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Why we use cookies

We use innovator.scot cookie tracking data to make informed decisions on whether the site is meeting your needs, which leads to us making improvements. For example, we monitor how much traffic each part of the site gets and work to improve areas which are not being found when they should be.

The cookies that we set on innovator.scot can not be used to identify you personally. Find out more about how to manage cookies for all websites

We use 3 main types of cookie on our website. You can choose which cookies you’re happy for us to use. Any data collected is anonymous.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect information about how you use innovator.scot.

We store information about:

  • the pages you visit and how long you spend on each page
  • how you got to innovator.scot
  • what you click on while you’re visiting innovator.scot

We do not:

  • collect information that can be used to identify you; for example, we never receive your name or address
  • make any attempt to find out the identities of people visiting innovator.scot
  • allow the tools that we use to find out the identities of people visiting innovator.scot
  • sell, trade or give your details to third parties, unless we are required to do it by law

All information we get through cookies and analytics will be treated in confidence.

We anonymise the last 3 digits of all innovator.scot user IP addresses for Google Analytics, so that we can ensure that you are protected (you can read more about how this works here). We can only see a general overview of which regions and cities you may come from, not where individuals access from.

Find out more about security and privacy in Google Analytics.

You can opt out of Google analytics cookies.

Cookies used by this website

This list shows all cookies used and what each is used for.

Name Information Expiry
_ga This is used to understand and differentiate between different users. 38 Months
_gid _gid has a different ID for each page set on, and a timestamp. This assists with plotting user journeys. 24 Hours
_gat We use Google Tag Manager to tailor our tracking in case we have different elements that are being tested. For example, setting a tag to track how far a user is having to scroll down a long page. The _gat tag pushes the request rate through quicker. 1 Minute
ai_session Used by application to identify your unique session on the website. Typically used to maintain the integrity of your session while transacting information with a website (accessing secure areas, forms submissions etc) At end of session
ai_user Tracks whether a user is logged in At end of session

Further information

You can email the performance team for further information. Email: NSS.RDIOffice@nhs.scot