This document covers the importance of confidentiality and data protection for service users in the health sector providing numerous policies, legislations and examples. The document then goes on to expand on the importance of legislations and codes of practice when it comes to maintaining a patien...
Explain the arrangements for managing information between professional. – P8
Analyse the impact of legislation and codes of practice when managing information on
multidisciplinary working. – M6
Justify how and why the organisations and professionals linked to your 3 cases all work together to
meet individual’s needs whilst managing information and maintaining confidentiality – D3
Evaluate how multi-agency and multidisciplinary working can meet the care and support needs of
your 3 users. – D4
What is confidentiality?
Acknowledging and respecting a service user’s privacy and not exposing important or
private information about them, particularly if information has been provided in trust and with
confidence, is what confidentiality entails. It includes a service user's friends, family, and other
people. It refers to all information on people who use health and social care services, as well as the
records that go with them, regardless of the format in which those records are kept.
Why is confidentiality important?
Confidentiality in health and social care is critical because it allows service users to feel comfortable
sharing information, which is crucial in ensuring they receive the treatment they require. Individuals
who are receiving care must be able to put their faith and trust in the service providers. However,
they may lose faith in service providers if confidentiality is breached, and they may feel less inclined
to share information in the future.
Confidentiality is important as it ensures:
- Trust
- Safety
- Dignity
- Harm
- Effective relationships
When is confidentiality broken?
The building of trust and respect between service providers and service users is dependent on
confidentiality. Individuals must be able to expect that health-related information will be kept
private unless there is a reason not to.
Why must information be kept confidential?
- It protects reputation.
- Employment may depend on it.
- It ensures compliance with the law.
- It prevents misuse of confidential information.
In order to maintain confidentiality a service provider must:
- Keep up to date with relevant laws
- Store information correctly
- No sharing information on social media
- Use secure networks to send information
- Being professional about how it is shared
, Breaking Confidentiality:
Confidentiality is important, however there are times at which confidentiality can be broken. Sharing
relevant information with the right people at the right time is vital to good safeguarding practice.
The only ways a service provider must share information is:
• If an individual is at risk of being harmed or killed
• If an individual is at risk of harm or death to others
• If an individual is about to break, or has already broken the law
HSCIC:
The HSCIC are in charge of gathering, evaluating, and assessing statistics. They give service
users quick access to data, which results in better patient outcomes. The HSCIC was created to equip
and work alongside the NHS with an information system. Its principal role is to compile the
individual’s medical records into a data base. They introduced the Caldicott report and principles
that are listed below.
1. Justify the purpose of every use of personally identifiable information.
2. Do not use personal information unless the service user is at harm.
3. Use the minimum information required.
4. Access to personally identifiable information is on a strict need-to-know basis.
5. Everyone with access to personally identifiable information needs to know and understand
their responsibilities.
6. Understand and comply with the law.
7. The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to promote confidentiality,
should be supported by policies.
Codes of practice are a set of principles that outline the professional behaviour and laws that service
providers must adhere to. They are a set of guidelines that care providers must follow in order to
keep a service user safe and healthy. It enables them to offer and give secure, dependable care and
assistance.
The code states that to provide an individual with the best care and support, a service provider
must:
- Help the service user say and achieve what is important to them.
- Respect their dignity, privacy, wishes and much more.
- Support them to ensure their safety.
- Be honest and trustworthy.
- Be qualified to carry out their job in a professional manner.
All organisations will have policies and codes of practice for managing information
As a result there will be procedures to follow such as:
• Identify why information is needed – Needs to be correct to avoid mistakes. It must
be legible and factual.
• Identify what information is needed – basic info- name, address, ref no.
• Searching for the information – Point out it may be shared and where they could find
it, it should come directly to the individual, if info is needed from another provider –
permission will need to be required from the service user.
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