To view the publication schemes for each organisation
click on the link below
About the Freedom of Information Act
Code of Conduct on Confidentiality
Bebington & West Wirral PCT
Birkenhead & Wallasey PCT
Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Trust
Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology
Wirral Hospital NHS Trust
Freedom of Information
Caldicott Home
Endorsements
Background to
Caldicott
Principals of
Caldicott
Definitions
Ensuring
Confidentiality
Disciplinary
Proceedings and the
Law
Agreements to be
signed
Appx 1 - Data
Protection Principals
Appx 2 - Access to
Information
Code
of Conduct on Confidentiality
and handling personal identifiable information
March 2002
This is a generic
Code of Conduct for all Wirral NHS staff and covers personal
information concerning staff as well as patients.
Disciplinary and Legal Implications
The Data Protection Act
1998 is designed to control the use, storage and processing
of personal data in whatever format -especially where there
is a risk to personal privacy. Patients and staff should be
aware that their information will be stored and processed on
a computer.
What do you do if in doubt
about handling personal identifiable information?
Each NHS
organisation has a Caldicott Guardian of patient information.
If you are in doubt regarding the handling of patient-identifiable
information, ask the advice of your manager or, if necessary,
contact the Caldicott Guardian for your organisation to ask
for clarification.
This policy has been adopted in all NHS
organisations in Wirral and forms part of the Contract of Employment
of all NHS employees. Breaches could be regarded as Gross Misconduct
and may result in serious disciplinary action up to and including
dismissal.
NHS organisations are registered
under the Data Protection Act 1998, and careless or deliberate
misuse of personal identifiable information may result in prosecution
for that organisation, and in some cases, of the individual
concerned.
Common Law Duty
"All NHS bodies and those carrying
out functions on behalf of the NHS have a common law duty to
support professional ethical standards of confidentiality .Everyone
working for or with the NHS who records, handles, stores or
otherwise comes across information that is capable of identifying
an individual patient, has a personal common law duty of confidence
to patients and to his or her employer". (The
Protection and Use of Patient Information: Guidance from the
Department of Health HSG(96)18)
This also includes students, voluntary staff and trainees
on placements. It is recommended that such staff sign a confidentiality
agreement.
