Topic: Confidentiality
Disclosing patient information without consent- A precis of GMC advice You must disclose information if it is required by statute or if you are ordered by a judge. Although obeying a judge’s directions is mandatory you should only disclose information that is relevant to the request. But other requests, such as from the Police when […]
The GMC guidance on good medical practice can be read in full here The advice for advertising is as follows 68 You must be honest and trustworthy in all your communication with patients and colleagues. This means you must make clear the limits of your knowledge and make reasonable checks to make sure any information […]
Some important information for you to note when you are asked by separated parents for information about their child: Parents may have access to their children’s records if this is not contrary to a competent child’s wishes. For children under 18 (in England) any person with parental responsibility may apply for access to the records; […]
Our thanks to Londonwide LMCs’ and LMC Law for this advice to practices GP practices are public bodies for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and are subject to its requirements. This means that practices are advised to respond within 20 days, failing which they may be reported to the Information Commissioner. […]
About this tool kit Questions about confidentiality and disclosure of health care information are a significant area of ethical enquiry for the British Medical Association (BMA) and the volume of queries exceeds other issues of ethical concern raised by BMA members.While health professionals are aware of their traditional obligations to protect confidentiality, they also recognise […]
Health professionals often receive requests from people who wish to access health records. These requests can include requests from patients to view or obtain copies of their own health record using GDPR subject access request rights or the requests might come from third parties, such as the police. Sometimes the requests are for access to […]
The December 1997 Caldicott Report identified weaknesses in the way parts of NHS handled confidential patient data. The report made sixteen recommendations, one of which was the appointment of Caldicott guardians, members of staff with a responsibility to ensure patient data is kept secure. It is now a requirement for every NHS organisation to have […]
We would like to remind practices of their obligation for protecting access to records by their staff members. GMC guidance from April 2013 states: ‘Wherever possible you should avoid providing medical care to anyone with whom you have a close personal relationship’ This principle needs to be carried across into any situation where practice staff […]