Cookie Policy

Last updated: 24 October 2026

1. What cookies and similar technologies are

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by websites. Websites can also use similar browser storage technologies. Some are necessary for a website to work or to remember a choice you have made. Others, such as analytics technologies, are optional and require your consent where applicable.

2. Our approach

CQC Consultant does not load Google Analytics unless you have chosen to allow analytics. On a first visit, optional analytics is off by default. You can choose Accept All, Reject, or Customise. Rejecting analytics does not prevent you from using the website, consultation forms or CQC Bot.

3. Necessary storage

We use a browser storage item named cqc_cookie_consent_v1 to remember your cookie choice. It records whether analytics is allowed, the consent version and the time the choice was saved. This preference expires after 180 days, after which we may ask you to choose again. This storage is used to remember the privacy choice you requested.

4. Analytics cookies

If you allow analytics, this website loads Google Analytics 4 using measurement ID G-VY10BT7BP8. Google Analytics may set cookies such as _ga and a property-specific _ga_... cookie to help distinguish visits and measure website usage. We use analytics to understand pages viewed and selected interactions, such as telephone clicks, consultation actions and successful enquiry submissions.

Analytics remains off unless you consent. If you later switch analytics off through Cookie Settings, we send an updated denied consent state and attempt to remove Google Analytics cookies created for this site.

5. Advertising and remarketing

CQC Consultant does not currently use advertising or remarketing cookies on this website. Google advertising-related consent types are kept denied in the current implementation. If this changes, we will update this policy and the consent controls before introducing those technologies.

6. Google Consent Mode

The website sends Google consent signals with analytics storage, advertising storage, advertising user-data and advertising personalisation denied by default. If you consent to analytics, only analytics storage is changed to granted. The advertising-related settings remain denied under the current configuration.

7. Changing or withdrawing consent

You can change your choice at any time by selecting Cookie Settings in the footer or on this page. Choosing Reject switches both Google Analytics and aggregate website statistics off. Your statistics objection is remembered separately from your analytics choice. You can also clear site data through your browser settings.

8. Aggregate contact-click statistics

We use a separate Cloudflare Worker to count clicks on telephone and WhatsApp links solely to improve this website and the way visitors access our consultancy services. The reporting table contains only the UTC date, page path, link type and total count. It does not contain names, enquiry details, visitor identifiers, query strings, referrers or advertising attribution. These are link clicks, not completed telephone calls or WhatsApp messages. We do not add these totals to Google Analytics totals.

We use the statistical-purposes exception in PECR for this limited measurement. Statistics are enabled unless you object; no action is needed to keep them enabled. Google Analytics remains separate and off until you consent. Our first-visit notice explains these choices. Select Reject to turn both off, or open Cookie Settings, turn off Aggregate website statistics and select Save settings. You can object free of charge at any time without affecting telephone, WhatsApp or enquiry functions.

Your statistics preference is held separately in cqc_statistics_consent_v2. Existing off choices are preserved; analytics consent expiry does not reset an objection. The browser retains this preference until you change it or remove the site data. The full-width first-visit banner collapses to a cookie icon after you save a choice; the icon and footer settings allow you to reopen it. Clearing site data removes these choices, so the notice appears again and statistics return to the default setting.

Cloudflare processes the network connection, including the IP address and technical request information. The Worker uses the IP address in memory to produce a keyed token scoped to a one-minute security window for rate limiting. Tokens and request counts are stored in a separate security table, never in the statistical reports, and are not used for profiling or advertising. Security records older than the current and preceding UTC minute are removed on accepted requests and by a separate cleanup job scheduled every minute, including when no new clicks arrive. Scheduled execution can be delayed or fail, so this is not a guaranteed two-minute deletion period. The cleanup affects only the security table and does not delete aggregate click totals. Cloudflare may also process operational/security data under its service arrangements, independently of our aggregate report. See our Privacy Policy.

9. Third-party information

Google provides information about its privacy practices and Google Analytics. When analytics is enabled, information may be processed by Google in accordance with its applicable terms and privacy information. Our Privacy Policy explains how CQC Consultant handles personal information more generally.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy when our website technologies, analytics arrangements or legal requirements change. If a change materially affects optional cookies or the purposes for which they are used, we may ask you to make a fresh choice.