All staff have a duty to ensure that personal information,
given in confidence, remains confidential.

Patients expect that information given by them to their doctors, nurses and other members of the healthcare team is treated in confidence and not passed to others without their permission. Similar considerations apply to personal information concerning other individuals, such as staff. Particular care must be taken to avoid inadvertent or accidental disclosure.

Concerns about they ways information about patients is used in the health service led to the Caldicott Report which makes
recommendations on how such information must be handled. The Data Protection Act 1998 also regulates how personally-identifiable data are handled. The Trust has established a programme of work to ensure that these recommedations and legal requirements are fully met.

This website has been established to provide information and guidance to Trust staff on best practice in this area.