The Royal Society for Public Health Level 2 Award in Understanding Health Improvement Outcome 4 Hand

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The Royal Society for Public HealthLevel 2
Award in Understanding Health Improvement
Outcome 4Handling Confidential Information
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Handling confidential information

• Policies and procedures laid down in codes of
  practice
• DoH
• Places of employment

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Confidentiality

• Why is confidentiality so important?
• Trust
• If clients thought that private information would
  be spread around they would be less likely to
  talk
• Respect for clients autonomy
• Control of their life and who knows what about
  them
• Comply with law

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Confidentiality (continued)

• Keep appropriate records but ensure that any
  confidential details (including those on
  computer) are kept securely and are accessible
  only to you, your client and your supervisor
• Check that the room/venue you are using to meet
  clients has an acceptable level of privacy
• Can your conversations be overheard?
• Are you in full view of other people?
• Inform clients if any confidential information
  may be shared with colleagues or mentors, and
  only do this with the clients consent

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Legal considerations

• Data Protection Act 1998This act provides a
  framework that governs the processing of
  information that can identify living
  individualsProcessing includes holding,
  obtaining, recording, using and disclosing
  information The act applies to all forms of
  media including paper and imagesIt applies to
  confidential patient information and also covers
  personal records

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• What is a patient recordA record is anything
  that contains information (in any form) which has
  been created or gathered as a result of work
  The record can contain information about a
  current episode or a compilation of every episode

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References

• For the Record Managing records in the NHS
  Trusts and Health Authorities http/www.doh.gov.uk
  /nhsexec/manrec.htm
• The Data Protection Act. httpwww.dataprotection.
  gov.uk/dprhome.htm