, you will have your data recorded manually for processing within our case management systems

The lawful basis for processing your personal information to use Magic Notes under the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR is:

• Article 6(1)(a): Your consent

Where we are relying on your consent you may withdraw this at any time. Please inform your practitioner to withdraw consent.

Should we process special category data (for example, health information), an additional lawful basis is required:

• Article 9(2)(a) Explicit Consent

This differs from the business-as-usual processing of social care data. The lawful basis for processing this information under the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR is:

• Article 6(1)(e): We need it to perform a public task (the provision of statutory social care services)
• Article 6(1)(c): We have a legal obligation (e.g., Care Act 2014, Children Act 1989/2004

If we process special category data (such as health information), the additional lawful basis is:

• Article 9(2)(h): Provision of health or social care
• Article 9(2)(g): Substantial public interest (safeguarding, statutory requirements)

We may share your information, if appropriate, with:

• third parties (data processors) contracted by Buckinghamshire Council to support the Magic Notes service (e.g., technology providers such as Beam)
• other relevant services within the Council
• other bodies in connection with the prevention of crime, legal investigations, or regulatory functions (such as the Local Government Ombudsman)
• if required, with courts or legal representatives in the context of statutory proceedings

All recordings and transcripts are processed using secure, UK-based infrastructure. Summaries are reviewed and edited by staff before being stored in the Council’s case management systems.

1. Recordings and transcripts created in Magic Notes are retained for 30 days on the platform. After this period, they are automatically and permanently deleted.
2. Practitioners are responsible for transferring any required summaries to the official case management system within this period.
3. No data is used to train AI models, and all information remains private and confidential.

We do not carry out any automated decision making in relation to this information.

You have legal rights over your information. For details of those rights, see our corporate Privacy Policy. Your rights will differ depending on our lawful basis for processing your personal information.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:

Buckinghamshire Council
The Gateway
Gatehouse Road
Aylesbury, HP19 8FF

by email at [email protected]

or by phone at 0300 131 6000.

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to the Data Protection Officer. You can also then complain to the ICO if you remain unhappy with how we have used your personal information.

Date of publication/last update: 29 October 2025