Rules for handling confidential information

The practice handles confidential health information and we have to ensure that it is held securely and shared appropriately. A number of laws, principles and obligations govern how we should handle this information. But they have grown increasingly complicated to understand and this has sometimes made it hard for staff to make clear decisions about when they should and should not share confidential information. I am the practice and also NHS Wakefield CCG Caldicott Guardian. It is one of my jobs to ensure that we handle patient confidential information correctly.

I went on an update day yesterday for Caldicott Guardian and came across 'A Guide to Confidentiality in Health and Social Care' produced by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Click here for the link. The guide has a five rules that are very clear and will help staff be clear about how they should protect information and when they can share it. It is also useful for patients because it simply and clearly tells you what rules we apply to protect your information:

Rule 1

Confidential information about service users or patients should be treated confidentially and respectfully

Rule 2

Members of a care team should share confidential information when it is needed for the safe and effective care of an individual

Rule 3

Information that is shared for the benefit of the community should be anonymised

Rule 4

An individual’s right to object to the sharing of confidential information about them should be respected

Rule 5

Organisations should put policies, procedures and systems in place to ensure the confidentiality rules are followed

Simplz!