A Caldicott Guardian is a senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of people’s health and care information, and making sure it is used properly.

All NHS organisations and local authorities which provide social services must have a Caldicott Guardian.

The Caldicott Guardian for this surgery are Dr. G.P. Hopkinson and Dr B Qureshi. The deputy is Mrs Debbie Allen.

When making decisions or giving guidance, the Caldicott Guardian refers to the Caldicott Principles,
which are outlined below;

Principle 1: Justify the purpose(s) for using confidential information
Every proposed use or transfer of confidential information should be clearly defined, scrutinised and documented, with
continuing uses regularly reviewed by an appropriate guardian.

Principle 2: Use confidential information only when it is necessary.
Confidential information should not be included unless it is necessary for the specified purpose(s) for which the information is used or accessed. The need to be identify individuals should be considered at each stage of satisfying the purpose(s) and alternatives used where possible.

Principle 3: Use the minimum necessary confidential information.
Where use of confidential information is considered to be necessary, each item of information must be justified so that only the minimum amount of confidential information is included as necessary for a given function.

Princle 4: Access to confidential information should be on a strict need-to-know basis.
Only those who need access to confidential information should have access to it, and then only to the items that they need to see. This may mean introducing access controls or splitting information flows where one is used for several purposes.

Principle 5: Everyone with access to confidential information should be aware of their responsibilities.
Action should be taken to ensure that all those handling confidential information understand their responsibilities and obligations to respect patient and service users. 

Principle 6: Comply with the law.
Every use of confidential information must be lawful. All those handling confidential information are responsible for ensuring that their use of and access to that information complies with legal requirements set out in statue and under the common law. 

Principle 7: The duty to share information for individual care is as important as the duty to protect patient
confidentiality.
Health and social care professionals should have the confidence to share confidential information in the best interests of patients and sevice users within the framework set out by these principles. They should be supported by the policies of their employers, regulators and professional bodies.

Principle 8: Inform patients and service users about how their confidential information is used.
A range of steps should be taken to ensure no surprises for patients and service users, so they can have clear expectations about how and why their confidential information is used, and what choices they have about this. These steps will vary depending on the use: as a minimum, this should include providing accessible, relevant and appropriate information - in some cases, greater engagement will be required.

For any concerns or queries, please email: reynard.caldicottguardians@nhs.net