1.1 Identify legislation and codes of practice that relate to handling information in health and socail care
Within the health and social care setting there are numerous peices of legislation and codes of practice designed to protect individuals.These are there to protect from breaches of confidentiality were the information held on that individual is only viewed by staff directly involved in their care.
The Data Protection Act 1998 is a piece of legislation which defines the law on processing data of people living within the United Kingdom.
One of the central codes of practice in health and social care has been provided by the GSCC and it sets standards of practice and behaviour for staff working in that field, including standards
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2.1 Describe the features of manual and electronic information storage syatems that help ensure security
A manual storage system is what we currently use. This is hand written care plans which are stored in the office for ease of access by staff. When the care plans need to be secured, staff close the office door which is code activated and this prevents individuals other than staff from viewing the personal care plans.
An electronic system is usually password protected which ensures only specific staff can access the information.
2.3 Maintain records that are up to date, complete, accurate and legible
Staff are required to make an entry in to an individuals care plan once in twelve hours. This entry is in the daily life and review and will contain details regarding medication administration, dietary and fluid intake, elimination, mobility, mood, behaviour exhibited and any changes or deteriation of the individual. There is also a requirement to record visits from doctors, nurses and other health proffessionals.
It is a requirement that all hand written records must be written in black ink, clear and concise and contain only facts, no personal opinions are to be recorded in care plans as this is deemed unnecessary.
3.1 Support others to understand the need for secure handling of information
When working it is good practice to ensure during handovers that only the staff working are present and not
2007, Pp.206-212). Working towards, and gaining knowledge of all skills, and the importance of communication has allowed me to strengthen my own understanding when communicating with others. As a student nurse, I need to understand the importance and reliance of my record keeping, to the continuity of care for patients. It is imperative that any nursing records I keep is complete, is accurate to prevent potential miscommunication and mistakes, and must be countersigned by a registered nurse. Notes should include the status of the patient and patient’s wishes, so that appropriate actions can be taken and in accordance with those wishes. Unless the patient lacks the mental capacity, then alternatively would act in the best interests of the patient according to: The Mental Capacity Act (2005). The patient’s notes should also emphasise the intervention outcome, I too need to be conscious of the language used within documents is clear, so others can understand it. Under the Data Protection Act (1998), I have a professional legal duty to keep all documents which I’m responsible for, confidential at all times. Documentation of clinical records, will help ensure that I am encouraging
As a carer or healthcare provider, some of our obligations are to make sure that information is: utilized reasonably and legally, utilized for restricted, particularly expressed purposes, utilized as a part of a way that is sufficient, applicable and not unnecessary, accurate, kept for no more than is totally fundamental, handled by information insurance rights, kept protected and secure and not exchanged outside the UK without sufficient insurance (Walsh, 2011, p.88).
Security can come in many different meanings and actions within health and social care organisations for example it might mean information security, emotional security and health and safety security. The safety and security of every
Records are a fundamental piece of patient care and some portion of the professional obligation of care owed by the nurse to the patient (NMC, 2002) and they also state that record keeping is an essential part of nursing care and promotes the provision of safe and competent practice (NMC 2009c). Furthermore, (Tingle, 2002 and McGeehan, 2007) suggests that the quality of nursing documentation continues to be of poor standard. Additionally Calfee (1996) further agrees that documentation is as essential as care, “If it is not documented, it did not happen”. Dimond (2003) implies that the information security act likewise exist to ensure wellbeing bodies in withholding certain data considered unsafe to a
After that, safeguarding the patients’ privacy must be implemented with the nursing department. Every day, nurses hear and work with protected health information (PHI). Sometimes, it comes to the point of comfortability that they forget the importance of keeping patient information confidential. Therefore, it is a good practice that Sue and the compliance officer remind the nursing department of recognizing and protecting the private rights of their patient. The good practices would be not discussing patients’ information in public areas where others can hear the discussion. For Sue and other non-clinical staffs, they should be trained on understanding their scoop of practices. They should ask themselves a question all the times : “do I need to access the PHI that I am looking at to finish my duties?” If the answer is no, then they have to stop digging deeper for unnecessary information. Also, any incident involving PHI has to be officially reported. That would help the organization determine following actions needed to prevent the incident from occurring
Both training and awareness activities should emphasize the importance of protecting and securing patient information. Persons granted access to patient information should be required to complete annual training on applicable policies and procedures, physical and electronic access controls, and proper use and handling. Training should be customized based on the need of the individual.
Storage of finalised appointment schedules is also of highest priority, whether electronic, or manual. As each version must be kept for a period of time, updating computer software against viruses is crucial to protect electronic information. Manual diaries would be stored in secure archives, marked for destruction after the allotted
The Data Protection Act is a law made to protect data stored on computers or in a paper filing system. Businesses, organisations
Statement 5 of the code of conduct for nurses and statement 7 of the code of ethics emphasises on the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of patient’s personal information (NMBA, 2008a, 2008b). Value statement 7 of code of ethics highlights how disclosing a patient’s personal information “can have a powerful positive or negative impact on the quality of care received by a person. These effects can be long- lasting, either through ensuring the provision of quality care, or through enshrining stigma, stereotyping and judgment” (NMBA, 2008b).
In every health care position keeping a patients’ personal information confidential is important in all areas. All health care providers are required to sign forms in an agreement and understanding of the rules and procedures on to protect against disclosing a client’s personal information. While dealing with confidential health informational employers are required to make sure is provide education on the laws and understanding of confidentiality, because the health care environment is always changing. To better prepare all staff for the risk of exposing a client’s confidential information without consent. Even though a client’s privacy is protected by law, the confidentiality agreement can be breached, that is why it is important to protect a client’s information from being misused. Where there are many risks involving confidentiality, there are ways of protecting and preventing wrongful disclosing of a client’s personal health information. When working with a client’s personal information keeping it confidential is one of the many important things inn being a great health care provider.
The purpose of this code of practice is to set outbehavioural guidelines excepted by nurses in safeguarding privacy and confidentiality of health consumer information. It involves safeguarding personal information collected during treatment, the use of confidential information for the sole purpose of treatment, disclosing information only to health practitioners for healthcare purpose, consent should be given by health consumer to share confidential information, securely storing health records and is only accessed for provision of care purposes, not discussing health consumer care or practice standards in public on social media they may be easily identified. This could endanger the well-being
An important issue also posted in this discussion is patient personal information. Healthcare is among the most personal services rendered in our society; yet to deliver this care, scores of personnel must have access to intimate patient information. To receive appropriate care, patients must feel free to reveal personal information. In return, the health care provider must treat patient information confidentially and protect its security.
The right to confidentiality is guaranteed partly by the Data Protection Act 1998, partly by the Human Rights Act 1998, and partly by principles established by judges on a case by case basis (the common law). The Data Protection Act 1998 sets out eight principles which are in essence a code of good practice for processing personal data. Your workplace policies and procedures will be based around these principles. The Human Rights Act 1998 details the right to a private life. There is also the GSCC code of practice for social care workers, which provides a clear guide for all those who work in social work, setting out the standards of practice and conduct workers and their employers should meet with regards the handling of information.
Patient health records must be protected from unauthorized personnel due to the confidentiality of content. A written consent must be documented by HIPAA certified personnel overseeing patient health
The second area of cyber security that needs to be investigated is how to protect the integrity of the information (Wilson, 2013) on the device when staff are entering