How we work, how we look after your information, and what to do if something isn't right.
On this page: our service and its limits · client agreement · privacy notice · safeguarding · money and gifts · complaints · insurance and checks · business details
Bridgewater Companions provides companionship and home help only. We are not registered with the Care Quality Commission, and we do not provide personal care (washing, bathing, dressing, toileting), medication, nursing, moving and handling, or overnight care. We say this clearly in our agreement and at the first visit. If a client's needs change and personal care is needed, we tell the client and their family and help them find a registered provider.
Every client has a short agreement in plain English, signed at the free first visit. In brief:
For the full agreement, email hello@bridgewatercompanions.co.uk and we will send a copy.
Who we are. Bridgewater Companions is the trading name of P. Fiaz, sole trader. We are the data controller for the personal information we hold about clients, their families and people who contact us. Contact: hello@bridgewatercompanions.co.uk, 07551 122333.
What we hold. For clients: name, address, phone number and date of birth; contact details for family, payers, attorneys and emergency contacts; the Support Plan, including routines, preferences, and the health information we need to support you safely, such as memory difficulties, mobility, allergies and your GP's details; notes of each visit, shopping and key records, and any incident forms; and invoices and payment records. For people who enquire through the website or apply to work with us: the details you give on the form.
Why we hold it, and our legal basis. To arrange and provide your visits and to invoice you (performance of our contract). Health information in your Support Plan and visit notes (your explicit consent, given in the Support Plan). Contacting family or the emergency services if you are unwell or at risk (your consent, or in an emergency your vital interests). Reporting a safeguarding concern (the legal condition for safeguarding individuals at risk). Keeping financial records (our legal obligations). Sending a family member a short update after a visit (your consent, which you can withdraw at any time). Replying to enquiries and considering job applications (our legitimate interests in running the business).
Who we share it with. Only the people who need it: family members or others you have named in your Support Plan; the emergency services, your GP or Adult Social Care if you are unwell or at risk of harm; our insurer, accountant or legal adviser if needed; the companies that provide our secure email, phone and file storage, and the service that delivers messages from our website forms; and any staff we employ, who are bound by confidentiality. We never sell your information or use it for marketing without your permission. Your information is stored in the UK or the European Economic Area.
How long we keep it. Client records for 6 years after our agreement ends, because that is how long a legal claim can be made. Enquiries that do not become clients for 12 months. Job applications for 12 months unless you ask us to delete them sooner. We then destroy records securely.
How we keep it safe. Paper records in a locked cabinet. Electronic records on password-protected devices with two-step sign-in. Visit notes left in your home stay in your folder, in a place you choose.
Your rights. You can ask for a copy of the information we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, withdraw your consent at any time, or object to how we use it. Contact us using the details above and we will reply within one month.
Cookies. This website does not set cookies or track visitors.
Complaints. If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Last updated 2 November 2026.
Everyone we support has the right to live free from abuse and neglect. Abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual or financial, and includes neglect, discrimination and self-neglect. It can come from strangers, from people in a position of trust, and from family. We follow the Care Act 2014 principles: empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability.
What we do. Every companion has an enhanced DBS check and safeguarding training, which is refreshed every year. We watch for signs of harm, including unexplained injuries, fear of a particular person, money or belongings going missing, unpaid bills, pressure to change a will, and a sudden decline in self-care. We record what we see in plain, factual words, with the date and time.
What we do if we are concerned. If someone is in immediate danger, we call 999. Otherwise we talk to the client first where it is safe to do so, and with their agreement report the concern to Adult Social Care: Salford on 0161 206 0604, or Wigan on 01942 828777. We may report without agreement if the person lacks capacity to decide, if others are at risk, or if a crime has been committed. We keep a written record of every concern and what was done, and we cooperate fully with any enquiry.
Protecting against financial abuse. We never handle bank cards, PINs or online banking, we return every receipt, and companions cannot accept gifts of value or be named in a will. If we are asked to do any of these things, we say no and record it.
Raising concerns about us. If you are worried about the conduct of anyone from Bridgewater Companions, contact the owner directly on 07551 122333 or hello@bridgewatercompanions.co.uk, or go straight to Adult Social Care using the numbers above. We will never treat anyone less favourably for raising a concern in good faith.
When we shop for a client, we either take cash provided for the purpose or pay and add the cost to the invoice, as agreed in the Support Plan. We return every receipt and all change, recorded on a shopping sheet the client or family can check. We never use bank cards, PIN numbers or online banking, and never lend or borrow money. Keys and key-safe codes are kept secure, labelled by reference number only, and returned when the agreement ends. Companions cannot accept money, tips, loans or gifts of value, or be named in a will or as a beneficiary of any kind. A small token such as a box of chocolates at Christmas is accepted and recorded.
We would rather hear about a problem than lose your trust. If anything is not right, please tell us.
Complaints are recorded, kept confidential, and reviewed every six months so we can learn from them. Making a complaint will never affect the service you receive.
We hold public liability insurance of at least £5 million. Everyone who visits on our behalf has an enhanced DBS check on the Update Service, two references, and up-to-date safeguarding, first aid and dementia awareness training. Copies are available on request at the first visit.
Bridgewater Companions is the trading name of P. Fiaz, a sole trader based in Worsley, Salford. We are an independent business and are not connected to any other company using the Bridgewater name. Contact: 07551 122333, hello@bridgewatercompanions.co.uk.
Call us and we'll talk it through. Nothing here replaces a conversation.