Handling Information Nvq 3

The Data Protection Act (1998) requires that personal details and information must be kept secure and confidential. Confidentiality is necessary in any Health and Care Social setting because it maintains between the individuals and the organisation. An environment of trust encourages people to be open and honest with those who care for them. They provide all the details necessary so that they receive the best care possible. The employers are accountable to the regulators for protecting confidentiality .Preserving privacy and confidentiality is essential so that they do not risk the discipline of being struck off a professional register. Each member of the staff has a responsibility to ensure that the care record are accurate recorded. A clear information will aid patients to participate fully in decision making about their

There are agreed ways of working within companies. These may vary depending on the information being stored and how it’s being stored. There are policies and procedures and codes of practice for handling information. You have to understand your own role and the responsibility that goes with it. If you need to gain access to records that has been secured then you have to know the appropriate person to ask for

An electronic system is usually password protected which ensures only specific staff can access the information.

Information received from someone else I.E. the patient should not be passed on to third parties without the consent of the person that the information was initially received from, as per the data protection act 1998 states this also includes, electronic, verbal, documents, and includes every form of storage of information received or passed on.

The different information systems are filing cabinets where hard copies are stores or electronically which can be saved changes can

The Data Protection Act states that you must only collect information that you need for a specific purpose and keep it secure, ensure that it is relevant and up to date to guarantee that no changes in medication or health status goes unnoticed or unaccounted

Understand the application of principles of professional engagement with service users of health and social care services.

1. Identify legislation and codes of practice that relate to handling information in health and social care.

Therefore every care practitioner should endeavour to promote theses rights when dealing with services users and their relatives. Furthermore, it is crucial for service users to understand that any information they give will be with strict confidentiality. It is a legal requirement for health and social care services to keep personal data confidential.

Keeping information safe and only passing it on where there is a clear right to it and a clear need to do so, is an important right for all service users because: 1. Service users may not trust a care worker who does not keep information confidential; 2. Service users may not feel valued or able to keep their self-esteem if their private details are shared with others; 3. Service user’s safety may be put at risk if details of their

Quality patient care requires the communication of relevant information between health professionals and/or health systems. Healthcare professionals who regularly work with patients and their confidential medical records should contribute to the development of standards, policies, and laws that protect patient privacy and the confidentiality of health records/information.

Legislation and codes of practice that relate to handling information in social care settings e.g. Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information Act 2000, The Health and Social Care Act 2001 (and subsequent amendments in 2006 and 2008), Human Rights Act 1998, Mental Capacity Act 2005, The Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 legal requirements and codes of practice for handling information e.g safe storage, need to know basis, recording must comply with policy and

#2 Does a single document or source of law exist where an individual can find all of the rules governing health information? Why or why not?

Privacy and confidentiality are basic rights in our society. Safeguarding those rights, with respect to an individual’s personal health information, is our ethical and legal obligation as health care providers. Doing so in today’s health care environment is increasingly challenging (OJIN, 2005).

The first principle is that with very few exceptions, health care information about a consumer should be disclosed for health purposes only. The information should be easy to use for those purposes, and very difficult to use otherwise. The second principle is that technical security safeguards be maintained for computerized data. Including audit trails that identify who accessed the data and the prosecution against anyone who used the records for illegal or improper purposes. The third principle is consumer access. The patient should have ability to access his or her records and know others that also have access to them. Patients should be aware of the laws, regulations, and policies that protect their information. The fourth policy is defined as accountability, which is of relation to security and consumer control. Fines and imprisonment are required to those who breach security of personal health information. The final policy is public responsibility. Legislation must be balanced between personal, private interests and national priorities of public health, research, and law enforcement. The excessive flow of information, without patient authorization, is essential to the immediate discovery and investigation in public health crisis. AHIMA's acknowledgement of these five principles are abroad outline of a sensible public policy that balances personal privacy