When working in a care setup, it is considered to be important to develop positive relationships with patients. Confidentiality and correct handling of personal data and information are considered to be important when it comes to building trust between healthcare providers and care users. As healthcare workers, it is considered to be the foremost responsibility to safeguard the personal information of the individuals at the health and social care setup. In this report, focus has been given to the legal frameworks, legislation, and code of practices by following which healthcare workers can effectively handle the information by maintaining their confidentiality at workplace setup.
Discussion
Legislation and codes of practices related to the handling of information in health and social care
There are several legislation and codes of practice related to the handling of information in health and social care setup. Those are:
Data Protection Act, 2018- this act sets principles regarding handling and storing the personal information of users within any workplace setup
The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the Health and Social Care Information Centre Regulation 2013 (HSCIC) are the primary legislation in the UK that set principle policies and frameworks to handle the information in health and social care setup. The DPA outlines the regulation regarding the lawful and fair processing and handling of personal data and information by ensuring the privacy of individuals (Singh, 2021). On the other hand, HSCIC Regulation focuses on the safe handling of information related to health and social care and emphasizes the role and responsibilities of the healthcare workers to maintain the confidentiality of the patients’ dataset at the workplace setup (Murphy et al., 2015). Together these legislations are considered to be important to protect patient confidentiality, and ethical handling of information, foster trust between care providers and users, and provide a legal foundation to manage sensitive data in the healthcare landscape.
Legal requirements and code of practices to handle information in health and social care
The legal requirements and code of practices in health and social care setup are used to govern the handling of information in the health and social care system of the UK. The Freedom of Information Act, 2000; Care Standard Act, Human Rights Act of 1998, and Data Protection Act of 1998 and 2010 are the legal framework that provides a comprehensive foundation for a proper code of practices and handling the patients’ data and information with confidentially and legitimately at a healthcare setup (Murphy et al., 2015). Legal obligations related to the handling of personal information include a procession of the data lawfully, by ensuring accuracy, adequacy, and relevance; along with avoidance of unnecessary data retention. In the UK, there are NHS Digital Website, which also provides guidelines to comply with the legal framework while handling data in healthcare setup (Weinstein et al., 2024). This guideline mainly emphasises on the confidentiality, and security of the information along with the management of data. These regulations not only protect personal information but also help healthcare workers to instill trust among the patients and underpin the legal and ethical foundation of information governance in the respective domain.
The way to maintain the manual and electronic information storage system
A secure system refers to the way to store data in a healthcare setup or any other workplace scenario, which can only allow authorised people to access the data and information. For manual storage systems, paper documentation can be used which should be stored in a secure place as per the organisational policies and procedures (DeBeck et al., 2024). This place can be a filing cabinet, and to restrict access, the filing cabinet should be locked with an electronic code or digital ID badge. On the other hand, from electronic information storage systems, digital systems or computers can be used, with robust cyber security measures. For maintaining electronic information storage, regular data backup and access control should be managed to safeguard the information from unauthorised access or use (Stylianopoulos et al., 2024). For example, electronic health records or EHRs use encryption technologies to protect the personalised and sensitive information of the patient during storage and transfer. Regular updates of software and, the use of secure cloud storage solutions are also important to maintain an electronic information storage system.
Practice to ensure security at the time of storing and accessing information
In a healthcare setup, it is important to use a proper security system at the time of storing and accessing information. The use of a role-based permission approach can regulate the access of specific information, which in turn can increase the security of the data accessibility process (Zhang et al., 2024). An electronic data security system can also be used to ensure the security of the data at the time of sorting. Implementation of encryption protocols, regular updates of the system, and use of passwords can also ensure the security of the data storing process by limiting the access of devices and information from unauthorised sources. In healthcare advanced encryption algorithms can be used to protect EHRs or electronic health records from anonymous access (Pool et al., 2024). These are the way security can be ensured at the time of data storing and access at the healthcare setup.
The importance of maintaining records up-to-date, and legible
In any workplace setup, managing the readability of the records and keeping it up-to-date and legible is considered to be important. This is so that data from the documentation—especially if it relates to a patient's health and well-being-can be utilised in upcoming studies (Smit et al, 2024). Up-to-date records like documentation in healthcare setups like care plans used to change constantly and they should be reviewed regularly to ensure that whether the needs of a patient are being fulfilled or not. On the other hand, any changes in documentation should be signed and dated to ensure the authenticity of the document (Afraz et al., 2024). The importance of up-to-date records at healthcare is it can help in making informed decision and help professionals to understand the preferences and needs of patient. Moreover, legal compliance, and quality improvement, in healthcare setup rely on accurate and complete records (Fotopoulou et al., 2024). Therefore, meticulous record stooping and management is important in healthcare setup for promoting the safety of the patients and enhancing the overall quality of care and support services being delivered at the healthcare setup.
The term “confidentiality” refers to the implementation of authorised restrictions on the disclosure and access of any information, like personal privacy and proprietary information. In healthcare setup, Confidentiality is considered as an important aspect of protecting the privacy of individuals’ data and preventing the misuse or unauthorised access of sensitive information (Afraz et al., 2024). For example, in any health and social care setup, patient confidentiality is a legal as well as ethical responsibility of staff where the service providers should follow the privacy policies to protect the patient information from unauthorised access or misuse.
Manage and promote confidentiality in day-to-day communication
In health and social care setup, maintaining and promoting confidentiality in day-to-day communication refers to safeguarding the sensitive information of the patients. The key practices are:
Report the breach: it is important to encourage healthcare professionals to promptly report any breach of confidentiality at the hierarchy to foster a culture of accountability
Adherence to the policies: emphasis should be given to strict adherence to the organisational policies and procedures related to confidentiality (Mariño and Zaror, 2024). It can ensure that a standardised approach has been followed while handling information.
Seeking guidance: in the healthcare setup, the staff should be encouraged to follow and adhere to the organisational policies and guidelines to appropriately communicate with patients and how to maintain confidentiality in sharing the information (Afraz et al., 2024)
By following these practices, healthcare professionals can ensure privacy in everyday interaction and information sharing process at workplace setup.
The challenges between managing confidentiality and revealing information
The potential tension that may arise within a healthcare setup between maintaining the confidentiality of individuals and disclosing information are:
Disagreement among the stakeholders: conflict may arise between the different stakeholders, like patients, family members, and healthcare professionals related to the extent to which the information will be disclosed (Fotopoulou et al., 2024)
Ethical dilemma: Maintaining a balance between the duty of keeping the patient information confidential and disclosing can raise the scope of ethical dilemmas for healthcare professionals (Pool et al., 2024)
Legal obligation: in healthcare setup, sometimes, healthcare workers have to disclose information like reporting about communicable diseases, or suspected cases of violence or abuse can increase challenges to maintaining the confidentiality of data
Conclusion
To conclude this report, it can be stated that handling effective information in health and social care needs adherence to the legal framework, proper security measures, and commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of the data. In this report, focus has been given to several legal policies and frameworks like the Data Protection Act, Health and Social Care Information Centre Regulation, and NHS Digital website, which set up and provide proper legal guidelines to healthcare professionals on how to maintain the confidentiality of data and information at health and social care setup.
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