Cookie policy

What are cookies?

Cookies are files saved on your phone, tablet or computer when you visit a website.

They store information about how you use the website, such as the pages you visit.

Cookies are not viruses or computer programs. They are very small so do not take up much space.

How we use cookies

We only use cookies to:

  • make our website work
  • measure how you use our website, such as which links you click on (analytics cookies), if you give us permission

We do not use any other cookies, for example, cookies that remember your settings or cookies that help with health campaigns.

We sometimes use tools on other organisations' websites to collect data or to ask for feedback. These tools set their own cookies.

Cookies that make our website work

We use cookies to keep our website secure and fast.

List of cookies that make our website work
Cookie name Purpose Expiry
nhsuk-cookie-consent Remembers if you used our cookies bannerWhen you close the browser (if you do not use the banner) or 1 year (if you use the banner)
supportFinderAnswersStores your answers on the help finderWhen you close the browser
referralJourneyStores your referral selectionWhen you close the browser
referralAnswersStores your answers from any referral detailsWhen you close the browser

Cookies that measure website use

We also use software called Google Analytics and Hotjar to collect performance information, such as which pages you visit or what you click on, to help us improve the website.

Your "client IP address" is anonymised before it is shared with Google Analytics, and Hotjar. This means that you cannot be directly identified from this information. No other personal information (for example, your name or address) is collected for this purpose.

We do not allow Google or Hotjar to use or share our analytics data.

List of cookies that measure website use
Cookie name Purpose Expiry
_gaUsed to distinguish users.2 years
_gatUsed to throttle request rate.1 minute
_gidUsed to distinguish users.24 hours
hjidHotjar cookie. This cookie is set when a visitor first lands on a page with the Hotjar script. It is used to persist the Hotjar User ID, unique to that site on the browser. This ensures that behaviour in subsequent visits to the same site will be attributed to the same user ID.365 days
hjClosedSurveyInvitesHotjar persistent cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor interacts with a survey invitation modal pop-up. It's used to ensure that the same invite does not reappear if it's already been shown.365 days
hjDonePollsHotjar persistent cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor completes a poll using the feedback poll widget. It's used to ensure that the same poll does not reappear if it's already been filled in.365 days
_hjFirstSeenHotjar cookie. This cookie is used to detect your first session.The end of the session
hjMinimizedPollsHotjar persistent cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor minimises a feedback poll widget. It's used to ensure that the widget stays minimised when the visitor navigates through your site.365 days
hjDoneTestersWidgetsHotjar persistent cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor submits their information in the recruit user testers widget. It's used to ensure that the same form does not reappear if it's already been filled in.365 days
hjMinimizedTestersWidgetsHotjar persistent cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor minimises a recruit user testers widget. It's used to ensure that the widget stays minimised when the visitor navigates through your site.365 days
hjIncludedInSampleHotjar persistent cookie. This session cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that visitor is included in the sample used to generate funnels.365 days
_hjSession_###Hotjar cookie. This cookie keeps information from your session. It also records your activity as a single session.30 minutes
_hjSessionUser_###Hotjar cookie. This cookie detects the first page you use when you log in to your NHS account. It also recognises your next visit.365 days
hjShownFeedbackMessageHotjar persistent cookie. This cookie is set when a visitor minimises or completes incoming feedback. This is done so the incoming feedback will load as minimised immediately if they navigate to another page where it's set to show.365 days
_hjAbsoluteSessionInProgressHotjar cookie. This cookie is used to detect the first pageview session of a user.30 minutes
_hjIncludedInPageviewSampleHotjar cookie. This cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that user is included in the data sampling defined by your site's pageview limit.30 minutes
_hjIncludedInSessionSampleHotjar cookie. This cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that user is included in the data sampling defined by your site's daily session limit.30 minutes

We'll only use these cookies if you say it's OK. We'll use a cookie to save your settings.

Tell us if we can use analytics cookies