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)
We do not use any other cookies, for example, cookies that remember your settings or cookies that help with health campaigns.
Cookies required to make our website work
These cookies make our website work, for example by keeping it secure.
See cookies that make our website work
Name | Purpose | Expires |
---|---|---|
Name
nhsuk-cookie-consent |
Purpose
Remembers if you used our cookies banner |
Expires
When you close the browser (if you do not use the banner) or 1 year (if you use the banner) |
Name
ARRAffinity |
Purpose
Helps stop our site crashing by spreading traffic across web servers |
Expires
When you close the browser |
Cookies that measure website use(analytics cookies)
These cookies store information about how you use our website, such as the links you click on. We use them to help make our website better.
See cookies that measure website use
Name | Purpose | Expires |
---|---|---|
Name
_ga |
Purpose
Used by Google Analytics to distinguish users |
Expires
2 years |
Name
_ga_<container-id> |
Purpose
Used by Google Analytics to persist session state |
Expires
2 years |
Name
SSID |
Purpose
Used by Google to track the user’s session on the website |
Expires
13 months |
Name
__Secure-3PSID |
Purpose
Used by Google to track the user’s session across different Google websites |
Expires
13 months |
Cookies that help with health campaigns
These cookies help us show you relevant adverts for our health campaigns on social media, such as Facebook or X (formerly Twitter).
See cookies that help with health campaigns
Name | Purpose | Expires |
---|---|---|
Name
datr |
Purpose
Used by Facebook to help detect fraud |
Expires
400 days |
Name
sb |
Purpose
Used by Facebook to identify your browser securely |
Expires
400 days |
Name
wd |
Purpose
Used by Facebook to help deliver an optimal experience for your device's screen |
Expires
7 days |